Sustainability Underfoot
Polished concrete provides low-maintenance, alternative flooring.
Concrete floors, long relegated to industrial facilities, are finding new purpose thanks to sustainable-flooring technology that makes polished-concrete floors look bright and perform well. The flooring is easy to keep clean and good for the environment.
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| Polished-concrete floors stand up to dirt and abuse with a high sheen and reflective qualities. |
Transforming a floor into polished concrete is a multi-step, fine grinding process. Metal-bonded diamond tooling is used to grind the concrete, creating a new-looking floor with high sheen. High-efficiency HEPA vacuums, used during the grinding process, maintain a facility's air quality and release virtually no dust into the building environment.
Concrete floors need less maintenance than vinyl composition tile (VCT). Tile upkeep requires that the old wax be stripped off and new wax applied and periodically buffed to maintain an attractive appearance.
"Over half of the floors we install are going from tile to polished concrete," said Joseph Urbanic, president, QuestMark Flooring, Stow, OH. QuestMark is a division of the CentiMark Corp., Canonsburg, PA, which specializes in polymer flooring systems and concrete polished-floor surfaces for a range of retail, industrial, commercial, educational, and institutional applications. The company has installed more than 40 million sq. ft. of flooring.
Along with the stripping/buffing required for VCT flooring, color matching is difficult when replacing old tiles. If furniture or cabinets are moved, the flooring underneath is often discolored or no longer matches. Tiles also chip. Concrete surfaces do not peel or discolor.
Polished concrete is easy to clean. The polishing process reduces areas that trap dirt. The floor has a flat, smooth surface, so dirt stays on top. VCT can hold dirt and bacteria that hide in joints between tiles.
Certified safe
QuestMark's DiamondQuest floors are certified by the National Floor Safety Institute, Southlake, TX, to meet the slip co-efficient of friction for safety. The concrete floors are treated with chemical densifiers to resist the absorption of liquids. The resulting surface has an increased mass and compression strength and elevated pH levels that reduce acid activity and penetration.
The Ag-Pro John Deere stores in Arkansas have proven to be an excellent application for polished concrete. General manager Richard Smith considers his stores to be a harsh environment for a floor surface.
QuestMark installers used high-efficiency HEPA vacuums during grinding to make it an essentially dust-free process. "You can actually walk up to the showroom and see the blue sky shining in the floor," said Smith. Regarding maintenance, "It's a lot easier to maintain [than VCT] because we sweep it and it just stays clean. We periodically buff it, but that's to put the original high luster back on it."
The installation and maintenance of polished-concrete floors has positive environmental benefits. Floors contribute to LEED points in at least three categories. With no VOC vapors, the floors qualify in the Energy and Atmosphere category. The floor's sheen also increases a room's ambient light.
Annual estimates for cleaning and maintaining a bright shine on polished concrete range from 9 to 25 cents/sq. ft. compared to 60 cents to $1.05 for VCT. Typically, polished- concrete floors are swept and mopped every few days, depending on the environment. Sustainable building products must prove themselves not only regarding LEED points, but also on long-term financial savings in order to be viable alternatives in today's economy. Polished-concrete floors provide a practical, sustainable option.
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