Polished Concrete Projects

Caledon Centre for Recreation & Wellness

Concrete polishing is notorious for appearing to be a simple and easy process to outsiders but in reality it can be complex and nuanced. This project illustrates that point very well as we started with a brand new concrete floor and in theory it should have been relatively easy. As it turns out the floor was extremely hard and very challenging to polish and that doesn't include the poor workmanship problems we inherited from the concrete contractor that installed the floor. This floor required more than double the time normally needed to complete a project of this size and challenged the knowledge of our most experienced foreman. The end result was still an exceptional polished concrete floor.

After After

After After

Industrial Wheel Manufacturer

This project was pretty black and white or should I say went from black to white. The photos clearly illustrate that this floor was soiled to the point of almost being black in color, I’m quite sure maintenance was not a topic of conversation in the last decade or so. Luckily when this building was acquired by an industrial wheel manufacturer they had higher standards and we were called in to bring the floors up to those standards. We utilized a Nufinish 6 grind concrete polishing process plus lithium densifier to great effect and brought the floors to a better than new condition in most areas.

Before After

Before After

Photographers Studio

This particular floor was the worst starting point of any polishing project that we have attempted. The building prior to being acquired by the new owner, a photographer, was used by a machine shop and auto repair shop so as one might expect the concrete was saturated in oil and other chemicals and was in extremely poor condition. The surface was so uneven and rough that it took 10-12 heavy grinds with Nufinish 20R and 35R tools just to get the floor to a usable starting point. A standard polishing process followed the initial heavy grinding and while the floor looked good in places there was still oil returning to the surface in other places. We addressed the oil issue by applying a guard or micro coating on the floor to lock in the remaining oil and it successfully prevented oil from reaching the surface. At last check the new owner had almost a year of productive use of the floor with no problems.

Before After

Packaging Factory

In this project we were given a good concrete floor that had seen epoxy contractors come and go over the years, applying different types and colors of epoxy that stood little chance against the heavy forklift and steel wheeled traffic. Starting with a Nufinish 20R tool we ground off multiple layers of epoxy and contaminated concrete exposing a new layer of fresh concrete. We followed the 20R with our standard polishing process for industrial level polished concrete which involved grinding the floor six more times and applying a lithium densifier. The end result is a beautiful, durable floor that is sustainable and green while only requiring basic maintenance.

Before After

Warehouse Conversion

If you’re thinking about converting some dingy old warehouse space into beautiful modern office space then these before and after shots should inspire some confidence! The before photo shows what appears to be a dusty old concrete floor but what you don’t see is that the floor is full of metal which has rusted at the surface. We ground this floor 18 times with Nufinish’s 20R tool and removed over 16’000lbs of metal and concrete which brought it to about 90% metal free. The side benefit of all this grinding was that we ended up with a beautiful, aggregate exposed polished concrete floor with patches of shining metal. This is a good use of existing assets in a green and sustainable way that also produces a modern and interesting space.

Before After

Storage Unit

Our projects don't get much smaller than this 2100ft2 storage unit. The concrete floor of this unit was in good condition before we polished it and in outstanding condition once we finished it. It turned out to be a great way for the building owner to protect their investment while substantially improving the rentability of their storage units.

Before After