Concrete Polishing in Holden, Maine

Polishing does not add a coating; it refines the concrete you already have. We start by checking the slab's hardness and condition. Metal-bonded diamond tooling then cuts the surface flat and removes old coatings and contamination. A lithium silicate densifier soaks in and chemically hardens the top of the slab, filling microscopic pores. Resin-bonded diamonds then refine the surface through progressively finer grits — 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500 and up to 3000 for a mirror finish — and a guard is applied at the end.

Because nothing sits on top, there is nothing to peel, chip or delaminate, and no VOC-bearing coating goes down. Maintenance is dust mopping and occasional damp mopping, with no waxing, stripping or recoating.

Two choices shape the look. The first is sheen: around 100 grit gives a satin matte, 400 a medium sheen, and 1500 to 3000 a high-gloss finish that reflects light. The second is how deep we grind. A light grind leaves the smooth “cream” of the slab. A deeper cut shows fine sand (often called salt-and-pepper). The deepest exposes the larger stones in the mix. How much aggregate a slab can show depends on how it was poured, which is part of what we check at the first visit.

Polishing suits sound slabs in large spaces that get a lot of foot or forklift traffic: warehouses, retail and showroom floors, offices, and homes with a modern look in mind. It is also the low-waste choice, because the finished floor is the structural slab itself.

It is not the answer for every floor. Very soft or badly damaged concrete may need extra preparation, or may be better served by a coating. Where a floor needs colour, a pattern or heavy chemical resistance — a Maine garage taking salt and oil all winter, for example — a polyurea and flake system or garage floor coating usually makes more sense. For a showpiece look with colour movement, compare metallic epoxy. We will recommend whichever suits the slab.

Harder concrete takes longer to cut. A higher gloss needs more grit steps, and a deeper aggregate exposure means more grinding, so all three add time. Removing old coatings, glue or tile mastic adds a stage at the start. Joint and crack filling, the total area and access for the grinders make up the rest. See finished slabs in the polished concrete gallery, and for business spaces read our commercial flooring page.