Concrete polishing and exposed aggregate is very common in different types in Australia specifically Sydney. To know what is concrete Flooring? What are its types? And why are people in Sydney using it?
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What is Concrete Polishing And Why People Of Sydney Use It?
First, let’s say what concrete flooring is and where it is used.
Concrete is the most basic flooring material, today concrete floors can be polished smooth, or textured to provide traction. Plain concrete slabs have served as the flooring material for basements, garages, patios, and utility areas for many years, Sydney people use concrete flooring because: concrete is now also a viable material in home interiors, where it can be polished, etched, or stained to serve as the finished flooring surface.
To explain what a polished concrete floor is, let’s say what kind of operation is actually done on a concrete floor to get a polished concrete.
The concrete flooring is polished in two steps.
Step One: Cut a concrete floor’s surface with bonded abrasives where a concrete floor is mechanically ground, honed and polished.
Step two: Then, to reach a certain level of appearance, each cut must be refined.
What Is Exposed Aggregate And Why People Of Sydney Use It?
The people of Sydney are passionate about developing and using new, beautiful and natural things. So it’s no surprise that the Sydney people are welcoming concrete floors. Exposed Aggregate is a decorative concrete that has natural stones from river beds and quarries hand seeded into a concrete base. So what’s better than that? A variety of stones and dyes can be utilized to obtain the nearly 50 colors of exposed aggregate concrete that Triad has to offer. So you still have doubts about using Exposed Aggregate? I don’t think so if you are from Sydney you have no hesitation to use Exposed Aggregate which is completely adapted to you.
Why Concrete Polishing And Exposed Aggregate Matter To People Of Sydney?
We know that the people of Sydney attach great importance to the durability of the products they use. This is exactly why we recommend Sydney people to use polished concrete floor because: polishing is a concrete based system it is also waterproof and even resistant to forms of damage from fire and electricity. Polished concrete floors are even less likely to receive cracks on its surface thanks to the chemical hardener. More than this Exposed Aggregate can be a better option than concrete flooring. You need to know more about Exposed Aggregate how it can be more efficient and durable than concrete flooring. The shape and texture of aggregate affects the properties of fresh concrete more than hardened concrete. Concrete is more workable when smooth and rounded aggregate is used instead of rough angular or elongated aggregate. Most natural sands and gravel from riverbeds or seashores are smooth and rounded and are excellent aggregates. Crushed stone produces much more angular and elongated aggregates, which have a higher surface-to-volume ratio, better bond characteristics.
What Are Concrete Polishing Techniques?
There are two steps to installing different flooring for the place you are considering. First of all, use tools and methods to have a polished concrete floor.
Step one:
Summary of basic polishing steps:
- Remove existing coatings (for thick coatings, use a 16- or 20-grit diamond abrasive or more aggressive tool specifically for coating removal, such as a T-Rexam).
- Seal cracks and joints with an epoxy or other semi-rigid filler.
- Grind with a 30 – or 40-grit metal-bonded diamond.
- Grind with an 80-grit metal-bonded diamond.
- Grind with a 150-grit metal-bonded diamond (or finer, if desired).
- Apply a chemical hardener to density the concrete.
- Polish with a 100- or 200-grit resin-bond diamond, or a combination of the two.
- Polish with a 400-grit resin-bond diamond.
- Polish with an 800-grit resin-bond diamond.
- Finish with a 1500- or 3000-grit resin-bond diamond (depending on the desired sheen level).
- Optional: Apply a stain guard to help protect the polished surface and make it easier to maintain.
What Are Exposed Aggregate Techniques?
Now for adding the aggregate to the concrete there are three different methods incorporating the decorative aggregate into concrete slabs for later exposure:
1) Seed the aggregate onto the surface: the most commonly used method is to seed the decorative aggregate onto the slab surface immediately after the concrete has been placed, struck off, and bull floated. This involves sprinkling the aggregate by hand or shovel uniformly onto the surface and then embedding it with a bull float or derby until it’s completely covered by a thin layer of cement paste.
2) Mix the aggregate into the concrete: You can also have the ready-mix producer put the decorative aggregate right into the concrete mix during batching, which eliminates the step of seeding it onto the surface after concrete placement. However, depending on the cost of the aggregate you choose, this method can be more expensive than seeding because it requires using greater quantities of decorative aggregate.
3) Put the aggregate into a thin topping: Another alternative is to place a thin topping course of concrete containing the decorative aggregate over a base slab of conventional concrete. The topping can range in thickness from 1 to 2 inches, depending on the aggregate size. This method generally works best when smaller decorative aggregates are specified.
Why To Call Ultimate Epoxy Floors In Sydney Right Now?
Can exposed aggregate be polished? If you have an existing concrete floor, then it will have the aggregate already embedded. Our concrete polishing and grinding process can expose the aggregate or even leave it hidden; it’s the clients’ choice. Obviously getting a beautifully polished concrete floor that is highly efficient is not easy unless you use the services of experienced companies. Our company (Ultimate Epoxy Floors) is ready to serve the concrete polishing and exposed aggregate services. Just contact us.
