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Want Polished Concrete Floors? How To Prepare For The Project

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If you need to improve the air quality in your home, and you've decided to go with polished concrete, you've made the right decision. Polished concrete is one of the best flooring options for people with allergies. That's because polished concrete doesn't release any harmful, or irritating fumes. However, you do need to prepare your concrete. If you're not familiar with the polishing process, here are some steps you can take to prepare your concrete. 

Do the Scratch Test

If you're going to polish your concrete floor, the first thing you need to do is the scratch test. Your concrete floor needs to be strong enough to withstand the polishing. To determine that, you need to conduct a scratch test. You can test for hardness using tools that determine mineral hardness. If you're not sure how to conduct the scratch test, or you can't find the right tools for the test, you can talk to your concrete contractor. They'll take care of the scratch test for you. 

Seal the Concrete Joints

If your concrete is hard enough to be polished, you'll need to seal the joints before you move on to any other steps. If you're polishing the concrete in a large room, you might notice that there are joints between the individual sections. Those joints are designed to prevent cracking. To make sure cracks don't form later on, you need to seal each individual joint. Once those joints are sealed, you're ready to move on to the next step in the preparation process. 

Take Care of the Repairs

If you're trying to get your concrete ready for polishing, inspect for damage. You want to check for blemishes like cracks, chips, or delamination. If you see any of these issues, then you need to arrange for repairs. Your concrete can't be polished until all of the damage has been repaired. For minor cracks and chips, you can use a cement-based patching mixture. However, for larger damage, you might need to hire a concrete contractor to take care of the repairs. 

Remove the Dirt and Grime

If you've hired a contractor to polish your concrete floor, it's important that you start with a clean surface. First, you want to remove oil stains from the surface of the concrete. You can use a grease-cutting detergent to remove the oil stains. Once you've removed the oil, you can use the same type of detergent to clean your concrete. After you've taken care of the cleaning, your concrete will be ready for polishing.

For more information on polished concrete, contact a professional near you.


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