48 D+D APRIL 2015

Q+ Got a problem? Concrete A Ask the experts: [email protected]. By Jim Cuviello, Cuviello Concrete and Terrazzo Polishing Polished Concrete — From the Beginning The history of polished concrete brings lessons of quality control and illuminates a wealth of capabilities.

olished concrete does not have a also substantially improved aesthetics for costs by 70 percent, is extremely durable long history, but the story of its its retail locations. and can help achieve credit toward LEED evolution and pioneers are worth Architects and designers now recognize certification. P taking the time to understand in polished concrete as an option that can Polished concrete often is specified in order to identify misconceptions and replace other hard floor surfaces and coat- new construction, where the concrete can idiosyncrasies. ings. While many view it as “decorative be placed and finished so that it is con- Polished concrete as we know it today concrete,” polished concrete is actually ducive to the polishing processes. The re- started as a means to restore and reha- more than , which is in- sult is a better-finished product that allows bilitate existing concrete slabs in ware- stalled mostly for aesthetics. Polished for greater degrees of design, such as houses and other industrial applications. concrete is a viable flooring option just like seeding glass and decorative aggregate Although polished concrete was vinyl composition tile (VCT), stone, wood into the surface and the use of integral installed more for function than aesthet- or carpet. color. ics, big-box stores quickly adopted pol- In recent years, the use of polished con- ished concrete to embrace both aspects. crete has seen substantial growth in edu- How It’s Done In 2000, Home Depot, for instance, saw cation, offices, and multifamily and retail The process of polishing concrete is no dif- the opportunity to have a concrete floor construction. When properly installed, a ferent than polishing stone, optical lenses, that not only had better function but polished concrete floor can lower floor care metal, etc. 49 Concrete Q + A

Big-box retailers like Home Depot were among the first to recognize the benefits polished concrete offered in terms of functionality and aesthetics, in this case using the Vexcon Certi-Shine System first developed in 2000. Photo courtesy of Bill Rains, Blue Diamond Services and Home Depot.

The process starts with the application ishing system that included equipment, Equipment of a rough abrasive to remove imperfec- progressively finer abrasives and a chemi- Two notable distributors credited as tions and create a foundation for the next cal hardening/densifying silicate com- pioneers to the industry are VIC Interna- rounds of abrasives. Each following abra- pound. In 1999 it launched RetroPlate 99. tional and VMC Technical Assistance sive treatment completely removes the pre- Curecrete is given credit for bringing pol- Corporation. vious abrasive’s scratches and leaves a ished concrete into the mainstream and in- VIC International sold equipment and completely new set of scratches on the troducing polished concrete on a broad supplies to polish stone. In 1995, HTC Pro- surface. scale to architects and designers. fessional Floor Systems, an equipment Each abrasive leaves a progressively Early concrete polishing contractors and manufacturer out of Sweden, started sell- finer scratch until light is able to reflect off distributors were in the stone restoration ing planetary equipment to VIC for stone the surface at the same angle it came in on. and polishing trade. These contractors and floor restoration, then to Innovatech in Not completely removing the previous distributors understood how to polish 1999. Planetary heads were first used on scratch pattern will result in a floor with stone using bonded diamond abrasives. stone polishing lines. lower reflective clarity, definition of the re- Because those from the stone trade under- HTC was the first manufacturer to brand flection, durability and stain resistance. stood the mechanics behind polishing ma- its equipment specifically for polishing terials, the result was polished concrete concrete, and the roots of many equipment The Early Days floors with high definition and clarity manufacturers started with the use or Concrete has been processed to a honed within the floor’s reflectivity. sales of HTC equipment. finish since the 1800s, when and stone chips were mixed together to create terrazzo. Terrazzo is typically finished at a 200-grit abrasive or below and sealed. Terrazzo was first processed with corun- dum stones, which many still use today. Although not polished to a reflective surface, terrazzo was still a form of a processed concrete floor. In 1908 a patent was filed for a machine to polish stone and concrete using surfac- ing tools, and another was filed in 1990 for a concrete-wall finishing machine used to polish concrete walls with abrasives. The two patents show that people were think- ing about and possibly even polishing con- crete, although the concept didn’t start to get a greater degree attention until around 1996. Currently, the polished concrete process consists of three components: chemistry, abrasives and equipment to drive the Polished concrete is often seen in high-traffic settings, such as this school building, which took advantage abrasives. of the course aggregate to add to the decorative nature of the floor surface. This floor employed In 1998 Curecrete, the makers of Ashford the Green Endurance Process using RetroPlate 99. Formula, filed a patent for a concrete pol- Photo courtesy of Cuviello Concrete. 50 D+D APRIL 2015

