How To: Prep, Grout & Polish Concrete

Polished concrete is a great treatment for floors that can be kept clean, dry, and have minimal exposure to staining or etching chemicals. The surface is best left free of any topical sealer so the naturally abrasion resistant concrete is inexpensive to maintain. The benefits of mechanically polished concrete are possible because of all the work that goes into creating them. This video gives a good overview of the process, and why it’s cost to purchase is relatively higher than conventional floor coverings. The cost of ownership, however, is usually much less because of its long term durability.
Grinding begins the process to remove any topical contaminants and expose the base slab. As this process takes place the floor becomes more flat. Following this first grind, a second process is done to remove the preceding step’s scratches (similar to refinishing wood).
Grouting is done to fill the concrete’s inherent surface voids. Concrete is like a dense sponge. Every slab will have small holes that, when polished, will detract from the surface reflection and durability. Some slabs have excessive voids while others might only have small pinholes. Here the choice was made to grout because this level of aggregate exposure means large holes will be opened.
The polishing process proceeds to remove the excess grout and the previous steps’ scratches. At this point the floor is starting to exhibit a smoothness similar to a honed stone. There is little reflection, but the surface displays a uniformity not usually expected of concrete. It’s at this time that the floor should be inspected for any missed scratches.
The densification process is done to make the bonds between sand aggregates stronger. This simple process introduces a chemical that grows small crystals between the fine aggregates. This is how the surface becomes more difficult to scratch. It also helps the polishing process to achieve a better result, but the primary reason is the long term durability that’s achieved.
Finishing the process includes progressively finer grits that make the surface more reflective. Once this is complete, a burnisher or auto-scrubber is used to remove all the fine dust. The process at this point is finished.
If some stain resistance is required, there is the option of a penetrating chemical that will give some protection. Applying a topical product (usually referred to as “guard”) is not recommended. The whole purpose of a polished slab is to provide a long-lasting and easy-to-clean surface. Any topical material will eventually wear and add cost to maintain.
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#POLISHEDCONCRETE
#ROTARYGRINDER

[@Bustahbrown]

Great video. This is the one I’ve been looking for. Just the steps (and techniques) without 20 minutes of explanation.

[@joshjones8047]

Thanks so much for the compliment. I’m pleased to read you found it useful.

[@hhattingh]

That looked stunning

[@joshjones8047]

@@hhattingh Thank You

[@grzegorzp5303]

It is ideal to power float the floor or it makes the grinding more difficult?

[@dipanpatelmd]

when polishing concrete if there is an expansion joint in the middle of a slab (garage) is it better to seal the joint with a sika flex prior to polishing or after? why?

[@joshjones8047]

That’s a good question. I don’t think Sikaflex can be polished. Therefore it would be better to do the full polishing, tape off the joint edges (to protect the polish), and carefully place the Sikaflex joint filler.

[@dipanpatelmd]

Appreciate the advice. Amazing channel and utmost respect for your mastery and sharing your knowledge.

[@joshjones8047]

@@dipanpatelmd that’s very kind of you. Thank You.

[@wainivanua]

Thanks for the great video. Would you mind explaining what the "guard" is that you referenced at the 800 grid step?

[@joshjones8047]

Thanks so much. The term “guard” references products that are used as a topical protectant. While they do provide some stain resistance, they become the wear surface. Not being high performance coatings, they wear similar to a wax. There’s not anything necessarily wrong with them, but the maintenance schedule to keep them looking uniform is more than a polished floor requires.

[@wainivanua]

@@joshjones8047 Awesome, that's very helpful, thank you.

[@joshjones8047]

@@wainivanua you’re welcome. Happy to help.

[@RicardoRodriguez-ex3vo]

Que desinfectante usas

[@soroushe6394]

As always a beautiful video. Is there any specific brand for tooling you would recommend?

[@joshjones8047]

Thank you so much. The brand used here is made by Inland Diamond. They are located in Madison Heights, MI, and they are actually making these tools there. Thank you again for the kind words.

