Should polished concrete be sealed?

Concrete floor solutions have advanced a great deal over the past few years. There are a number of treatments you can explore which include grind & seal or traditional concrete polishing in Mornington Peninsula. These have grown in popularity because they are economical and durable. They’re not just stunning to look at, they also offer sturdy flooring – making these applications a good fit for both industrial warehouses and boutique retail applications. However, people often mistake polished concrete and sealed concrete because they are both, ultimately, shiny slabs of concrete. They are two different and separate things and, in most cases, you only need one or the other depending on your unique flooring needs. 

Sealed vs polished concrete 

Even though these treatments offer a wide variety of finishes, there are only two distinct types of concrete floor finish: sealed concrete and polished concrete. Sealed concrete, however, is a broader classification of many different ways to seal your floor. The most basic sealed concrete floor is when a technician simply installed an acrylic sealant over your bare concrete floor. Grind & Seal services will still deliver on the shiny surface that you get with polished concrete even though they are vastly different installations. Polished concrete is achieved with the use of finer grits of diamond abrasives. However, with sealed concrete, the final finish is achieved with a high-performance sealer. The easiest way to differentiate between the two is that there’s no film covering a polished concrete floor. 

How to seal concrete floors?

Sealed concrete is the use of a film that will beautify and preserve your floor. It brings out the beauty of the existing flooring by enhancing the colour and adding sheen and it protects the concrete surface from abrasions and stains. Film-forming sealers are the best type of sealers because they form a protective film on the concrete surface. They are also the most commonly used for decorative concrete work across the country. When considering the cost of polished concrete, sealed concrete is slightly less expensive than polished concrete but it can often offer the same look.

Here are the steps for sealing concrete floors:

• We’ll prepare and clean the floors and then wait for them to dry
• We’ll open doors and windows for proper ventilation
• The technician will then apply a thin coat of concrete floor sealer and let dry
• We’ll then apply a second coat in the other direction
• This is followed by a waxing process to prolong the life of the sealer

How to mechanically polish concrete?

This all depends on the condition of your existing concrete. The initial grinding process is a multi-step process. This is then followed by the use of diamond abrasives embedded in a plastic or resin to “fine grind” the floor. This is done until the floor has the desired sheen. Projects that are after an extremely high-gloss finish is required will need a final grit of 1500 or finer may be used. Our experienced polished concrete crew will then apply a chemical hardener or densifier to penetrate the concrete, creating a reaction that hardens and dust-proofs the surface.

How to maintain polished concrete?

Both polished concrete and sealed concrete floors are easy to maintain and can offer a lifetime of reliability. They just need to be treated correctly, particularly in high traffic areas, and you shouldn’t have to worry about any wear and tear. They’re a relatively low-maintenance flooring option but low maintenance doesn’t mean that there isn’t work to do. There are ways to clean polished floors and they can vary on how often it is required. It’s as simple as paying attention to simple daily housekeeping to ensure that your concrete floors maintain their stunning shine. You’ll also realise that they don’t need frequent professional maintenance. Most concrete floors will do perfectly well if they’re re-polished every 2-3 years using specialized polishing equipment. Polished floors that are properly looked after will need even less frequent polishing. In some cases, you may be able to wait up to five years between floor polishings.

Mornington Peninsula’s best-polished concrete floors

Grind & Sealed floors can sometimes look identical to mechanically polished floors and that’s what makes them the most popular concrete polish style in Australia. This is an excellent choice for property owners who want the same looks but have half the budget for polished concrete floors. Give us a call on 0423 22 466 and we can discuss a range of options.