Improving The Look Of Concrete

Tired of staring at gritty, gray concrete flooring in your basement or garage? You are not alone. Concrete is never pretty, just functional. If you want something prettier, consider concrete floor polishing or epoxy floor coating. Here is a comparison of these two decorative options for concrete floors as well as their benefits and drawbacks.

Concrete Floor Polishing

This process is fairly straightforward. Contractors come in with floor polishing machines and use a variety of diamond grit sanding disks to grind the concrete into a fine, shiny surface. The result is a level floor with an almost pebbled appearance (from the gravel in the concrete) with a high shine. If you have a hard time imagining what this looks like, think of old bank or courthouse floors; that is polished concrete.

Epoxy Floor Coating

Epoxy floor coating is a process whereby the surface of the concrete is prepped by sanding it smooth but not too smooth. Then the epoxy mixture, which has the consistency of liquid rubber, is applied in one to two coats over the top of the prepped concrete floor. The epoxy has to dry between coats, unlike the floor polishing approach. Additional decorative details can be added to the epoxy, such as foil flakes in gold, silver, copper or bright colors, or you can leave the epoxy coating one solid color. You can also use multiple epoxy colors to create unique patterns or details in the floor coating.

Drawbacks

Concrete floor polishing provides no color or unique decorative effects to your concrete floor. It may also make the floor somewhat slippery, and if you fall on it, it is the same as falling on hard concrete (because you are falling on hard concrete!). If you first opt for floor polishing and then want to change it, you may have to replace the concrete entirely because the floor will be too smooth to do anything else.

With the epoxy flooring, you have to wait for the coats to dry. Nothing can rest on the coating until it is fully dry or it will create indentations and tears in the coating. It is also difficult and messy to remove later on if you want to strip the epoxy off to change it or do something else to the concrete floor below.

Benefits

Concrete polishing is a quick and easy solution for transforming your concrete floor. The high shine is very attractive, and looks like faux marble. It also withstands just about anything hitting it, and it almost never chips or cracks after being polished. It is also washable and waterproof, so mud and dirt tracked across it is easily wiped up.

Epoxy floor coating is also washable and non-porous. It provides you with a more unique floor coating and tons more options for decorating. Because it is so rubbery, it reduces sound and echoes and prevents more serious injuries if you fall onto it. For more information, contact companies like Southeast Concrete Solutions, LLC.