Concrete Mix Design For Polished Floors

All polished concrete surfaces are made up of three key elements.

Concrete mix design for polished floors.

Between 3 500 and 5 000 is preferred for polished concrete. The national floor safety institute nfsi is an independent tester of floors including polished concrete. Concrete mixture shall be 3000 psi or higher non air entrained. Polished concrete floors are becoming a popular design element in retail stores corporate office buildings schools and leed certified buildings.

Its method nfsi 101 a standard for evaluating high traction flooring materials. When polished the natural gray color of concrete is often chosen for its simplistic and somewhat industrial feel. Mix designs and polished concrete by kevin macdonald dave landry ttm finishes inc. Use a minimum 3 500 psi mix.

Sand concrete and aggregate. Photo courtesy of retroplate. In our last project we needed to polish some concrete there was a varied appearance to the surface after it was ground smooth. A columnist for conncrete surfaces sister publication the concrete producer explains why concrete that will be ground and polished benefits from having a larger coarse aggregate content than conventional structural concrete.

Fred herbold css csi with sera architects in portland ore says he sees polished concrete as part of the placement criteria and feels that the opportunity for bidders to miss the specification is too easy if placed in division 9. Concrete mix design for polished concrete. 3 000 psi is normal for concrete driveways concrete sidewalks and patios. In some instances a plain uncolored polished concrete floor is preferred.

Do not add air to the concrete if at all possible. Any admixtures plasticizers or anything taking the place of portland based cement shall be kept to a minimum. As the number of grit increases so does its fineness. That is a polished concrete floor that works its way to a higher finish over 400 grit for example is.

Producers and contractors should discuss what mix is best suited for placing and grinding a floor that will be polished. If you feel the need to have air entrained concrete try not to exceed 3. Well now it s time for a new lesson the polished concrete triangle. Confirm there is no slag or fly ash in the mix as these materials will affect the polishing process.

Concrete photos articles info design ideas plus local concrete contractors for colored stamped and textured concrete patios driveways pool decks interior stained floors concrete countertops and many more decorative concrete applications. In the image above a vintage car collector preferred simply polished concrete that would shine and show the beauty of his cars. Polished concrete flooring is simply a concrete floor that has been treated with a chemical densifier to fill in the holes pores and ground down similar to sanding wood with progressively finer grinding tools. It might sound simple but we can t understate the amount of thought and science that goes into creating the perfect polished concrete flooring mix.