Sunday, January 11, 2009

Polished Concrete Under the Lens

By Sam Weyland

They say that it's the future of floor design. To a growing number of people, they say that concrete polishing is the most optimal way to spend on floors, as most structures have a concrete foundation anyway. But is that really the case? Does the abundance of concrete equate to a good material for design?

To start, I want to go through the various claims concrete fans have over its competitors. The most popular ones are as follows: Polished concrete is beautiful, tough, affordable and available to all. It is my intent to go over each one, but I will leave the interpretation of my thoughts up to the readers.

Of course, if you've seen polished concrete in the past, then you will probably agree that the finish is elegant. I use the word "probably", because beauty is relative. Everyone has different ideas of what a beautiful floor should be like, so I would call this a moot point. I will assume that all the other options are likewise aesthetically appealing throughout the remainder of this article.

Let's move on to something that actually does hold weight. This will be the attested durability of concrete. And to a very good extent, this claim is true. You do not need to be an expert in interior design; common concrete is punished in the streets all the time.

Affordability, again, is a contested issue. Yes, the cost of having it done by a contractor is relatively cheap. But if you are a dedicated do-it-yourself kind of guy, then you probably won't be fond of concrete polishing. The diamond-related polishers are expensive, and truth be told, you probably won't be able to do as good a job. In short, this option is indeed cheap, but you have to find a contractor that won't screw you over.

Finally, there is the claim of concrete's availability. The word of mouth is, most structures have concrete foundations anyway. This is all good, assuming that all concrete can be polished. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Concrete is thus a solid choice; as long as the concrete is fit for polishing to begin with.

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