It is obvious that a smooth concrete floor is easier to maintain and better for forklift traffic, especially in a high-traffic warehouse, but after years of wear and tear on your concrete floors that reality may seem impossible. A total slab replacement may seem like the only option and no where near within your budget, but there are other options.
Options for Smoothing Concrete Floors:
2 cost-effective options can restore concrete floors for easier maintenance and improved forklift conditions; both improving productivity and morale.
1. Concrete Grinding and Sealing: Smoothing concrete floors can be achieved with diamond abrasive grinding. Raised aggregate occurs because concrete is made up of paste and rocks. The paste (cream) is softer than the rocks (aggregate) and the paste wears away faster under heavy traffic and floor use. This wearing away leaves the rocks in the concrete raised and a bumpy (and dangerous!) ride for forklift drivers who can potentially lose their load or breakdown the forklift parts faster. But there is a solution! Grinding the concrete back to a smooth surface is possible with the right tooling and equipment. The smoothing of concrete floors is achieved with diamond abrasive tooling under heavy equipment. Then, the floor is resealed with a penetrating sealer to lock in the dust and reharden the soft paste of the concrete.
2. Polished Concrete: Polished concrete is a way of smoothing concrete floors through a process of higher and higher refinement. The higher the refinement, the higher the shine, but it is not all about shine. A higher refined floor lasts longer and is easier to maintain for longer because it takes longer to break down. A polished concrete floor is suitable for warehouses, manufacturing, retail, and institutional facilities. It is a green solution that is cost-effective and long lasting. If you are interested in smoothing concrete floors and sealing them, a polished concrete floor is an ideal way to achieve that!