These floors are gaining popularity because they offer the strength of concrete with the added beauty of natural stone.
Burnished concrete is a type of concrete flooring that has been polished to a high glossy finish. This process can also be referred to as honed or tumbled concrete floors, but the main difference between the burnished and polished concrete process would be that burnishing doesn't actually remove any material from the concrete surface. The end result is a stunning polished floor that bears little resemblance to the original slab. Burnished concrete floors come in an array of decorative concrete colours and finishes but tend to be very earthy looking because the concrete itself has not been dyed or stained. These floors are gaining popularity because they can offer the strength reduction of concrete with the added beauty of the natural stone. The consistent colour means a burnished floor won't need regular cleaning like other types of concrete do. Once installed, all you need to do is sweep or sweep and wipe depending on what type of burnished finish you choose. Unlike polished marble or granite, burnished floors do not require any concrete polishing to maintain their lustre, just regular mopping for cleanliness. There are different factors that affect how much and how well a concrete surface will be burnished. When the concrete is poured, it needs to be vibrated and settled before entering the curing stage. Poor uneven trowelling will show in the final concrete floor. With an uneven concrete floor, you will struggle to get a smooth surface. There is a better chance of achieving a high-shine finish once polished if more time is allowed until the concrete sets. Compacted floors don't take as well to polishing as those that have been given time to settle and cure naturally during those first few days after pour day. Curing is one of the most important parts of the polishing process to create a successful burnished concrete finish or honed finish. Each type of material has different reaction times and care needs during the first few days and weeks after it has been poured and finished. If your concrete needs to cure for 28 days before installation, you should wait those full 28 days before having the slab polished & honed. Curing times can vary greatly depending on what type of mix was used as well as environmental factors such as humidity and moisture content (related: water vs. cement ratio ). Water-based curing materials are usually applied within 24 hours of finishing because they don't require long drying times. Solvent-based curing compounds dry more slowly but are generally still safe to polish in about two weeks time after application if allowed proper time to cure properly. Given the perfect conditions, it's possible to be ready for polishing within a week of pour day. Still, it's also possible to wait 4 weeks without worry for the material to be ready. The type of mix used, environmental factors and how much time spent curing are all determining factors in whether or not your polished floor will take properly.
There are several different techniques if you're looking to get your hands dirty doing the polishing yourself. For a floor that is already polished and just needs some touch-up work, you can use masonry sandpaper on a 4' grinder and diamond pads for your burnishing tool. With the surface wet, these tools will smooth any imperfections or marks and restore lustre to your floor. Typically, the burnishing process involves using a burnisher to heat the concrete floors. The machine then melts and rubs a topical coating and injects it into the concrete slab. A wax-based product can also be used as a sealer. Sealing agents leave the surfaces protected and yield a polished concrete floor with a better finish.
Burnished concrete is also known as honed or tumbled concrete. Both of those terms refer to finishing a concrete slab after it has been poured. However, polished concrete is a completely different process. Polished concrete actually removes material from the flooring so that it comes out with a glossy finish. It's also possible to have both processes done at once, creating a burnished polish on your floor, but this isn't the most common combination and requires extra care during installation as well as more time spent curing before polishing can begin. Adding a concrete densifier will strengthen the burnished floor, making it a more versatile material.
Polished concrete floors come in three main categories: mechanical polishing, diamond abrasives and micro-abrasives.
This mechanical polish uses either diamond pads or steel wool for your burnisher, along with a machine to spin the tool. This method takes quite a bit of time and labour but will remove more material for a deeper shine on your finished floor.
This type of polished concrete is created by grinding & polishing with diamond bonded abrasives or silicon carbide paper, then sealed in using acrylic urethane or epoxy for protection.
This is when you polish concrete using diamond powders, resin & polymer compounds through high pressure, abrasion and heat to create the perfect finish on your floor. More affordable than mechanical polishing or diamond abrasives, micro-abrasive techniques leave behind little to no waste material while still creating beautiful results.
The cost for a burnishing process varies depending on what kind of concrete flooring you have. Using mechanical or diamond abrasive techniques will be more expensive than micro-abrasives, but both are still less costly than most other flooring types like carpeting, laminates and tile.
A polished concrete floor costs, on average, between $45 and $70 per square metre. The burnished finished floor usually comes out to about $10-$25 extra per square metre than polished.
Burnished concrete is often confused with other types of concrete finishes, such as polished concrete and honed concrete, since all three are finished after the concrete has been poured and set in place. It is not similar to screeded concrete.Burnished concrete was originally utilised by commercial projects in high-traffic areas such as hospitals and shopping centres since the process involves little to no waste material. However, after being modified for use in residential projects, it became one of the top choices for flooring throughout Australia.