2014 Innovation (Repair/Rehab) Winner
Concrete Polishing Systems Ltd was presented with a unique situation when a customer called about refurbishing precast concrete tiles with an intricate pattern. The tiles were purchased from India, and it took several months for them to be produced and shipped to the jobsite. When they finally arrived they were scuffed, dirty, and scratched. Even so, the customer loved the tile and wanted to use it.
The customer—a restaurant owner—also had concerns about how the tile would look after heavy foot traffic and dropped food. Could they be saved through polishing?
The folks at Concrete Polishing Systems had never seen anything like the tiles, which appeared to be some sort of precast concrete with a shake-on hardener. The biggest challenge was the tiles’ intricate pattern. Any grinding could go through the pattern and reveal the plain concrete underneath. After testing a few samples on the actual tile, though, the contractor agreed to take on the challenge.
Grinding the installed tiles proved precarious because the levels where all different. Operators couldn’t sit on the machine for X amount of time, as it would take a balance of skill and ingenuity to keep the pattern intact. The contractor used a series of wet grit steps and dry resin grinding, and then applied a densifier from the RetroPlate Concrete Polishing System. The crew polished the floor to 1500 grit and performed two applications of RetroGuard to improve the stain resistance.
The customer now has a unique and beautifully polished floor that is durable and will last a lifetime.
