Polished Concrete Floor

[thebluebaron]

I want to lay a polished concrete floor in my kitchen (8 m. sq.).

I've got a wet polisher and set of concrete polishing discs, but I wanted to know what the best concrete mix to use was. I read somewhere that you can't use sharp sand. Is that so? And could you use 3mm to dust pulverized granite?

Also, how long do you have to leave it to cure?

Finally, what do you use to seal it and when do you apply the sealant?

Thanks

C

 

[jumoga]

Hello
Sorry I can't offer help, just looking for info on how to do the same myself and have similar questions.
I'm guessing you've laid the floor by now - any advice?

 

[thebluebaron]

I used granolithic mortar - 2 parts cement, 1 part soft sand and six parts 3ml-to-dust granite chippings (available from Travis Perkins). I screeded it onto the floor, after rollering the floor with PVA and letting it go tacky. Left it to go off for 28 days. Gave it two coats of concrete hardener and dust proofer (e.g. Everbuild 403). Then I polished it with a wet polisher (Makita do a good one, as do Secco) using a series of graded polishing pads - 50-100-200-400-800-1500. It worked pretty well. Be careful not to add too much water to the initial concrete mix or you'll get bad dusting, although the harder will help sort that out (up to a point). Also note that that granite chippings mean you'll have fine black flecks in the finished result. Finally, I sealed it with stone stain proofer (which darkened the result a tone or two).

 

[jumoga]

thanks. I'm laying a new ground floor slab, in bays, and plan to polish that. would the mix you describe work for a ground floor slab?

 

[paullis]

I'm considering polished concrete slabs/tiles in my kitchen/hall/porch, are there any pitfalls of having concrete rather than ceramic tiles?

Will the floor accept underfloor heating as well as any other?

 

[Chri5]

I'm considering polished concrete slabs/tiles in my kitchen/hall/porch, are there any pitfalls of having concrete rather than ceramic tiles?

Will the floor accept underfloor heating as well as any other?

Might be best to post this as your own rather than piggy backing on to a post about wet concrete. You're enquiry is about tiles really.


Back on the main topic, any chances of a few pictures of the finished result Mr Baron ?

 

[Chukka63]

why not get someone to powerfloat the wet concrete when laid,using granite dust on the top???