Polishing a concrete floor is a great way to bring new life to your home. But if you have discolored or worn concrete, the floor can still be polished, but you'll want to know what to expect beforehand. In this article, we'll take a look at whether or not you can polish any concrete floor and what to expect when and if you do decide to polish a older concrete floor.

Concrete floors can be polished, but there are several factors you should consider before polishing your concrete floor.
Almost all concrete can be polished, however soft or unsound concrete isn't going to work of course, and if that's the case it's probably not a functional concrete floor as it is. Floors in shops that are saturated with things like oils or other contaminants are usually brittle and not up to being polished. Floors with overly saturated areas of adhesives can also be too 'gummy' to withstand being polished. after that though, if your floor is keeping a minimum density of 2500psi and can be clean and sound for grinding and polishing then it can be polished!
After checking to see if you concrete floor is sound enough for polishing, then it's just about moving into step 2: polishing your concrete floors!
If your concrete floor is discolored, worn, or otherwise in poor condition, you may need to start with a clean slate.
If your concrete floor is discolored, worn, or otherwise in poor condition, you have two options, polish as is, if it meets the density and strength requirement (see above), or you may want to start with a clean slate.
Polishing a worn floor as is can be great! It shows a unique floor once done with rustic elements that don't happen without years of wear and tear... However, there is also a downside which may not be desired, such as grid lines, we call it ghosting, and other things which show through after polishing still. Ghosting is when things like wear and tear or particles seep into the concrete in between tiles or other places and leaves a permanent trace of lines from where the tiles were. Without doing a whole new floor, a pigmented coating, or an overlay, there is nothing that can be done for this occurrence. But, the deeper the grind the more likely it is that the line will be less pronounced.
Starting with a clean slate, it may be more simple and/or give you the results you want to put down a polishable overlay and then have a polished concrete floor on that overlay. Overlays are fantastic for their reliable results when installed properly! They give you a nice uniform finish that can be highly useful for rehab projects to clean up a space and make it shine again! Ask us more about this and other forms of concrete polishing and we'll be happy to help!
Conclusion
In conclusion, concrete floors can be polished, but first you should consider the condition and age of your concrete floor. If your floor is physically sound enough to be polished and if so how particular you want you final results to look.
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