Basement Concrete Polishing
Polished Concrete correctly done in basements is not an easy task. But your basement concrete can be polished by contractors who have the correct concrete polishing equipment and polished concrete skills.
Polished concrete can be considered a lifetime finish in a residential basement. Due to the light foot traffic and non exposure to the outdoor elements, the industrial reliability of polished concrete in a home owner basement is ideal.
The breathability that a polished concrete basement floor provides helps prevent mold in moisture prone, below level basements. The excess moisture in the concrete basement floor is not trapped below a superficial coating or engineered flooring surface. Basements with mechanically diamond polished concrete are naturally fresher and cooler in terms of clean air.
Negatively, the means in which concrete basements are originally poured are not to the same finish standards as regular above ground concrete floors- therefore more often than not, much more mechanical diamond grinding and honing is necessary to attain a true, mechanical diamond polished concrete basement finish.
A truly diamond polished concrete basement floor requires 5-7 different diamond grinding steps. Gimmick contractors may be labeling one grind & a thick seal coating as polished concrete...this will not give the homeowner the benefits of a true diamond polished basement floor.
A Professional Polished Concrete Installer will…
- Have heavy grinding equipment that is a task to bring down the basement stairs.
- Need a separate generator or a direct connection to the house electric panel to run the floor grinder.
- Have large vacuums for connecting to grinding equipment, no dust should be visibly in the air at any time in the process.
- Has correct insurances to protect homeowner property.
- Explain the 5-7 Diamond passes needed to correctly polish the basement concrete.
- Takes all grinding dust and debris to their own shop to dispose of, does not leave mess for homeowner.
Other types of basement finishes...
While the correct diamond grinding is always essential, there are many other types of options to get a different look for your basement floor.
- Acid Stained Basement Flooring
- Epoxy Basement Flooring
- Ground & Sealed Basement Flooring
- Ground, Sealed & Stained Basement Flooring
Note, that each of these items will have their pro’s and con’s on being installed in a basement. For example, an epoxy coating will need a higher cost moisture barrier installed in order to combat the excessive concrete floor moisture that is within a basement.
The Ground & Sealed option will also not guarantee the long term lifespan comparable to that of a diamond polished concrete basement floor, due to being reliant on the sealer to maintain durability.