Thursday, January 22, 2009

Polished Concrete Under the Lens

By Sam Weyland

Heralded as the future in floor design, the following for polished concrete continues to grow. It's main premise is that most structures use concrete in their foundation anyway, so why not use them for design? But to them, my question is this: Is polished concrete really worth the merits you give it?

Let us enumerate the many advantages concrete polishing claims over its peers. The main ones are beauty, durability, affordability and availability. I will go over each one, and then decide if this flooring method is indeed valuable from there.

If one looks at a well-done concrete polish, then you will probably agree that it is a beautiful sight. Everyone will notice it, and will even compliment the owner on his or her outstanding taste. But this is the catch; beauty, as has been commonly said, lies in the eye of the beholder. So this criterion does not really hold any weight.

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.

Next comes the cost. Is it really as affordable as it claims to be? Since you do not need materials in the optimal case, then the most important payment is the one you hand to the floor contractor. Its relative cheapness depends on this person, so you better choose wisely. And to the do-it-yourself person, then I will say this; the machine is expensive, and the diamonds used for the actual polishing are even more so.

Last, but probably the most important to the discussion, would be the all-too hyped claim that concrete is readily available. This is what I contest the most. You see, while concrete in this day and age is literally everywhere, the proper concrete for polishing is another matter entirely. Concrete is indeed a good choice, as long as you have the right concrete to begin with. - 16492

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