In 2004 HTC stopped selling through Diamond Productions Canada, Alpha and Chemical manufacturers drove the pol- distributors and started selling directly to KGS Diamond. ished concrete industry. They had feet on contractors. As a result, VIC and Innovat- In 2005 HTC introduced the next signifi- the ground — they had sales representa- ech developed their own equipment in cant innovation to the industry: the tives who were already presenting to ar- 2005. Many industry pioneers and veter- Twister pad system. The Twister pad was chitects, designers and specifiers. ans got their start working at VIC. the first janitorial-type nylon pad that had Chemical manufacturers knew how to sell

Equipment 1906 Patent filed for planetary head floor polishing machine by Abel A. Miller 1917 Menghini & Bonfanti La Genovese – Planetary head stone and terrazzo machine used for concrete polishing 1931 Terrco/Terrazzo Surfacing Machine Co. – Rotary head stone and terrazzo machine used for concrete polishing 1992 HTC introduces variable-speed planetary head grinder 1997 Diamatic – Holland Industriele Diamantwerken B.V. 1998 SASE enters, selling Diamatic 1999 Innovatech starts selling HTC 2000 King Concepts introduces individual controlled directional and variable-spee controlled planetary machine 2001 Substrate Technology Inc. 2001 Blastrac selling Diamatic 2002 Klindex 2004 Superabrasive Lavina 2004 Blastrac buys Diamatic 2005 Innovatech develops machine 2005 VIC develops machine 2005 CPS 2005 Onfloor 2006 WerkMaster 2007 Husqvarna acquires King Concepts 2007 Aztec UltraGrind The first Terrco stone and terrazzo grinder, 1931. 2008 KutRite Photo courtesy of Terrco Inc.

abrasive sprayed to the surface. These to the architectural community, they knew Abrasives pads were developed for light restoration what an AIA presentation was, and they During the earliest years, the abrasives and maintenance. knew how to write construction specifica- used for polishing concrete were those de- Many polishing contractors abused their tions — they steered polished concrete signed for polishing stone. use. They used the pads to create a shiny into the design community. The who, what, when and where of abra- concrete surface, and many called it pol- Equipment and abrasive manufacturers sives has many paths, and to some extent ished concrete. Although shiny, it lacked did not have this knowledge or ability at the story is convoluted. Some notable dis- the clarity of reflection with definition and the time. Today, however, equipment tributors and manufacturers of abrasives durability of bonded diamond abrasives. manufacturers understand the architec- considered pioneers in the polished con- tural sales cycle, and a trend is starting crete industry include Udiesse, Superabra- Chemistry where equipment manufacturers are sive Inc., General Diamond, Diamond Tool As the industry grew, so did the number starting to drive architect and owner use Products CND, VMC, Diamond Tool Supply, of manufacturers of chemistry. as well. 51 Concrete Q + A

color and stencil custom logos to the con- crete surface. This was a significant advancement to the industry; it allowed designers more versatility and undoubtedly increased the use of polished concrete, expanding the market. In 2009 we started to see growth in self- leveling polishable toppings. Polishable toppings have become a proven and ac- cepted means for providing a polished concrete-like floor to surfaces that are not conducive to the polishing processes. These toppings also allow architects and owners to produce consistency from one job to the next because it eliminates the

