Discover Sphere8 Polished Concrete Floors and the Alternatives
There are several variants of polished concrete floors and they are outlined in the sections below along with their key features. Be sure to understand the balance between the contemporary and rugged aesthetic of polished concrete floors and practicalities such as maintenance and underfoot comfort. At Sphere8 we can offer you thin layer polished concrete solutions, concrete resin flooring, microcement and most recently a cement free polished concrete floors option. Like this you can have the aesthetic of concrete but without the cement!
It can be confusing, call us and we will help you select the correct system.
To the right you can see our ForumSphere Motion (concrete look or betonlook) resin flooring, in a busy London office for SONY. Notice that the stairs are also fully covered. This product is typically 3-5mm thick.
We understand the aesthetic appeal of polished concrete floors – chic, minimalist and industrial it works as an ideal and neutral canvas that is anything but boring. However, the physical properties of polished concrete floors can be far from ideal – unforgivingly hard, cold underfoot and likely to crack. A Sphere8 poured resin floor with our MOTION finish can provide the perfect solution with a crack-free guarantee. As experts in resin flooring with years of experience, Sphere8 offers an unparalleled service in the supply and installation of poured resin concrete look floors – giving you peace of mind that you have trusted your polished concrete floors to the experts.
To the left you see an example of a fine aggregate terrazzo floor made with our plant oil polymer resin flooring. The honesty of concrete with the underfoot warmth of Sphere8 - polished concrete floors appearance but without the cement. This product is typically 5-8mm thick.
Our carefully curated collection of ‘polished concrete’ greys are chosen for this exact reason. Either way, whilst polished concrete floors can be limited in available colours, our floors are composed of the very pigment you choose – giving a saturated, opaque finish. With our unique BrecciaSphere finish you can also imitate terrazzo polished concrete floors with mixed aggregate of your choice – all with the same seamless properties. An almost inifinite choice for replicating polished concrete floors.
Installed as a thick section concrete, with a coloured 'dry-shake' hardener powerfloated into the wet cement surface, this is the original and ultra heavy duty polished concrete floors.
In the past this system was more suited to Walmart warehouses, however the aesthetic has caught the eye of designers everywhere.
It is a thick, heavy floor needing generally 75mm-100mm depth as a minimum and you will have to cut joints into the surface to allow the concrete to shrink in a controlled way. It is often tricky to install in residential setting due to the weight and thickness.
Sphere8 do not offer this system, however we recommend that you look at Lazenby or Steyson who are experts with this system.
On the left is an example of how you can treat your existing concrete to a polished shine and super-hard surface, using diamond tipped machines to create a great finish.
The quality of your starting point (concrete) will determine how good and how durable the finish can be and not all surfaces can be directly treated this way, for example typical building screeds cannot be polished. Bear in mind that you will need to maintain the surface shine with the correct regime.
It offers an economic solution with durable and beautiful results.
On the right, in the foreground, you see an example of a cement based levelling screed, installed at around 15mm thickness which has then been ground and polished in the same manner as the example above. These systems can be from 3-50mm thick as a general rule.
This was installed onto a base concrete slab to bring the floor to the correct levels and the polishing was completed before we undertook the resin covering to the steps and seating area. This method gives you a floor which has the character of liquid stone or cast polished concrete floors, but in a thinner overlay making it better suited to many projects.
To the left an example of our trowelled on micro-cement flooring used as a tough decorative surface in a busy London restaurant.
The product is trowelled onto the surface of the floor (or wall) rather like concrete butter and gives a tough concrete look surface with a true organic feel. You have more texture and surface variation in a layer of around 2mm.
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