The grinding/polishing of the industrial concrete floor had been delayed until the main glazing was completed in order that any residue left from installing and sealing the windows would be cleaned off before sealing. With the windows now in the team of floor finishing specialists were quickly on site.
The process consists of slowly grinding the whole floor area to a smooth finish using a specialist floor grinding machine with a steady supply of water to lubricate this process and minimise the levels of dust generated. The resulting slurry was then vacuumed up using a wet/dry machine and finally mopped over using lots of water and good old fashioned mops.
The grinding stones (a set of 3) in the machine need replacing as and when they wear away from polishing the concrete. The contractor estimated that in a domestic environment around three sets would be needed for the whole house area of 220 sq.m. In the event several more were required and had to be "couriered" to the site due the the very hard nature of the industrial floor.
The floor was then left for several days to make sure it was completely dry and then finished with a matt finish sealant to protect the surface and prevent the natural "dusting" that occurs with unsealed concrete.
The finished result looks great.
 |
| Using the grinding /polishing machine to slowly smooth the whole floor. |
 |
| Following up the grinding with the wet/dry vacuum to remove the slurry. |
 |
| Babis lends a hand when the grinding stones need changing. |
 |
| Using a small hand grinder to polish round all the edges before the grinding machine is used. |
 |
| Washing down and mopping up the freshly ground/polished floor. |
 |
| The grinding/polishing finished in the main room. |
 |
| Sealing the floor to protect and prevent the concrete from "dusting". |
 |
| The finished polished and sealed floor. |