Burnishing you ask… What is it and how does it relate to polished concrete floors? Ok class, challenge accepted. In the next two minutes you will learn all about it right here! So grab your coffee, build a fire in the fireplace, lock your kids in their cages, grab your iPad and head to the restroom, or whatever other reading rituals you have and buckle in for this exciting topic!
Websters dictionary defines burnishing as “to make (something, such as metal or leather) smooth and shiny by rubbing it”. That’s a simple answer, but just about sums it up. However there is more to it when it comes to concrete, as burnishing is just the final step in the polishing process.
The really heavy lifting of concrete polishing is achieved by using a large 1,000 lb grinder and mechanically refining the floor with sequentially finer grit diamond impregnated blades, like Ricky is doing here (you can see some of the diamond blades there in the boxes) :
We can run these blades up to 1,500 grit and deliver a beautiful floor. We then apply a product known as a guard (not to be confused with a sealer – more on that later). I’m getting out into the weeds, but bear with me. The guard is a thin penetrating stain resistor which will keep the floor looking great for years to come. The problem is the guard leaves the floor with a matte finish after we worked so hard to polish it. So how do we pop it back to life? You guessed it…BURNISHING!
The burnisher is a high speed OSHA approved propane powered tool, that heats the floor as it burnishes with a 3,000 grit diamond impregnated pad. The texture of the burnishing pad feels similar to a scotch brite pad, only with diamonds in it. Yes, you in the back with the face tattoo, DIAMONDS!. Here is what the burnisher looks like and what it leaves the floor looking like.
As you can see, it really gives the floor a glossy high end look and increases light reflectivity. It also increases Distinctness of Image readings (DOI) and gives the floor more clarity. Think of it as high definition for concrete. It also strengthens the guard product making maintenance a bit easier.
Burnished Goodness
Whats that? You don’t want a shiny floor? More into a post-zombie apocalyptic, steam punk, raw industrial look? No problem, burnishing your concrete floor is an optional step that can be left off. We had a client that wanted to see what it would look like both ways, here is that result.
Burnished on the left, Unburnished on the right
What should I expect to pay for such a marvelous product, you ask? 5 easy payments of $19.99? Not even. Burnishing is a very fast process, (as opposed to the grinding) so there is very little difference in price between the two. So it all comes down to how you want your concrete floor to look. Here are two more pictures of black polished concrete floors we built to drive it home…
Unburnished
Burnished
Get it? Got it. Good! You in the back with the drool on your chin, you still have a question? Call us at 855.544.7654 and we will help you out. For the rest of you that got this far, Congratulations! This concludes today’s lesson. Now flush the toilet and let your children out of their cages already. Who puts their children in cages, anyways?