This highly polished floor – one of the first of its size done using RetroPlate – is a good example of the high need for the concrete to be favorable for definition, clarity and reflectivity achievable through proper polishing methods. the polishing processes. Photo courtesy of Philip Hammond, Building Solutions. Finding Consistency among the Differences To give polished concrete added protec- and over-apply these products, burnishing Throughout its evolution, the industry tion from staining and etching, the indus- them with an abrasive nylon polishing pad has struggled to find firm footing. Though try started out using impregnators from to create gloss, in order to make up for the once sold as maintenance-free, owners the natural stone industry and other pene- lack of results, hide scratches or take a and contractors quickly found out that pol- trating sealants. These products are de- shortcut. ished concrete floors don’t clean them- signed to protect from within and not lay The polished surface should always selves, and, depending on the amount and on the surface, creating a barrier between meet any specified requirements before a type of traffic, maintenance is required. the concrete and outside environment. guard-like product is applied. The polish However, the frequency and type of main- In 2003 Convergent Concrete developed a should be created by the mechanical inter- tenance procedures are dramatically lower product called Pentra-Guard. Pentra-Guard action between abrasives and concrete, than other traditional flooring — in some was developed to impregnate and “micro- not the result of a chemical that becomes cases up to 70 percent less. film” on the surface — a film so thin that a topical coating. Because polished concrete is manufac- wear patterns would never be noticed. Today, a resurgence in the use of tradi- tured on site, not in a factory like tradi- When the concrete started to accept a solu- tional impregnators is evident in the in- tional flooring, every piece of concrete is tion more easily, that was the indication dustry. When applied correctly, impreg- different, just like stone. Polishing contrac- that the product should be reapplied. nating microfilming products are still a tors utilize equipment, abrasives and den- Over time other manufacturers devel- valuable tool. sifiers from various manufacturers with oped similar products, and many used the Next came dyes that could be applied to differing characteristics. Combine this word “guard” in their product names. the concrete to add color and designs dur- with various degrees of contractor knowl- However, uneducated contractors who ing the polishing processes. In 2005, edge, and top it off with general contrac- over-applied these products, thus creating Ameripolish and Seal Source introduced tors pushing for the lowest price, and the a topical film on the surface, hurt the polishable dye products. result can be poor quality and inconsis- industry. Although some contractors were acid tency from one project to the next. For example, inexpert contractors enter- staining and polishing concrete, the The concrete itself dictates what type of ing this rapidly growing field quickly process was difficult and many contrac- abrasive is used in conjunction with spe- found out polishing concrete was not as tors did not have the right skills. The in- cific pieces of equipment (even within the easy as they thought. They would misuse troduction of dyes made it easy to apply same manufacturer’s offerings), densifier 52 D+D APRIL 2015

Chemical Manufacturers 1994 Euclid Chemical: Introduces Euco Diamond Hard the first containing a blend of silicate and siliconate 1998 Curecrete files concrete polishing patent 1998 Euclid Chemical – Euco Diamond Hard – First concrete polishing densifier, silicate and siliconate 1999 Curecrete – RetroPlate – First concrete polishing densifier, sodium silicate 2000 Vexcon Certi-Shine System – First potassium silicate densifier 2001 Convergent Concrete – Pentra-Sil – First lithium densifier 2003 Convergent Concrete – Pentra-Guard – First guard product 2003 W.R. Meadows – Started working with VIC International 2003 L&M/Laticrete – FGS Hardener Plus 2005 Ameripolish – Polishable dye 2005 W.R. Meadows Induroshine 2005 SealSource International – Polishable dye and first use of colloidal silica as a densifier 2006 Prosoco – Consolideck 2008 Euclid Chemical acquires Increte Systems 2008 Lythic – First company to widely promote use of colloidal silica as a densifier 2008 Scofield – Formula One 2010 Sherwin-Williams

