Polished concrete is achieved through grinding off the cream to expose the aggregate below the top surface.
Aggregate polished floor.
Exposed aggregate polished concrete floors are versatile.
Every single pour will be different from the next with variations in color cracking and overall flatness.
While the polish finish is the end game for custom concrete applications aggregate exposure in custom concrete flooring can add a dimension of beauty and interest to the finished product.
These finishes are ones where the surface of the concrete floor is ground off exposing the aggregate to be polished.
Once the aggregate is exposed then the concrete is ground over with many passes.
A columnist for conncrete surfaces sister publication the concrete producer explains why concrete that will be ground and polished benefits from having a larger coarse aggregate content than conventional structural concrete.
Because regular floor polishing is a step by step process commercial business owners and homeowners alike are able to choose the level of shine from satin to a very high gloss floor whichever meets your maintenance and aesthetic requirements.
When you start talking polished concrete floors with exposed aggregate there are a few more things to consider.
Characteristics of a good concrete polished.
Polished surface resulting in little to no aggregate exposure.
Removes approximately 1 16 of concrete surface by grinding and polishing.
This resembles a salt and pepper type of appearance.
This particular slab with polish concrete floors and exposed aggregate was completed in.
Class b fine sand aggregate.
To expose the aggregate you first have to grind down the floor after which you can polish the surface to give the concrete a mirror like finish similar to terrazzo or polished marble.
Depending on the diamond grit you use to polish a concrete floor you can achieve different ranges of aggregate exposure and different levels of sheen from matte to a glassy mirror like finish.
The concrete polishing council classifies finished gloss levels in ranges from 1 through 4 and aggregate exposures as a b c or d depending on the.
Some light sand exposure.
For certain types of finishes the choice of aggregate will have a dramatic impact on the appearance of a finished concrete floor.
An exposed aggregate floor utilizes the decorative qualities of a concrete mix s aggregates and the strength and longevity of the structural slab.
Polished concrete floors are undoubtedly beautiful.
Aggregate can be specified for size sharpness or roundness of edges and color.
In our last project we needed to polish some concrete there was a varied appearance to the surface after it was ground smooth.
This results in the majority of exposure displaying fine sand aggregate with little to no medium aggregate in random locations.
Regular polished concrete is a pretty straight forward job for us.