Exposing a Concrete Beauty

by Rebecca Wasieleski
Created: May 18, 2012

Royale Concrete found a well-preserved concrete substrate under 65 years of grime, then gave the slab a new life with an exposed aggregate polish.

Erin Ledger

Royale Concrete rescued a 65-year-old concrete floor at a farm chemical warehouse by exposing aggregate and polishing to an 800-grit finish.
Royale Concrete rescued a 65-year-old concrete floor at a farm chemical warehouse by exposing aggregate and polishing to an 800-grit finish.
Erin Ledger

Royale Concrete ground off several layers of residue, including VCT black mastic residue, carpet glue, painted-on fork lift lanes, and years of grime that collected on the floor.
Royale Concrete ground off several layers of residue, including VCT black mastic residue, carpet glue, painted-on fork lift lanes, and years of grime that collected on the floor.
Erin Ledger

Forklift lanes, stud wall nails and carpet glue were just a few of the challenges Royale Concrete faced on a recent concrete polishing project.
Forklift lanes, stud wall nails and carpet glue were just a few of the challenges Royale Concrete faced on a recent concrete polishing project.
Erin Ledger

Royale Concrete used two Husqvarna PG-820 grinders and Husqvarna abrasives to expose aggregate and polish the floor to an 800-grit finish.
Royale Concrete used two Husqvarna PG-820 grinders and Husqvarna abrasives to expose aggregate and polish the floor to an 800-grit finish.
Erin Ledger

Instead of removing stud wall nails and risking large pop-outs, Royale Concrete polished over the nails and let them become a part of the floor's history.
Instead of removing stud wall nails and risking large pop-outs, Royale Concrete polished over the nails and let them become a part of the floor's history.
Erin Ledger

Close up of the floor.
Close up of the floor.

Waugh says by playing up those unknown flaws you can get your customer to think about them in a different way, like history and character of a floor that can actually help you sell the concrete polishing process. “Sometimes you have to think of your floor as Cracker Jacks, and those flaws and characteristics are the prize in every box,” Ledger-Kalen adds.

Another issue Royale Concrete dealt with on this project was the owner’s last-minute change in how to deal with the edges. At the outset of the project the owner intended to install thick, wood base trim. In order to save the owner some dollars on the polish, Royale Concrete crews didn’t perform hand edgework along walls that would receive the thick trim (their full-size grinders leave less than a ½-inch unfinished edge). By the time the polish was finished, the owner had changed his mind about the wood trim and decided to install a thin vinyl trim.

“It wasn’t feasible for us to go back and finish that edge — edges need to be brought up with the rest of the floor,” Waugh explains. So Royale Concrete installed a 3-in. epoxy border around the floor, blended to match the vinyl trim. “It turned out really well,” Ledger-Kalen says. “When you first look at the floor you don’t really notice it — the border looks like it is part of the baseboard.”

The concrete polishing results were more than the building owner expected, and Ledger-Kalen says he has since become one of polished concrete’s biggest cheerleaders. “He loves showing off his floor,” she says. “He invites people over to look at it, and he says it’s the favorite part of his remodel.”

Project Summary

Polishing Contractor: Royale Concrete, Fairfield, Iowa

www.royaleconcrete.com

Staff: President Jessica Leger-Kalen; vice-president Jeremy Waugh, CPAA Craftsman; and Justin Tobin, CPAA Craftsman

Project square footage: 2,000 feet, 800-grit finish

Key products and equipment: Husqvarna Hiperfloor process, including PG-820 grinders, DC-5500 vacuums, 1100-series abrasives, GM 3000 grout and Hiperhard densifier.