How to Polish a Concrete Countertop

Whether you want a just-buffed matte appearance or a high gloss luster, all poured concrete kitchen counters take advantage of an extensive polishing prior to they're used. With an electrical wet concrete brush as well as a collection of crude- to fine-grit diamond brightening pads, paired with a healthy dose of perseverance as well as effort, you'll be able to attain a lovely coating on your kitchen counter. Not just will brightening get rid of bumps and rough sides, yet it can reveal several of the attractive accumulations within the concrete mix, leading to a distinctive piece. [1]


Component
1
Cleaning and also Patching Openings
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Shield your work space with decrease fabrics as well as plastic. Wet polishing concrete can be an incredibly unpleasant process. Cover your floorings with ground cloth to avoid splashes and discolorations. Take into consideration covering your walls with plastic also. [2]
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Load small holes in the concrete with a patching blend. If your concrete countertop has any type of tiny holes or small problems, you can fill in the holes with homemade or store-bought patching mix before starting the brightening process. [3] Image labelled Polish a Concrete Kitchen Counter Step 3
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Permit the concrete to completely treat for a minimum of 10 days prior to brightening. Do not try to polish your countertop up until the concrete as well as any kind of succeeding spots are completely healed. For best results, the concrete needs to have been healed for no less than 10 days and no more than 30 days. [4] Picture labelled Polish a Concrete Kitchen Counter Action 4
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Wash off the concrete surface with water and also a squeegee. Put water over the leading and edges of the fully-cured concrete counter top. After that run a squeegee over the whole item to get rid of any kind of particles from the surface of the concrete. [5] Any type of leftover particles may dig into the concrete and also leave deep scrapes when you start polishing it, so make certain to remove all residue during this process.

