Achieving polished concrete floors for your manufacturing, commercial, or retail space is a long and labor-intensive process. But there are several important preparation steps to consider before the process for polished concrete floors begins. Expert technicians have specific requirements and ensure all of them are met before bringing in equipment and teams.
Sometimes the preparation steps take longer than the actual polishing process! To help you understand the preparation process for polished concrete floors, here’s a list of things the professional team at Titus will check before the polishing crew can get started:
1. Assess the Facility
We begin by assessing the facility. Is it an around-the-clock operational plant? Will you be open for business during the polishing process? We make sure your operation will not be interrupted during our process.
2. Protection for Employees and Inventory
Does any of your inventory or equipment need to be protected from the area being worked on? If so, our crew can hang plastic sheeting and mask off areas requiring protection.
3. Disposal
Because at Titus we use a wet grinding process, a container for holding spent water needs to be placed near the facility. Depending on how soft the concrete is, there can be up to quite a bit of this water. You can take care of this with your dumpster company, or we can handle it for you; we just need to know ahead of time if we need to make arrangements.
4. Utilities
We ensure that proper lighting, HVAC systems, power requirements, and water access are available at the facility.
5. Space for Equipment
We confirm the parking lot will be adequately accessible for our vehicles.
6. Power Supply
Our power supply requirements depend on the type and size of the job. For floors under 20,000 square feet with proper ventilation, we use propane-powered equipment. For jobs over 20,000 square feet, we use bigger equipment that requires either 220 volt single phase electricity or 480 volt 3 phase electricity with a good amount of amperage. If your facility doesn’t meet these specifications, we can bring a large generator with us.
7. Noise Ordinances
Our propane equipment is louder than the electrical equipment – could the noise create an issue within your facility or with neighboring offices?
All of this preparation leads to another lengthy process – the process of polishing your concrete floors. The hard work is worth it though, when you have beautiful, durable, glossy polished concrete floors to show for it. You will be stunned by the transformation from a drab gray to an attractive, marble-like finish.
For improving the safety and health of your employees, and for protecting the investment you have made in buying your property, it’s hard to do better than polishing the concrete.