A concrete floor can be stained to a number of shades and colours, and when that floor is correctly polished, the floor will be durable and almost maintenance-free. A special concrete polishing machine is required for the job, along with sanding discs varying from coarse to very fine. In many cases, it is possible to find a concrete polisher for lease at a local tool rental store, though you will probably have to get the polishing discs to match onto the polisher.
Sweep the floor thoroughly with a stiff-bristled push. If the ground has been exposed to water at all, permit the ground to dry for a few days before starting the polishing.
Attach a tough polishing disk (30- to 40-grit metal-bonded diamond) into the mat on the bottom of the polisher. Put on a dust mask and a pair of safety glasses, turn on the polisher and perform the dry polishing pad above the ground. Move the polisher in small circles along a linear path from one side of the room into another, then transfer past a row and work your way back, taking care to create a pass over the entire ground without working over any places over once to maintain the ground even.
Sweep the ground thoroughly, then switch into a medium-coarse (80-grit metal-bonded diamond) polishing pad and repeat. Follow up with a dry sanding with a medium pad (150-grit metal-bonded diamond).
Apply an even coat of penetrating concrete sealer to the full ground and allow the sealer to soak in the coarsely ground concrete floor for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer.
Mop the floor with clean water to remove any deposits created by the polishing. Then, switch to a medium resin-bond diamond polishing disk (100-200 grit) and run evenly the polisher above the wet ground. Change to a nice resin-bond diamond polishing disk (400 grit), tighten the water from the mop bucket, clean the floor thoroughly with the mop, leaving ample clean water onto the ground, then make another pass with the polisher.
Keep on polishing and cleaning using progressively finer resin-bond diamond polishing pads above the wet ground till you finish with the finest pad you’ve got available (1,500-grit metal-bonded diamond or greater).
Give the ground a final mopping and touch up any areas that need extra buffing with the fine-grit pad.
