Concrete Floor Polishing in London

There are so many variables involved in this that it is very hard to give a definitive figure. Major factors are size of area, shape of area / logistics, type of concrete, finish required and location.

The main service we offer is for mechanically polished concrete. This is where your concrete slab has some of the top surface removed using grinding machines and then is refined using finer and finer diamond abrasives to close the surface up and create the required level of shine. There are seven finishes to choose from right through from completely flat and matt to very high gloss.

This could well be an indication that they are not actually offering polished concrete but instead using a polyurethane (plastic) sealer to create the desired level of reflection instead of processing the concrete. The quality of reflection from this is not as good as a mechanical polish but the main issue is that the sealer will wear away in the traffic areas years sooner than a mechanically polished floor as you are walking on the sealer not the concrete. This process is known as a grind and seal.

We can offer this but always advise to go with a mechanical polish where possible. Mechanically polished concrete is sealed but the product used does not act as a wear layer.

Yes existing slabs can be laid as long as they meet the hardness requirements. Too soft a slab will not polish very well and will typically require a lot of filler which can look unattractive.

Even at the highest gloss level polished concrete has a good slip resistance when dry. Its does, however, become more slippery when wet but this is in common with most floor coverings.

Sometimes the process is carried out “dry” and sometimes “wet”. In the case of dry grinding dust is produced but is removed by large industrial vacuums attached to the machines. In the case of wet grinding the slurry is collected by a wet pick up vacuum. In both cases we can advise on our site visit what protection will be required.

Many clients call asking for an industrial look and many others worry that the look may be too industrial. It really depends on the design on the surrounding area. If a room has exposed steels and other metal, for example, then the feel is likely to be industrial. On the other hand wooden beams and soft furnishings with the same floor will give a very different feel

Polished concrete can be coloured in two main ways. One is to ask the concrete plant to add a colour pigment to the concrete at the mixing stage. If choice of colour is very important then this is the best way to have complete control over it. Alternatively the slab can be dyed using a sprayed in product as part of the polishing process but this is more of a tint rather than full colour.

All concrete products can be prone to cracking. The main ways to reduce this risk are thickness of slab, using expansion or crack inducement joints and reinforcing the concrete. These can be discussed with the installer.

We do not lay concrete ourselves. It is a very different skill set to grinding and polishing. We do, however, have a panel of installers we can call on to lay your floor or we are happy to discuss with your contractors right from the start of your project. We are always on the end of the phone for you.

There are a lot of variables here but usually a 2-3 man team on a domestic job would look to cover around 20m2 per day. On commercial jobs this rate would go higher due to larger machinery being used and on any project if time is of the essence we could always get more than one team working.

The standard time to wait for curing is 28 days but this can be reduced in some circumstances.