How to buff/polish rough Concrete [floors]?

badtz

Greetings



My place has concrete floors, but before I moved in, the manager had filled in old rail tracks with concrete [that run along the width of the open space].



PROBLEM :



The strip of concrete [about 3 inches wide, and runs about 30-35 feet across my place] is a little rough .....



How can I buff this out so it's as smooth as the rest of the floor?



Also, the concrete color is off-white, while the rest of the floor is is medium gray [typical concrete color], how could I make the color more closely (i don't expect it to match perfectly) resemble the rest of the flooring?





IDEAL SOLUTION:



The strip to semi-resemble the color of the concrete floor, and for it to be smooth.





Any help would be SUPER appreciated

scott

I think you just have to put some kind of sub flooring down. Why do you have rails in your place?

k squared

Simple. Ask a general contractor.



It might be as simple as buffing the surface smooth. As for matching the color, that is more difficult. You might have to change the entire surface (of both concrete colors) to get a match. A good concrete worker/general contractor can point you in the direction of a shop which specializes in stained concrete floors. Basically, a stained floor is a combination of minerals that chemically react with the concrete to produced different values; iron produces a rust/orange value, for example.



Another option is just to cover the entire surface which terrazzo.

badtz

I'm not picky about the colors matching. Just that the white strip is a gray color to go better with teh medium gray concrete.



The strip is quite rough, so I'm basically trying to find a method to get the strip to be somewhat smoother, and for the color to change.



Not too picky about any of it.

curiousuburb

wax on (clockwise, right hand)

wax off (counter-clockwise, left hand)



</miyagi>

scott

Quote:

Originally posted by tonton

Isn't polished concrete made by adding water or glaze during the drying process? AFAIK it can't be polished after it's already dry.

Terrazzo floors are made by grinding them smooth after they set.

not unlike myself

http://www.floorsystemsne.com/displa...rete_repair_m1



?

psgamer0921

Could you sand it, then put a gloss-coating over it?

k squared

badtz: do you rent or own?

magicfingers

The only way to get a uniform color on that floor would be paint it, or coat it with the floor leveling compounds that not unlike myself linked to. The coating could be expensive depending on the size of the area. The two types of concrete you have (patch, rest of floor) are just a different mix. Gravel mix, or maybe limestone mix. The Lime stone will cure more white than a gray gravel mix.

You can smooth the concrete off with an angle grinder and a diamond grinding cup, just pour on some water to keep the dust down and go. Doing this probably will expose the aggregate in the concrete. But you can really smooth it out with that.

Then, if needed etch the floor with muriatic acid to give it a "tooth" and apply a concrete sealer, epoxy, paint, or whatever the salesman may suggest.



This concludes the MagicFingers Do-It yourself segment of our program

Randy

badtz

i'm renting. though I'm going to do this floor project anyway, since it's extremely noticeable, and I'm sure the manager wouldn't mind.



can I use a normal power sander to sand the top?



if so, what type of grit/sand paper do I need? [no clue ]



then after, do I color it first? then apply the gloss on top?

gregg

Quote:

Originally posted by badtz

i'm renting. though I'm going to do this floor project anyway, since it's extremely noticeable, and I'm sure the manager wouldn't mind.



can I use a normal power sander to sand the top?



if so, what type of grit/sand paper do I need? [no clue ]



then after, do I color it first? then apply the gloss on top?

I think you need a grinder, not a sander. Sandpaper, no matter how coarse, would be eaten by that concrete in no time. You can get tougher stuff on a "disc" that has a bit to put in your power drill. Ask at your helpful corner hardware store.

hoodlum

you need to get a large walk behind grinder from a local equipment rental place and several different grades of polishing stones. The intial grinding takes off a layer of concrete about 1/16th of an inch thick and then the subsequent grades of polishing stones smooth the conrete. The finer the stone the more glossy the finish. this would get the new concrete and the existing concrete the same level and finish but not the same color. Changing the color of concrete is done through additives in the concrete mix itself before it is put in place. However you can stain concrete after the fact, but since the base concrete colors are diferent, i am sure the stain would look different as well.

gregg

The original thread is from June 2004 .... then a new reply in Jan. '07 .... then one yesterday



Maybe this gives the OP a chance to tell us what the final solution was... perhaps moving out and moving on?

addabox

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gregg


The original thread is from June 2004 .... then a new reply in Jan. '07 .... then one yesterday



Maybe this gives the OP a chance to tell us what the final solution was... perhaps moving out and moving on?

"Badtz" hasn't posted for a couple of years, so I think it's likely he was killed in a tragic concrete refinishing accident.



Do you see? Do you see what happens when you go giving advice all willy-nilly like? Think before you post, people.

william2009

The only way to get a uniform color on that floor would be paint it, or coat it with the floor leveling compounds that not unlike myself linked to. The coating could be expensive depending on the size of the area. The two types of concrete you have (patch, rest of floor) are just a different mix. Gravel mix, or maybe limestone mix. The Lime stone will cure more white than a gray gravel mix.

aplnub

Polishing concrete after it has hardened is done every day. There are companies that does this for a living. How do you think places like Home Depot have such nice floors?



Normally, diamond blades are used to polish the surface.



Now, this is an old thread and the user is probably still down on his knees adding water with glaze and using sand paper to finish that floor.

hank fracas

To solve your problems contact Eafs. They will provide best solutions. They are the best contractors for polished concrete floors.

hank fracas

To solve your problems contact Eafs. They will provide best solutions. They are the best contractors for polished concrete floors.