Component
2
Developing the Surface with a Coarse Grit Pad
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Place on an apron, safety goggles, and earplugs before working. Protect your clothing from the mess of concrete slurry with an apron or jumpsuit. Your eyes must be covered with safety and security goggles, and you can utilize earplugs or building earmuffs to safeguard your ears from the rough sounds of the grinding tool. [6] Make certain any kind of loosened apron connections are stashed. Similarly, connect back long hair far from your face and also make sure it will not hang before your shoulders.
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Connect a handheld damp concrete polisher to a water source. You'll be making use of a handheld wet concrete polisher with variable speed settings and ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) shut down capabilities. The brush you're making use of could have an integrated water tube, or it may have a receiving tube that you can twist a garden hose pipe onto. In any case, attach the tube from your water source to the tool safely.
The device needs to launch water constantly as you grind the surface area of the concrete. This will take treatment of all the concrete dirt that would generally create without a stream of water avoiding it. It additionally cools off the grinding pads which will warm up quickly from the rubbing.
Variable rate setups aren't totally required to achieve a smooth coating yet will provide you a lot more control over your progression. [7] Image titled Polish a Concrete Kitchen Counter Step 7
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Affix the coarsest grit diamond grinding pad to the brush. You'll be making use of a suitable collection of ruby grinding pads ranging from rugged (about 50 grit) to extremely great (approximately 3,000 grit). Lots of tools and grinding pads included compatible hook-and-loop accessories, making it simple to switch over from one pad to an additional. Area the coarsest pad (50 grit) on the brush and affix it firmly. [8] Ensure the device and grinding pads you've selected are especially developed for usage on concrete. dewalt 5 concrete grinding wheel as pads meant for use on products like granite won't hold up to this task.
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Hold the device degree and apply also stress to the concrete surface. Starting with the biggest horizontal surface of the countertop, position the grinding pad touching the concrete and also start up the device. Work your means around the surface area in fanned or straight strokes at a modest pace.
The polishing tool shouldn't be hung on an angle, and you will not require to push down on it really hard. If you do, you'll cause it to explore the surface area and the concrete will be left with unfavorable divots, swirl marks, and an irregular coating. [9] Photo entitled Polish a Concrete Counter Top Step 9
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Rubbed out bumps to attain an also surface texture with the very first pass. With your 50-grit grinding pad, you'll be able to obtain the entire concrete surface area to the same texture. It will certainly be harsh to the touch, but the important thing is that it's even. Go over the surface as numerous times as you need to grind down any kind of staying swellings in the concrete. [10] You should wind up with an entirely level surface.
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Connect a protective skirt to the tool and also polish the vertical surfaces. Clip on a protective skirt around the 50 grit polishing pad to ensure that when you hold the tool vertically, the water that's streaming out and capturing all the concrete dirt does not spray all over the flooring as well as ceiling of your workspace. Once the skirt is affixed, polish the sides and also corners similarly you polished the countertop's horizontal surface area. [11] Whichever grit you're utilizing, finish a full pass over the straight surface as well as upright surfaces before switching bent on the next finer grit pad. This will certainly conserve you time in the long term and also will guarantee that the structure is regular across all sides of the kitchen counter.
Component
3
Using Finer Grits to Develop a Luster
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Switch to the next level grit as well as look at the whole surface area again. If you began with a 50-grit pad, step down to a 100-grit pad, which is made to rub out the structure developed by the 50-grit pad. Comply with the same process of using also pressure as well as working at a modest rate till the straight as well as vertical surfaces have a regular structure.
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Wash and squeegee the counter top sometimes in between passes. As you polish the concrete, some debris as well as slurry may be leftover. Rinse off every surface and press off any bits of debris. Make use of these intermittent stops as a chance to analyze your handiwork and also see how close you're obtaining to the wanted finish. [12] Photo entitled Gloss a Concrete Kitchen Counter Tip 13
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Use portable ruby grinding blocks to polish hard-to-reach areas. Just like the electrical concrete brush, you'll begin with the coarsest block (around 120 grit) and also function your method as much as the finest grit (around 1,500 grit). Ensure you get any kind of challenging edges and ravel the edges running around the border of the counter top. [13] You need to make use of portable blocks in the very same series of grit degrees as those you used with the electric polishing device. If you miss any grit levels you will not attain the very same surface. [14] Photo titled Gloss a Concrete Countertop Step 14
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Development from the coarse-grit pads to the medium-grit pads. If you've currently utilized a 50-grit and also 100-grit pad, you'll make use of a 200-grit pad for the next pass, complied with by a 400-grit pad. Whatever you do, don't miss any type of grit degrees! You'll need to slowly progress from rugged to tool to fine because polishing pads are created to smooth out the surface area created by the previous grit.
As an example, a fine 3,000 grit pad won't give you a good looking coating if you most recently used a 200 grit pad. Stick with the development and also you'll see gorgeous outcomes! [15] Image entitled Gloss a Concrete Counter Top Step 15
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Usage medium-fine grits to develop a smooth surface. When you're finished with the 400-grit pad, switch to an 800-grit pad. Repeat the process of brightening all surfaces of the counter top. You'll start to see a smooth coating develop as you function your way through these medium-fine grit pads. [16] Photo labelled Polish a Concrete Counter Top Action 16
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Use the finest grits to attain a shiny finish. After the 800-grit pad, you can quit with a 1,500-grit pad which will certainly give a smooth-to-the-touch surface and also a subtle sheen. For an extra glossy coating, finish the last pass with a 3,000 grit pad. [17] Part
4
Treating and also Securing the Concrete
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Provide the counter top a final rinse with water. When you have actually achieved the preferred surface, rinse and also squeegee off the countertop one last time. See to it you haven't missed out on any kind of spots which all surface areas have a smooth and also even end up. Enable the concrete to air dry totally.
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Treat the concrete with any type of paint or acid discolorations if desired. You need to use any paint or acid stain therapies at this phase-- after you have actually polished the concrete as well as provided it a final rinse as well as completely dry, however prior to you secure it.
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Apply 1 layer of concrete sealer to the surface area with a rag. Purchase a penetrative concrete sealer that's made for counter tops instead than floors. It needs to be water resistant, low-odor, and also food-safe. Saturate a clean dustcloth with the item and wipe on 1 total layer of sealant to the concrete. See to it to layer all spaces, crannies, and also edges of the countertop. [18] You can select from the variety of gloss degrees offered, from high gloss to a matte coating. [19] Photo entitled Polish a Concrete Kitchen Counter Step 20
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Let the sealant fully treat prior to enjoying your new countertop. Permit the surface to dry completely. Relying on the sealing product you have actually made use of, it might take a couple of days or a couple of weeks to treat. After that you'll be able to utilize and also preserving your brand-new concrete kitchen counter!
Although securing won't prevent all scratches, areas, stains, as well as other imperfections from occurring with routine usage, it is a crucial step in stopping the growth of bacteria within your concrete. [20]