Garage Outfitters provides numerous decorative and functional options for concrete floors including polishing and coatings.

The process starts out using high abrasion diamond blades on a high performance dustless grinding machine. Like sanding down a hardwood surface the first step uses coarse grinding blades to cut through the top surface removing high spots and blemishes in the concrete. If there are coatings like epoxies or mastics from carpet glue they can be removed during the initial grinding steps.

There are numerous steps in the process. Garage Outfitters will typically start out with a 40-60 grit diamond blade then an 80-100 grit to get that first layer off the floor and get a level smooth surface. Then they switch to finer levels followed a  polyaspartic coating which seals and protects the surface with a non slip additive.

Decorative concrete polishing and coatings evolved from the marble and granite polishing industry and has become a hip application in metro market retail stores, restaurants, office buildings and airplane hangars in addition to industrial spaces. In residential homes garage floors and downtown apartments are a big market.

The finish will wear indefinitely with simple , inexpensive maintenance. Garage Outfitters is based in the Burlington Vermont area and can be reached at 802-872-0123.

They also provide chimney and masonry restoration at partner company www.brickliners.com

Flooring Insurance

I ran into this company in Vegas at the World of Concrete. Ram Board. It seems that this product is always needed when it’s needed. No one seems to think about ordering a product like this ahead of time.

It doesn’t matter what kind of flooring is put down in a construction project there will always be contractors doing finish work after a floor is put in. Lighting, painting, signs whatever. Contractors want to do their job and if you don’t protect yours too bad.

If a floor is not protected it will get damaged. It’s going to cost someone and I’ve never seen the client eat a contractors mistake.

Whether you’re the client, general Contractor or sub bookmark this company. Ramboard

Murrieta Polished Concrete

In this project Murrieta Polished Concrete Experts (Riverside County California) from Surfacing Solutions created the ultimate floor. The building is 5,000 square feet and used to display a collection of classic automobiles.

Murrieta Polished Concrete

As you can see the floor has tremndous shine with a basic gray color. Ideal for showcasing this collection without distracting from the automobiles. The polished concrete is easy to maintain and an energy saver. The light reflectivity of the polished surface increases the performance of the lighting while using reduced amount of energy.

For this Murietta polished concrete project Surfacing Solutions used an epoxy along the edges and around the columns as a decorative finish. Polishing equipment can only polish effectively up to 4-6 inches from a wall or column. That final 4-6 inch border can be polished by hand but will not match the polish from an 1,100 lb. polishing machine. The epoxy border is clean and crisp, a perfect solution.

Murrieta Polished Concrete

The Murrieta polished concrete floor was achieved with a Sase Model 780 Concrete Grinder/polisher and Sase Diamond pads. Surfacing Solutions polished the floor starting with diamond abrasives in the 40-80 grit range working through various levels and finishing with 3,000 grit. a typical polish project will start with 40 and 80 grit grinding diamonds then polishing diamonds from 100 grit to 200 then 400, 800, 1500 and finishing with 3,000 however even project is different.

Halfway through the project the floor was densified with L & M Chemicals’ Sodium Silicate densifier, a liquid that tightens up the pores of the concrete. Tighteneing the pores enables more concrete to be polished with the diamonds creating increased surface area for light reflection.

Sase Diamonds

Products used for the Murrieta Polished Concrete Collectable Auto Facility.

• Sase 780 Pro Grinding machine
• CD Lane Vacuum System
• Concrete Polishing Systems Armor Border Epoxy
• L & M Chemicals Sodium Silicate Densifier

Shawn Halverson of Surfacing Solutions can be reached at 951-699-0035 or surfacingsolutions@verizon.net