How To: Prep, Grout & Polish Concrete

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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/

[@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.

[@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

[@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$

[@RicardoRodriguez-ex3vo]

Que desinfectante usas

[@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

[@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]

شكد سعره هايه

[@عليعبد-م3س5و]

وذا تكدر دزلي رقمك