This slab was designed from the inception to be polished. It was placed using Slab Armor by Multiquip. This material allows for more control of the pour, resulting in a more dense, flat surface that is easier to polish. Many floors can be refined enough in the placement process that additional refinement may not be necessary. The additional benefits of the material is the slab is sealed at time of placement, resulting in a slab that is easier to maintain and does not need additional protection during construction if good housekeeping is maintained. The concrete holds the moisture in the slab so there is less cure and shrinkage due to volume loss. The slab develops strength fast so polishing can be done in as little as 36 hours after placement. This allows for significant reduction in construction schedule since most slabs will not support heavy traffic for six days after placement.
The polishing system employees used the Wagman passive planetary system with universal adaptors and the Power Refinement System by Legacy Chemical. The contractor used the universal adaptors so he wasn't locked in to the Wagman Tooling. The tools for the Power Refinement System are audited to produce consistent results. The trowel system speeds the process by covering 8 feet per pass on the grinder. The flexibilty of the sytem allows it to follow the contour of the floor much like the equipment used to place the slab.
The Power Refinement System produces a more refined surface in fewer steps. This audited system produces repeatable results across a wide spectrum of concrete surfaces and puts the polisher in control of the slab instead of the slab dictating what the polisher can do.
In this instance the system allowed for heavy stock removal to large aggregate in four tools. On most jobs it is used for a cream or salt and pepper finish. The resulting concrete is significantly harder than traditional polishing systems due to the layering of the silica in the slab. The multiple systems used on this project are compatible and reduced labor and cost while increasing quality.