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POLISHED
CONCRETE FLOORS
By
Dr. Qasim M. Shakir
It is a concrete floor that has been polished
with specialized equipment and covered
with seal materials to close the pores. The
polishing process continues in several stages
until the required finishing stage is
achieved. The product is smooth, strong and
colored with the required paint. It can also
be added to some other works after the
hardness of the concrete such as polishing,
The application is mostly used internally
due to its smoothness and compatibility with
interior design trends.
Definition
The polished concrete began in the 1990s, when workers in
Tunisia were asked to polish concrete in one of the palaces, but
some mistakes occurred when polishing. The result of this
incident was an unprecedented concrete floor, and the process
of constructing polished concrete floors throughout the world
was developed gradually.
History
1. It is a good type of sustainable flooring because it includes the use
of the same ground materials do not need to other layers, many of
the buildings include ceilings or concrete floors. The surface of the
concrete will reduce the effort and the materials consumed to
implement the conventional finish. It supports the spread of green
construction philosophy and contributes to energy saving.
2. It is characterized by being a little and easy maintenance compared
to other alternatives of the layers of termination are economic in
general.
Characteristics of Polished Concrete
3. High friction coefficient, which does not cause slipping as in
porcelain, especially when some of the inscriptions and decorations
on the top surface.
4. Reduce or prevent the problems of dust mites that cause allergies
and occur with other floors so the air quality in buildings with
polished floors are more clean than other types.
5. Reduce the need for high lighting, especially for large rooms
because of the property of reflection of light on surfaces and support
natural lighting rate of 30%. Thus reduce the cost of electricity.
Characteristics of Polished Concrete
6. Have a hard surface that does not peel or crack over time, as in most
other finishing layers such as wood, tiles or vinyl floors.
7. It can be easily cleaned with damp cloth and the floor has a good
resistance to the stain.
8. Long service life compared with other types (may be up to 100 years
actual service).
9.Non-affected by moisture and the problems of. Non-polished concrete
can be applied to the moisture to the surface causing the flowering
and the formation of dust because of the fragmentation of the surface
layer and thus damage the layers of termination does not occur with
the problem of separation of layers as a single layer.
Characteristics of Polished Concrete
10. The use of the hardening material increases the strength of old surfaces,
damaged and vulnerable with high ground resistance and shock.
11. It can be used as soon as it is completed. It does not require a separate
working time as in other types of finishing. It does not include the use of
toxic chemicals or hazardous substances.
12. Highly polished concrete resists tires of the heavy vehicles unlike other
types of flooring.
13. The polished concrete uses the concrete surface itself to be the finish
face, reducing the need for another layer only. Being less maintenance, it
reduces the consumption of environmentally friendly processing
materials satisfying the requirements of green building.
Characteristics of Polished Concrete
14. Provide a huge number of new carvings and configurations.
15. Suitable for internal and external use, reversing some of the finishing
layers that fit only internal use and some are suitable for external use
only.
Characteristics of Polished Concrete
1. Despite its strength and strength. But not as comfortable as
rubber floors and parquet floors and what is related to the
falling theme of children and the elderly.
2. The concrete does not sustain the temperature. In the cold
atmosphere will be colder than most other alternatives. To
overcome this issue is furnished with the carpet.
3. Causes sound and echo when walking on it unlike the floors of
rubber or parquet.
4. Making some inscriptions may be more expensive than other
alternatives.
Negatives of Polished Concrete
Steps:
1. Preparation of the ground for work. i.e. cleaning, removal of
seal materials and repair cracks or defects.
2. The surface of the concrete shall be exposed with special
machines containing coarse polishing stones to get rid of stains
and bumps or roughness. This process can be done with
moisturizing the surface of the concrete. It is better in dry and
final condition with the use of dust blower. However, the dry
method can expose the workers to inhalation of some harmful
dust.
3. Polishing the floor with stones of fine grits to give the floor the
smooth appearance.
4. Coating the face of the concrete with the hardening material to
close the pores and cracks
5. After the hardening material was well dried, the concrete is
polished with a very fine stone grits to reach the required
smoothness and eliminate the surface unevenness resulting
from the coating process.
Limitations
1. The concrete floor shall be of an acceptable level of strength,
where no slippery and shiny surfaces can be obtained in the floors
that are weak and damaged by humidity.
2. The floors should be as flat as possible. The more level the floor,
the shorter the work can be done. Therefore, it is preferable to use
the helicopter to finish the floors that will be refined.
Some applications of Polished Concrete
In gyms
In office
In Garages
In sores In Malls
Thank
you