Over the last two decades, the demand for polished concrete has grown drastically. Twenty years ago, when Hoover & Wells started polishing concrete floors, customer expectation was set by specifying a desired gloss level. Although gloss testing is important, there are other tests that have been developed in recent years that will better define the overall expected outcome of the polished concrete surface. Distinctness of Image, Haze, and Roughness Average can be used in addition to the Gloss test to ensure the owner gets the quality floor he or she is paying for. The testing needs to be performed before the application of a sealer/guard because these products tend to give inflated readings. So, let's go over some of these terms and what they mean!

WHAT IS CONCRETE POLISHING?

Being in the commercial and industrial flooring industry, we hear many different terms that can be confusing like shot blasting, DOI (Distinctness of Image) or RA (Roughness Average). Concrete polishing is the refinement of concrete surfaces using chemicals, metal bonded and resin bonded diamonds to achieve the desired finish. There is an endless amount of combinations between chemicals and metal/resin bonded diamonds to help obtain the desired finish. Our 40+ years of experience helps in understanding what is the best combination in your particular circumstance. The Concrete Polishing Association of America classifies finished gloss levels from 1 (flat) to 4 (highly polished) and aggregate exposure as A (little aggregate), B, C and D (large aggregate) depending on depth of desired surface cut.