Concrete Polishing

Decorative concrete overlays, stampings, fountains and countertops created from scratch. And the best part of all was that the majority of the work the artisans created are to become a permanent working part of Walla Walla County Fairgrounds.

Asbestos is very dangerous when found in tiles and glue on concrete and needs to be professionally abated.

In his 68 years, Jim Vermillion has mastered many skills: military officer, airline pilot, inventor, seagoing kayak adventurer, business owner.

But he hasn’t been able to get the hang of retirement.

Learn about the four ways to add color to slabs that are intended for polishing: Integral Color, Dry Shake Hardener, Acid Stain and Dyes

Arenas and stadiums are a market that is gaining momentum in polished concrete. Between high schools, colleges and professional sports teams, there are a lot of these venues around the country. As they come up for remodel, polished concrete is a great option for the flooring on concourses and even under seats.

Floor flatness (FF) and floor levelness (FL) are measurements by which architects can hold concrete placement contractors accountable and provide a quality control level during the initial placement of concrete slabs.

Concrete placement is never easy, with many variables such as wind, sun, ambient temperature and humidity to consider as they all affect each pour. The mix design and consideration of the actual makeup of the concrete and possible additives are just as important.

At 31, Joe Yezzi was a construction guy trapped in the body of a cellular-phone tycoon. After he finished high school, Yezzi started a pager company that grew into a chain of 23 stores selling wireless phones and services from all the major brands. “I had a street-smart education,” he says.

The owner of Dallas’s Dave and Buster’s sports bar wanted the look of a contemporary football field for the floor. After the floor was polished to an 800 grit, Chris Post of Elite Concrete Solutions delivered that and more.

As time has gone along, polished concrete has picked up market share and damaged contracting companies at the same time. If the profit margins of this industry do not rebound soon the fear is that polished concrete will become an extremely rare and specialized process.

Prepping a concrete floor for polishing is one of the most difficult tasks we face in this industry. We cannot be aggressive like we can when prepping for a coating system, because there will be no coating to cover up the deep scratch patterns. We must take care to remove the surface materials while causing as little damage as possible to the concrete. We must be aggressive while being cautious.

The time will come when a general contractor, architect or another flooring contractor will ask you to bid on polishing floors in a new construction project.

Justin Hawkins and his Lincoln, R.I., outfit, Livingstone Studios, sent us these photos of arrangable cast concrete benches they created for the Rhode Island School of Design’s Chace Center.

From huge industrial manufacturing plants and nationwide retail stores to restaurants and residences across the country, polished concrete has become a very popular flooring option over the last decade.

The “Florida cracker” cowboy rode off into the sunset long ago. But thanks to a design team’s partnership with decorative concrete company Edwards Concrete, residents of a central Florida community can immerse themselves in the region’s frontier days.

Pricing a polished concrete job is hardly cut and dried. There are many things to consider. There are more obvious factors, such as labor, fuel (diesel will probably be your largest expense next to labor), tooling, and travel expenses. There are also various factors about the floor itself that must be considered.

Over the last few months I’ve had multiple projects with issues related to color. I feel it will benefit Concrete Decorreaders to understand the process for corrections as well as some simple tips and tricks for achieving desired results.

I was recently asked to troubleshoot issues on a polished concrete floor that failed to show vivid color, even after all the usual right steps were taken. It was “The Case of the Disappearing Color.”

A leader with a vision and a visionary leader are not the same. It is not enough to simply have a vision and convey the vision to a group of people. You must be emotionally intelligent to understand how to emotionally convey a vision.

Small companiess are better equipped to be successful in this way and its time to harness it.

The Harley dealership is a leader in sales and rider satisfaction for the entire Mid-Atlantic region, and its headquarters reflects its ethics. The 31,000-square-foot facility boasts a modern industrial theme, with cathedral 25-foot ceilings and marblesque floors.

Mix designs are always a little tricky. As most Concrete Decor readers are not architects or engineers, there is a lot of risk associated with modifying a designed and engineered concrete mix.

There’s a little bit of art and a little bit of science involved in the making of beer. And when the popular Sun King Brewing Co. in Indianapolis, Ind., needed an upgrade to its floors, the local flooring contractor contacted to handle the job applied the same mixed approach.