ForConstructionPros.com

By Gary Henry, PROSOCO

Pat Kelly, manager for a Toyota forklift dealership in Kansas City, Mo., knew he wanted shiny gray concrete floors on 1,200 square feet of his new location. The question he brought to Jameon Schwarz of Pro Concrete Designs, Raytown, Mo., was: Is it better to have acid-stained concrete with a sealer on top? Or is polished concrete the way to go?

"I explained the biggest issue with the acid-stained concrete is the sealer," Schwarz said. "It wears off and scratches. Then you have maintenance issues.

"On polished concrete, due to its hardness and abrasion-resistance, you can have conference room chairs sliding around, or chairs on rollers, and still eliminate scratches and wear-through."

With a green light to install polished concrete floors in the building's entryway, main hall, training room and parts room, Schwarz started work at Shoppa's Mid-America Toyota forklift dealership in mid-June.

When he arrived, Schwarz and crew found the 20-year-old red carpet covering most of the concrete floor had been taken up. Unfortunately, much of the petrified adhesive remained.