Big Retail Concrete Polishing Job
This retail concrete polishing job occurred at a brand new major retail location in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood. Concrete Floor Systems was brought in by the general contractor of the overall project to polish the floor of the entire store before their official opening in the summer of 2021.
The concrete floor was a brand new 17,000 square foot concrete floor that had some issues with pitting occurring in the slab. Our team came up with some original mockups prior to the start of the job to show the client what could be done. The plan was approved and we set out to work.
The work was done in phases throughout the store. We were able to easily accommodate the schedules of other trades who were busy doing their work and were able to complete our work on time and on budget. The job took three weeks from start to finish.
We started by applying backfill to take care of the pitting issues with the slab.
A major component of this job was the incorporation of a stencil system pattern that was specified by the retail store. These stencils weren’t applied store-wide but primarily in the produce and refrigerated areas of the store. There was also stenciling implemented in the cosmetics department.
The method to apply stenciling patterns as part of the overall concrete polishing process involves:
1) Apply the stencils
2) Apply the stain
3) Remove the stencils and continue with the process of polishing the floor
Concrete Polishing Equipment Used
We started out with the HTC DURATIQ Three-Phase concrete floor grinder. The grinder features three heads and can be operated by remote control. This grinder was used to take off the very top layer of cream and expose the salt and pepper-sized aggregate in the concrete.
Next, we moved on to our large ride on polishers all the way up to a 200 grit – applied stain, stenciled and stained – in areas that needed it – then proceeded to 800 grit then applied specified guard and burnished
Polished Concrete Floor: The Results
Our customer was very happy with the work that was performed. They expressed that they were highly satisfied with the effort. There was no follow-up work required for the concrete polishing work that we did. No punch list or callbacks were required. There were no concrete repairs that had to be performed after the conclusion of our work.
The Concrete Floor Months Later
The store is obviously open now as you can tell from the photos in this post. The clarity and shine look outstanding.
Polished concrete floors require little maintenance and the Target store in Lowry is a perfect example of that. The floors are extremely durable and are resistant to damage like cracking and pitting.
Polished concrete floors have a very low total cost of ownership and require occasional cleaning to keep them looking great. Major fixes, repairs, overhauls, or frequent application of coatings aren’t required.
Retail Concrete Polishing
Polished concrete is eco-friendly, highly reflective, and is a perfect fit for many retail stores. We have over 100+ years of combined experience on staff and frequently do retail concrete polishing for both large and small stores. If you’re a retail store owner and would like to invest in the low maintenance, low lifetime cost of a polished concrete floor we can help.