It’s not uncommon for people to have a poor experience with any contractor, especially a concrete floor polisher. Concrete polishing contractors range from one-man shows to very large corporations, but it is the operational style that can make or break someone’s experience with a concrete floor polisher. So, what are the signs to watch for when choosing a company to polish your concrete floors?

Do your research on the concrete floor polisher you are evaluating:

Question #1: Is this concrete floor polisher a wet polisher or a dry polisher? The reason this matters is with the quality of the floor. When concrete floor polishers dry polish the appearance of the floor is shinier when they are complete. The reason is that there is no water to cool down the diamond stones that are bonded in resin that polish the concrete floor. Instead, they get hot and actually “melt” into the floor. So, the shine you are actually seeing is from this waxing build-up and is not a true polish. On the other hand, wet-polishers cool their diamonds with water during the polishing process to prevent this from happening while extending the life of the diamonds. And what does that mean for the floor – sure it is less shiny, but this shine will not wear off, wash off, or walk off when the wax is gone.

Question #2: How many diamond steps does the  concrete floor polisher claim they will use? Most people are familiar with the concept of sanding wood and the progressive sand paper grits that should be used. The same concept is true for polished concrete. However, there are concrete floor polishing companies who either skip or combine steps. For example, skipping from a 100-grit to a 400-girt or combining 100 and 400 grits in the same pass. The result: a floor that isn’t properly refined and thus prone to fail at some point of time. By properly following the sequence of diamond steps, the floor refinement will be at it’s best making the floor last for as long as it is maintained

Question #3: Will the concrete floor polisher clean up after themselves? Providing a turn-key polished concrete floor is what you’d expect, but did they tell you that? Many are burned by the polishing contractor saying “I never said I would do that”. Clean up is more than just putting their garbage in the dumpster. What about the window sills and walls, will they be left in the same condition they were found in? What if there is damage to the property while the contractor is there – will they fix it? Leaving the site in the same condition as it was found and providing you with a floor that is ready to use is important – make sure your concrete floor polisher is prepared to do this!

Question #4: Does the concrete floor polisher take into account Health and Safety? Referring back to Question 1, does the polisher perform the work dry or wet also has an impact on the health and safety of those in the building during the work and those who will occupy the building after it’s complete. Dry polishing put invisible, respirable silica dust into the air. It can be trapped on window sills, ceiling structures, and captured in the HVAC systems. This type of dust causes the incurable disease Silicosis. The EPA prefers that all concrete polishing and grinding be performed wet for the health and safety of others. So, consider that.

Titus Restoration is a Nationwide Concrete Floor Polisher, we take our quality seriously and our floors speak to that. Our customers are always satisfied with the level of quality and professionalism we bring to the table. So, consider these items when hiring a concrete floor polisher on your next job.