Concrete floors have continued to grow in popularity over recent years thanks to their incredible durability and versatility of style. They look great with just about any architectural style in Minnesota and work well in everything from trendy restaurants to beautiful, older homes.
One of concrete’s biggest benefits is its relative ease of maintenance. With the help of concrete sealing, concrete floor owners can keep their floors looking fantastic for many years to come. This flooring is tough enough to withstand heavy usage but elegant enough to look stunning even in the most refined establishments.
We’ve compiled this guide to discuss how our floor specialists at ACT Restoration in Andover, Minnesota, can protect your floor with concrete sealing.
How Concrete Sealing Works
Most concrete damage is due to wear and tear on the very top layer or moisture intrusion. Concrete sealing is essentially an added layer of protection on your concrete floors.
Concrete sealing seals off the pores on the top layer of your concrete, forming an impermeable layer that completely blocks the pores so nothing can penetrate the concrete.
After prepping the concrete floor, a sealant is applied to the surface, which gives it a shine and protection against wear, spilled liquids, and foot traffic.
Benefits of Concrete Sealing
Here are a few of the main benefits of sealing your concrete.
Extend Flooring Lifespan
Adding a sealant to your concrete makes it more resistant to damage over time. With good sealant and regular maintenance, your concrete floors may last indefinitely.
More importantly, they’ll continue to look fantastic for many years despite even the heaviest wear and tear.
Make Concrete Easier to Maintain
With a good sealant applied to the top layer, your concrete floors will be much easier to maintain and keep clean. You should be able to keep your floors looking great with simple regular mopping.
You should reseal your floor about every three to six months, depending on your climate and the type of traffic it is exposed to.
Protect Against Stains
Moisture intrusion can damage your concrete and lead to unsightly stains that penetrate the surface. A sealant protects your floor from moisture and keeps it from picking up stains that detract from your floor’s beauty.
Reduce Mold & Mildew Growth
Concrete without a sealant is porous, which means liquids can permeate the surface. Excess moisture in the concrete can lead to mold and mildew growth, which looks bad and can cause health issues.
Sealing the surface helps prevent moisture buildup, keeping it cleaner and healthier.
Enhance Aesthetic Appeal
Concrete sealers can enhance the color and finish of stamped, stained, or decorative concrete.
Some sealers can also provide a glossy or wet-look finish, giving your concrete a fresh and polished appearance.
Prevent UV Damage
When exposed to the sun, concrete can fade and deteriorate over time. UV-resistant sealers can help maintain the concrete’s original color and prevent premature aging.
Ease Cleaning & Maintenance
Choose polished concrete if you need a floor that is easier to clean. You only need to sweep the floor and lightly wash it from time to time.
Dirt, grime, and spills won’t penetrate the surface, making regular maintenance simple and cost-effective.
Polished Concrete: An Alternative Method
While sealed concrete is a perfect solution for some areas, there are alternative concrete finishing methods that companies like ACT Restoration can perform.
One such method is polished concrete – popular for residential and commercial buildings, particularly warehouses and retail stores.
Polished concrete involves mechanically grinding down the existing concrete floor with abrasive pads to remove impurities and create a smooth, blemish-free surface. Then, different pads are used to refine the shine to your desired level.
Polished Concrete: Levels of Shine
There are four levels of shine for polished concrete:
- Level 1: Soft matte finish
- Level 2: Low sheen finish
- Level 3: Medium gloss finish
- Level 4: High gloss finish
If you choose a lower level and realize you prefer a higher gloss finish, you can always have your concrete floor restoration company come back and refine the floors more, giving you your desired shine and finish.
Grind & Seal vs. Polished Concrete
Grind and seal or polished concrete? Both are methods to save concrete floors that have become damaged.
As we’ve seen, polished concrete can create a high-shine floor using abrasive pads to refine the surface. However, if your concrete floor is in poor condition or has absorbed contaminants or other fluids, grinding and sealing might be the way to go.
Grind and seal is a process that involves grinding down the surface to remove contaminants and create a new surface. Any cracks are patched, and the floor is ground down again if needed. This creates a smooth, level surface that will be sealed to protect against future spills and other wear and tear.
Grind and seal is a cost-effective method for saving any concrete floor. It helps make it resistant to liquids and slips and provides high shine and color.
It is also a much faster process than polished concrete, so choose grind and seal if you need a quick solution.
Connect With Minnesota’s Floor Polishing Specialists
Whether you have beautiful concrete floors, need to reseal, or are ready to add an extra layer of protection, talk to our team. We offer many concrete flooring services, including floor polishing, patching, grinding, and repair.
We can also dye or stain your concrete floors to give you a stunning look you’ll love. Check out our residential and commercial portfolios, and then call us!
Call our Andover concrete floor specialists at 612-750-5360 or contact us online to get an estimate on your concrete sealing.