Ultimate floors recently enhanced this Keppera family’s outdoor entertainment area.  Home owners, Adrian and Wendy originally selected a natural look impregnate sealer  finish.

Concrete honing floor tech was asked how the finish will look. Simple answer to that is “Natural”. The concrete patina will have no change when compared to adding a colour enhancing sealer.

Let’s briefly look at your options.

Firstly, outdoor concrete is not polished. It is taken to a honed only stage. Finer the diamond grinding grit is, less grip may be experienced. 

It is important, a safe surface is considered when water wet. Further information on the Australian Standards and safe floors around the work place for surface slip compliance can be read here.

As noted above, every external honed concrete process Ultimate Floors has or will do in the future ensures surface safety.  

With surface safety taken care off, the result to expect was discussed with the home owners.

What did they choose to do?

Only way to confirm, our colour enhancing sealer recommendation is the right fit, is to do a sample. 

A small test area was done.

Natural look sealer was then changed to the colour enhancing sealer finish you see to the photo above.

Ultimate Floors recommended our ” COLOUR ENHANCING SEALING FOR HONED CONCRETE” system simply because who wants just plain jane?

Okay.

This highlights the natural colour of the mix and brings out the light aggregate colour hues. What an awesome result, clients were super stoked! 

Concrete Contractor

We also need to acknowledge the  skill and attention the concrete contractor took.  Honed concrete and sealing makes their work look awesome. In saying this, the concreter commonly does washed aggregate finishes and had not done a concrete slab to be honed previously.  So kudos to the concrete crew for delivering an outstanding canvas for us to work with.

Honed Concrete and Colour Enhancing Sealer Process

Our concrete honing is typically completed at 60 grit minimum for inclines exceeding five degrees.  Wet areas such as around pools may also need this improved traction. Flat surfaces are most commonly completed to 80 or 100 grit surface profile.

On completion of the concrete honing stages, area is cleaned with PH neutral wash. Drying time will vary based on time of year and how much direct sun can access the concrete surface.

Sealing is done in 2 stages – Pre seal saturation for longer water repelling capability. Pre seal is left to cure, this may over night depending on the area size. Colour enhancing sealer is then applied. To improve penetration and overall look, Ultimate Floors buffs in this sealer. Concrete density varies, and buffing the colour enhancing sealer works it in to the surface more effectively.

Do keep in mind that honed concrete will require some basic cleaning. A good clean every so often will help surface slip safe, especially when water wet.

When choosing Ultimate Floors – Grinding and Polishing for Honed Concrete, in return we take your objectives and work through suitable options.