application and the overall polishing process. A polishing contractor’s knowledge and skill are the most important factors required to produce consistently good results. For the first five to eight years of the ceptional training and support, and identi- fying whether concrete can be polished is one of the first things a contractor learns. Polished concrete installations need proper expectation management. Archi- tects and owners should not base a deci- sion to polish concrete based on pictures but rather on site visits. Every piece of concrete is different, and no one puts pic- tures of bad applications on the Internet or in their sales brochures. Architects and specifiers have been known to stipulate polished concrete without the proper knowledge of the process and/or using copied and pasted specifications. Unlike most other products architects and specifiers recommend, be- cause polished concrete is manufactured A variety of abrasive pads, manufactured by Superabrasive, Inc., used for polishing concrete. on site, each project requires a custom Photo courtesy of Cuviello Concrete. specification. 53 Concrete Q + A

When compared to other photos included here, the lack of clarity is clearly visible in this floor, which shows gloss resulting from a topical coating rather than polish- ing. Photo courtesy of Cuviello Concrete.

Common Language, Common Goals cal foundation for the concrete polishing that not all applications required — or In 2006, to help bring consistency and ed- industry. In addition to defining the desired — a natural stone polished finish ucation to the polished concrete industry, specifications, standards and practices that had great clarity of reflection and the Concrete Polishing Association of shared within the industry, CPAA seeks durability. There are a lot of different America (CPAA) was started by four con- to increase awareness of and the desire ways to give concrete a polished crete polishing contractors. Acknowledg- for concrete floor surfaces processed to a appearance. ing the need for an industry entity that polished finish. In 2013 the CPAA established the termi- would be a central source of information, The International Concrete Polishing nology, means and methods for the differ- the association would establish best prac- and Staining Conference was introduced ent ways to give concrete a polished tices, terminology, education, specifica- in Atlanta, Ga., in 2008. This event appearance: Bonded Abrasive, Burnished tions and a network of contractors that brought together concrete polishing con- and Hybrid polished concrete. It also identi- could help one another. tractors, manufacturers and educators all fied a fourth method, the application of a In 2012 the association was granted a under one roof. The conference strives to coating; however, the CPAA does not con- 501(c)(6) status with the mission to con- bring industry professionals together to sider coatings or topical applications to be nect all professions of the concrete learn about techniques, procedures and polished concrete. polishing industry — architects, contrac- the latest industry technology and to dis- All agree that polished concrete has a tors, engineers, designers, distributors cuss new issues and ideas. bright future ahead. and manufacturers — for the purpose of As different types of facilities started The industry has felt its lumps and expe- establishing a clear, concise and techni- using polished concrete, it became clear rienced both failures and successes on all 54 D+D APRIL 2015

The introduction of dyes that could be applied to the concrete during the polishing process opened up a world of possibility in regard to color and design. Here workers apply a variety of SealSource colors to a floor project. Photo courtesy of Cuviello Concrete.

The introduction of dyes made it easy to apply color and stencil custom logos onto the concrete surface prior to polishing. Photo courtesy of Harry Gressette, Ardor Solutions.

Thomas, Ameripolish; Greg Schwietz, L&M/Laticrete; Kevin Sigourney, Prosoco; Josh Jones, STI; Kym Nelson, Seal Source International; Dal Hill, Convergent Con- crete; John Abrahamson, SASE; Vernon Talbot,- RetroPlate; Brad Burns, HTC; and Mile Tchakov, Diamond Tool Products CND. The color and design are enhanced after being polished to a 1500-grit finish and accented with a saw cut. Photo courtesy of Cuviello Concrete. About the Author Jim Cuviello is the levels. Architects, designers, specifiers, Acknowledgments owner of Cuviello Con- general contractors, polishing contractors This article was written with the best in- crete and has been in business for establishing and developing formation that could be found at the time the industry for 12 an industry that did not exist 20 years ago. of writing. I apologize if I left anyone out years. He is a founding We should also thank the architectural and who felt should have been mentioned. I member of the Con- owner community, who took a chance and would like to thank the following people crete Polishing Associ- used polished concrete as a finished floor. for their help: Dan Grady and Dustin ation of America. D+D

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