Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Nov 24, 2013 5:02 pm Hi, We're having polished concrete flooring in our living areas. One thing we're trying to work out with out builder is what order to do things so that there is no damage to the polished floor and also so there is no damage to the skirting boards. Apparently the sort of acid wash or whatever you have to do to is could damage skirting boards and like kitchen kicks etc if you do it after they are installed but there are issues doing it early on because it can be a very slippery surface and could be damaged by painting etc. Does anyone have any ideas about the optimum time to do this acidizing process, or, a good technique for covering it afterwards to avoid a safety issue or damage? Thanks Lucy Blog http://tobuildahomeimprobable.blogspot.com.au/ Settlement Apr Council Jul Contracts Dec Earthworks Dec Frames Jan Trusses Feb Roof Feb Windows Mar Re: Polished concrete: Order of events to avoid damage 2Nov 27, 2013 12:58 pm I wasn't aware they acid wash during the process of polishing concrete. Your not getting muddled up with exposed concrete are you? Most of the processes I've seen they grind the flood using diamond blades to what ever finish you want. From there they polish the concrete to the shine, seal, densify, grout etc then done. With the above certain companies can seal using a topical water based sealer for protection from other trades. Once the house is clean and finished, they come in, strip the sealer and finish the floor leaving it ready to use. Definitely ask about the acid side of things. Re: Polished concrete: Order of events to avoid damage 3Dec 04, 2013 8:50 am Thank you for your response, it's been helpful. I'm not entirely sure about the acid either so I will have to make sure we figure out with the concreter what the process really is. Blog http://tobuildahomeimprobable.blogspot.com.au/ Settlement Apr Council Jul Contracts Dec Earthworks Dec Frames Jan Trusses Feb Roof Feb Windows Mar Re: Polished concrete: Order of events to avoid damage 4Jan 14, 2014 1:43 pm There are a few ways to coordinate the floor grinding and polishing process into the construction program. You can grind, polish and seal before the frame goes up. You can carry out the grinding works before the frame goes up and complete the polishing works after the plaster (but before the skirting boards are installed). Or you can complete the whole process once your house is complete (not recommended) Each approach has its good and bad points, but its important to understand that each approach has a price point> the cheapest way is to do it all up front as this reduces the level of effort for the tradesman. This approach however is the riskiest option as I am yet to see a pre finished slab (17 years experience) that has not sustained damages during the building process, be it from staining, abrasion or the most common - impact chips. Carrying out the process from start to finish once the house is almost finished (Plaster, skirting, kitchen and baseboards in place) is the most expensive way to go and is likely to cause the greatest amount of damage to your finishes. My recommendation is to have the floor ground, grouted and densified prior to the frame going up. Once the house is waterproof and the plaster has been hung but before the skirting goes in, commence the polishing and sealing process (impregnating sealer, not topical). The reason I recommend this way is so you (the home owner) get the most consistent exposure of aggregate throughout the concrete floor (no obstacles to work around). Also, if the slab does happen to crack or sustain damage (always accidental) it is still at a cheap and practical stage in the process to repair ( still expect to pay for repairs to damaged concrete). Your contractor will have to come to your project at two stages of the building process so expect to pay a little more for the better outcome. Protect the slab from damages as soon as it is practical to do so before any works commence. Avoid using any protection that can bleed colour into the concrete if it becomes wet (carpet or particle board etc). Have the builder inform all trades involved that the concrete will be the basis for the finished product and that any damages to the concrete will be repaired at the expense of the offending trade. This normally reduces the damages to the concrete before, during and after the grinding/polishing process. When looking for quotes, ask for addresses of previously completed projects by the concrete polishing outfit. Check out their work, photos published on websites and in brochures are often stolen from other websites by not so reputable contractors, so be sure to visit some of the projects they have finished and ask yourself if you would be happy with a similar level of finish and attention to detail in your own home. Obtaining an excellent contractor can be a lot work but the right contractor can give you a finish in your new home that you will be happy with for many many years. Re: Polished concrete: Order of events to avoid damage 5Jan 14, 2014 3:47 pm And for all the people that cannot read on the worksite, and still wear the workboots on the wood floors etc, buy a roll of "Ramboard. It lays on the floor like cardboard only a hell of a lot stronger. Claims a forklift can run on it. We used it when we built and all was good after using it. Best part is that it is not expensive. Settlement 1/2/12 New Shed 23/3/12 Slab poured 27/3/12 Frame complete 4/5/12 Roof complete 1/6/12 LOCKUP 29/6/12 Our new build blog http://kareenhillsownerbuild.blogspot.com/ Re: Polished concrete: Order of events to avoid damage 6Jan 18, 2014 8:59 pm delatite13 And for all the people that cannot read on the worksite, and still wear the workboots on the wood floors etc, buy a roll of "Ramboard. It lays on the floor like cardboard only a hell of a lot stronger. Claims a forklift can run on it. We used it when we built and all was good after using it. Best part is that it is not expensive. Do not take my comment personally, but a sign to remove workboots on a worksite would contravene Worksafe and OH&S. By all mean put down protection for the floor, but would you like to be liable for possible foot injuries of workers, without boots, still working on the worksite? Re: Polished concrete: Order of events to avoid damage 7Jan 26, 2014 11:58 pm Friend of mine has done this once already and also going through it again.. We too wanted to get it but found out our slab isn't thick enough or have the correct mesh in place etc. Long story short is that he had the first grind done this time once the pad had cured sufficiently and will then have it all finalised (polished) once the brickies have been and build finished off. The first time though they did it after key handover but not ideal as hard to get into corners and avoid nudging walls. Now we are planning to still go polished but with no grind so still industrial looking but probably not as much exposed stone coming through.. Good luck and hope this helped.. Building in Ashby Evolution Gold - Designed Greater Concept, Build by Premiere Homes Our Build viewtopic.php?f=31&t=69248 Re: Polished concrete: Order of events to avoid damage 9Jan 11, 2015 9:28 am We also have polished concrete throughout the house and turbo61uzfe's suggestion was good for us. After the first grind we plastic and taped everywhere including joins and the entire perimeter, then covered with 3mm mdf also taped. It worked great but keep an eye on it because if sand/ screws find a way under it won't take long to mark. If your fussy enough another sacrificial layer of plastic over the top might help too I am new to this forum so please bear with me. An NCAT order was breach by our neighbour regarding a retaining wall dispute. He is the owner of a building company and he… 0 2208 I thought this would be a popular question but I haven't been able to find any similar posts. Perhaps I'm wording my searches wrong? When you have car insurance and the… 0 6615 there was an event. The question is whether the builder had the insurance and whether the event was covered. The workmanship is a separate conversation. 10 23739 |