Urban Warehouse - Grind & Seal

Grind And Seal Concrete Floor

We can use a variety of sealers; acrylic, epoxy or polyurethane, based on the project specifications and requirements and can create your desired finish in either gloss, satin or matte.

An older, more weathered slab, usually doesn’t have the necessary strength to polish and an Urban Warehouse finish is just the finish to complement its character. This finish can and does look awesome and has a real urban feel!

Again, it is important to discuss your project and budget with our flooring specialist and do your research before deciding on the right finish for you. It is important when choosing this type of finish that you understand that we can only achieve what the slab allows us to, as we only grind what’s there. If you are happy to let the slab unfold as we work, then it can and does look awesome!

With a ground and sealed finish, the gloss is achieved from a topical sealer. The process is simpler, involves less steps and is a much more basic finish.

We typically only recommend ground & sealed concrete as a more affordable alternative to polished concrete, or decorative overlay, in commercial projects where a more rustic, basic finish is required – we usually do not recommend this finish for a residential home or environment where a quality look and feel is required.

A grind and sealed finish involves grinding the concrete to a certain level and then applying a topical coating over the surface. This coating can be made of various materials, such as epoxy, polyurethane, or acrylic, and provides a protective layer that sits on top of the concrete.

A grind and seal is quite a basic finish, and due to the thousands of micropores that appear after the grinding process, the topical sealer will find its way into these pores and, like grout, trap dirt, which is very difficult to clean. We generally don’t recommend a grind and seal for residential homes for this reason.

Here are the steps for a grind and seal finish:

1. The process involves grinding the concrete with engineered concrete floor surface grinders to remove any contaminants from the existing slab.
2. Next, minor cracks and divots in the floor are patched with patching material as necessary.
3. Depending on the project (i.e. desired finish and durability requirements), the concrete may be ground again with finer diamonds to further smooth the floor. If the concrete is soft, porous or free of contaminants, a second pass may not be necessary.
4. Afterwards, the surface is vacuumed and dust extracted with industrial grade equipment
5. Lastly, your sealed concrete floor is sealed with a topical sealer. Depending on your requirements, and your space, we  will recommend the best type of sealer for your project. Softer, more porous concrete may require multiple additional coats of sealer.

A mechanical polish is more labor intensive and costs about double that of a grind/seal. It is very important that customers understand the differences as well as their builder, concreter and/or architect to ensure that the finish intended is the finish supplied.