[@anthonyibarra1042]

Do you recommend the guard?

[@joshjones8047]

Not usually. It has its place for stain protection but it does become a surface that needs more maintenance than a guard-free floor.

[@deyc3]

Nice, Josh! Why did you do the poly grout after your hybrid 100s?

[@joshjones8047]

Thank you so much. I applied the grout after the 100 to test its removal with the 200 hybrid. The 200 being less aggressive takes longer, but it’s less abrasive to the grout that I want to stay in the holes. There’s no rule about when to grout or which tool to use to remove it, so it’s always a guess which is the best for the floor. Thank you again for the kind words.

[@aticafloorable]

what brand is the floor washer, thank you

[@joshjones8047]

This is one made by Hawk. It’s a good vac for abrasive and thick slurry: buymanufacturersdirect.com/shop/manufacturers/hawk-enterprises/wet-dry-vacuums/wet-dry-vacuum-liquid-dust-removal/

[@pt18777]

Wow. I was thinking $4 sq/ft was too much to get it done and I’d do myself. I’d gladly pay more

[@عليعبد-م3س5و]

شكد سعره هايه

[@kenmersereau8404]

I'm curious what the approximate cost range is to have this done ? $3 ~ $5 per square foot? or ? Thanks in advance

[@joshjones8047]

That’s a good question. Price per SF is largely dependent upon minimum square footage. After 10,000SF, a reliable unit cost could be multiplied by a greater footage. For the ones smaller than this, it’s likely going to be an ala carte system to establish cost. The existing concrete surface condition will also determine the work necessary to produce a polish. Also a factor in price will be market demand and local labor cost. Polishing is a labor intense process. Areas with higher labor rates will drive any unit cost higher. Sorry to not give a precise answer, but the cost per SF is going to be influenced by factors specific to each project.

[@kenmersereau8404]

@@joshjones8047 Understood, I'm a professional commercial construction estimator. Context is everything for estimates. I've got a 1,000 SF basement concrete slab in a home I am considering polishing the concrete rather than applying a vinyl plank flooring over. I'm just asking if there is an approximate cost range for polishing concrete so I can evaluate that against a more typical floor finish.

[@joshjones8047]

@@kenmersereau8404 okay. Rough guess is +$5/SF. If you need a contractor in your area to give you a more reliable estimate, please don’t hesitate to email me. [e-mail]

[@leeadickes7235]

10-12$

[@jamieclarke6623]

Will the grout you put in fill in pin holes?

[@joshjones8047]

@@jamieclarke6623 yes. The urethane style of grout is for the surface porosity. Holes larger than a pencil lead are better treated with epoxy and marble dust. For the smaller holes (pin sized), the urethane used here does well enough to fill them.

[@jamieclarke6623]

Ok thanks for your help 👍🏻

[@jamieclarke6623]

@@joshjones8047do you have any recommendations of what grout product to use?

[@jamieclarke6623]

Do you have a name for grout product?

[@joshjones8047]

@@jamieclarke6623 yes. It’s called PCF45 made by Smith Paints: www.smithpaints.com/?ae_global_templates=poly-pcf-45

[@glengarbera7367]

Where can I buy that floor vac your using in this video.

[@joshjones8047]

Thanks for the request. If you mean the wet vacuum, it can be purchased here: buymanufacturersdirect.com/shop/manufacturers/hawk-enterprises/wet-dry-vacuums/wet-dry-vacuum-liquid-dust-removal/

[@glengarbera7367]

@@joshjones8047 I really appreciate that. Great work by the way

[@joshjones8047]

@@glengarbera7367 Thank You

[@MrPeamail]

Contractor told me he won't do the floors if he doesn't put on a guard.....?

[@joshjones8047]

That seems to be the standard now.

[@عليعبد-م3س5و]

وذا تكدر دزلي رقمك