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The course stone in the concrete mix. Aggregates are available in a variety of colours and sizes that will have a big impact on how your floor looks. It is your concrete supplier that can help you with aggregate options.
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The amount of aggregate (the course stone in the concrete mix) revealed by the grinder. As more concrete is removed from the surface, a greater amount of aggregate will be exposed.
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A difficult term to define as it has different meanings across many industries. To a concreting contractor, burnishing means to aggressively trowel a floor until a hard, dark, shiny surface is produced.Burnishing machines are like a high-speed polisher and used to maintain the shine on a polished floor.
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The measure of concretes strength in compression. For a new slab that is to be polished this should be no less than 32MPA, bearing in mind that good concreting practice must be exercised on site, (don’t add water, vibrate well, good curing regime) as specified by CC a a guidelines.
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Generally a liquid that is applied to a concrete slab immediately following final troweling. This liquid membrane traps moisture in the slab insuring the cement is fully hydrated and so has the capacity to reach its full strength with minimal cracking.
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A silicate compound dissolved in water with carrier molecules such as potassium or lithium. These silicates react with the calcium in the concrete to boost the level of calcium silicate hydrate (some is already present in the concrete). This has the effect of hardening the surface insuring and even polish can be achieved.
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Cutting tools that contain diamonds suspended in a matrix (generally metal, ceramic, Rezin). As the matrix wears away new (sharp) diamond will be exposed.
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Large walk behind floor grinders can generally only grind into within 15 to 20 mm of a wall. This means an edge grinder (usually a handheld machine) must be used to ensure a uniform finish across the entire floor.
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Mechanically removing the concrete surface. Usually the first stage in the polishing process.
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A large walk behind machine with multiple counter rotating heads (high end professional grade grinders have four heads insuring the floor is cut perfectly flat). Diamond tooling is attached to the heads of the grinder.
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A term used to describe the process whereby a membrane is applied to the floor (usually acrylic, polyurethane or epoxy) usually after scratch removal and grouting.
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A binder that is used during the polishing process to fill pores and imperfections in the concrete surface.
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The weight of the grinding machine will determine its head pressure. The head pressure will determine the area of tooling and tooling style used on the machine.
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A term that is interchangeable with grinding and polishing although generally connected with the intermediate stages of the polishing process when scratches are being removed.
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New FAQ : Answer
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A process used to grind and polish concrete without the need for a sealer. While a more labour intensive process than a grind and seal a significantly superior floor is produced, a floor which is harder, as a higher gloss level and better environmental credentials as no polyurethanes or epoxys are used.
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Your concrete supplier will design your mix for you (sizes and quantities of aggregates, cement, water and additives). Your role is to select the aggregate colour and size plus cement colour along with pigments if desired.
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The grinding and polishing process is broken down into many stages. Different floors in different conditions will dictate the number and type of stage that is required. Generally a minimum of 18 stages are required.
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Surface- a waterproof membrane (generally an acrylic, polyurethane or a epoxy) that is applied with the roller to the floor at any stage in the grinding process (usually after scratch removal).Penetrating- A non-film forming stain resistant sealer designed to be applied to densified and polished concrete.
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Water can be used during the grinding process to act as a coolant and lubricant. This can help the cutting efficiency and controlled dust.