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COMMERCIAL POLISHED CONCRETE FLOORS
Polished concrete may be enjoying an unprecedented popularity in UK homes currently, but it’s been a favourite with the commercial sector for decades. If you have a large public space with a heavy daily footfall, polished concrete can’t be bettered. Take a look at any airport, shopping centre, company headquarters, or car showroom – you’ll find its characteristic blend of durability and elegance.
5 KEY BENEFITS POLISHED CONCRETE PROVIDES FOR COMMERCIAL SETTINGS
Whatever your business is selling, presenting or delivering, there tend to be 5 key requirements that any commercial enterprise will have when it comes to flooring:
Longevity. Flooring needs to look good, and last for decades. Concrete was designed to endure and the polishing process, using HTC Superfloor™, reveals its innate beauty. The patterning is always unique, and concrete will not wear out, or wear away.
Cost Effective. The concrete which forms the basis of this flooring is normally already in situ as part of the fabric of the building. This means that it’s only the polishing process that needs costing into the budget.
Spill Resistant. Concrete is a porous material, but it can be treated in the polishing process, to create a stain-resistant surface. This is excellent news for car showrooms, or shopping centres where varied spills are a daily hazard.
Low Maintenance. The WoW factor that accompanies a high gloss polished concrete floor doesn’t involve daily buffing and cleaning. A regular, simple regime of brushing and mopping will maintain the surface finish, until the sealant needs replacing.
Eco-Friendly. No new material is introduced into the building, if the cement floor is already a component of the build. This means that the carbon footprint for a polished concrete floor is zero as no tiling, carpet, wood etc. has been introduced.
DIRECTSTONE IS A CONCRETE FLOOR SPECIALIST
Our flooring specialists provide commercial clients both a cost-effective approach to the polishing process, and a range of beautiful finishes to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a subtle sheen, a matte finish, or the stunning high gloss finish, we’ll take a look at your flooring and suggest the best way to go about achieving it.
DirectStone works with HTC Superfloor™ grinding machines and diamond tools. They allow us to grind back the surface paste of the concrete slab, to reveal to subtle and unique patterning beneath. We combine this approach with the BECOSAN® power trowelled system which enables us to polish up to 1,000m² per day.
CASE STUDY – A CAR SHOWROOM
If you’re opening a car showroom, you’ll be looking for a surface that can withstand some of the most testing conditions, without compromising on finish. We’ve recently completed a glossy polished concrete flooring finish for a car showroom in Bristol. The sheen of the polish perfectly complemented the cars’ finish, whilst the durability of the flooring will provide lasting value.
LOOKING FOR COMMERCIAL POLISHED CONCRETE FLOORS?
DirectStone is a family business that has been providing beautiful polished concrete floors for over a decade. We have a team of flooring specialists who will assess, advise and offer guidance on your flooring choices. HOW TO MAINTAIN POLISHED CONCRETE FLOORS
The glorious, glossy finish of a new polished concrete floor is a delight to the eye, but how long will it stay that way? As long as you want it to, is the simple answer to that. One of the reasons that polished concrete flooring has become so popular, is that it looks stunning and will retain its wow factor with only the lightest of maintenance regimes required.
DAILY MAINTENANCE OF POLISHED CONCRETE
The biggest threat to your gleaming polished concrete is dust. Even minute particles of grit can scratch the surface of your polished floor as, over time, these tiny scratches fill with grime and dull your finish.
In order to avoid scratches, the DirectStone team advise that the best way to maintain polished concrete floors is by daily sweeping and mopping with a light, household detergent. This keeps the accumulation of dust at bay and maintains the shimmer of the light-reflecting polished surface.
STAINS ON CONCRETE FLOORS
Concrete is a permeable material, which means that it’s subject to staining. The application of a sealant as part of the polishing process helps to repel staining, but it can’t stop it completely. Liquids likely to stain concrete flooring are those with a high pH, such as wine, vinegar, laundry detergent and fruit juice.
If you experience a spill, wipe it up straight away using kitchen towel, or a floor cloth. Then use a mix of warm water and soap on the site of the spill. This dilutes and neutralises the pH. In most cases this is enough to fix the stain, but if it is still showing the DirectStone team can provide a repair.
SEALANT REPLACEMENT
Sealant which is applied during the polishing process will wear over time. Dependent on the volume of foot and wheel traffic on the floor, it will normally last between 2-5 years. The resealing process is best done by professionals who will remove the old sealant, add a new application, and restore your floor to its ‘good-as-new’ condition.
POLISHED CONCRETE REFURBISHMENT
The DirectStone team are never happier than when they get the opportunity to restore a damaged or dulled polished concrete floor to its original glory:
Step 1. Our floor specialists will evaluate the level of damage, and the specific repairs and refurbishment required.
Step 2. We provide a free no obligation quotation for the job, describing the work required and the finish we can achieve.
Step 3. We make any necessary repairs to cracks in the surface of the concrete.
Step 4. Using HTC Superfloor™ diamond grinding machines we grind back the surface paste to reveal the unique patterning beneath.
Step 5. Diamond polishing pads are applied to create the matte, gloss, or high gloss finish required.
WORKING WITH DIRECTSTONE
Our family-run business is located at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, with easy access to clients across the country. Our team of floor specialists has worked together for over a decades, installing, restoring, and repairing polished concrete flooring. If you would like a free no obligation quote for a polished concrete floor, simply message us and we’ll respond promptly.
We work with residential clients throughout the UK mainly in London, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk.
For more information on COMMERCIAL POLISHED CONCRETE FLOORS talk to DirectStone Ltd