Polished Concrete things to avoid

Footprints in a polished concrete floor appear as scuff marks or bald patches.

Due to the nature of footprints, they usually form a pattern across your polished concrete floor – probably leading to an exit. The bad news is,  nothing really can be done to rectify the situation.

Ensure the Concrete Installer is experienced

As we have stressed on many occasions, it is vital your Concrete Installer is experienced and aware the concrete screed is intended for polishing. Please see our blog on Tips for pouring concrete. We have more detailed advice which we are happy to share prior to the pour.

Footprints happen the day the concrete is poured

Footprints happen when the concrete operative walks back over the floor once he has screeded it into place. The Operative may have trapped himself into a corner. The weight of the foot causes the aggregate to sink, leaving bald patches across the floor. Screed bar marks are caused in the same way. When the Operative taps excessive concrete off the screeding rake, this again causes aggregate to sink leaving lines or tamp marks on the finished floor.

Footprints only become visible when you Start polishing

These marks are not visible on the surface, even as the Operative looks back on his work the screed will look perfect. Only when we arrive on site and start to grind is when it bubbles to the surface. Samples on the floor may not even reveal the problem unless you carry out several samples across different areas of the floor.

Footprints are permanent to the Polished Concrete Floor

The aggregate may have sank as deep as 10-15mm so grinding will not solve the problem, in fact only exasperate it. A Polished Concrete floor is a natural product showing various blemishes, so you may learn to live with it.

The higher the shine on the floor the more obvious the marks. The marks are particularly noticeable where the concrete has been ground down to a Silver or Platinum finish. These finishes expose the dispersion of aggregate giving a Terrazzo type finish. Bald patches will be visible where footprints were left. Footprints and tamp marks are more easily disguised on a Bronze or Gold finish. The Bronze and Gold finish are left with a more natural, cloudy look so the blemishes will blend in.

Extra care taken on the day of the pour helps avoid the problem

The best way to avoid the issue is to ensure your Concrete Installer is experienced. Ensure he is aware the screed is intended as the finished floor and takes extra care and attention on the day of the pour. We are happy to work with your Concrete Installer to ensure the optimum finish is achieved.

For more information on concrete polishing or any of the services we offer please don’t hesitate to contact us at 01 473 3666