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Polished and polished concrete, the most ecological floor, is a type of floor that is increasingly in demand. When assessing the level of sustainability of a concrete floor, or concrete, and putting it at the level of ecological flooring, there are several aspects that we must take into account:
Concrete or polished concrete has been, and is, the perfect answer to the construction industry. In a very short time, this material has managed to become an important part of the construction industry to reduce costs, as well as becoming an essential material in some sectors such as shops, department stores, airports, and even operating rooms, where a very high degree of maintenance is required. hygiene. Polished and polished concrete, the most ecological floor, today is an alternative for real floors in all types of construction, not only industrial construction.
There is a difference between cement and concrete, it is very simple but many people talk about cement floors when they should say concrete floors. The difference between the two is that cement is one of the ingredients used to prepare concrete. The difference between concrete and concrete is null, they are the same depending on the country in which we find ourselves.
Cement as such, began to be used in Ancient Greece, using volcanic tuffs extracted from the island of Santorini, they are the first natural cement of which there is evidence. In the 1st century, BC. C. began to be used in Ancient Rome, as a natural cement, which has resisted immersion in seawater for millennia. In the 19th century, Joseph Aspdin and James Parker patented Portland Cement in 1824, the best known by all, although there are more varieties of cement. Since ancient times, polished and polished concrete, the most ecological floor, has been a great alternative for flooring.
It is one of the ingredients used to prepare concrete or concrete. The conventional cement is obtained by mixing limestone rocks, sandstone, clay, and gypsum that will be ground and subsequently hardened with water. For this solution to work properly, the clay and minerals used must be mixed homogeneously, heated, and include gypsum at the precise moment they are being ground. By itself, cement can be used as a building material but concrete can never be used without cement. By mixing the cement with water, a malleable paste is obtained that is used in construction. There are several classes of cement, being the most common.
Polished concrete or concrete was already used in ancient Egypt or ancient Rome and there are still traces of it, many. It is obtained by mixing cement, coarse sand, crushed stone, and water. The amount of each of these materials will depend on the resistance you want to achieve. The most used is the one composed of 11% cement, 41% composed of coarse particles such as marble remains, gravel, and the like, 27% fine particles, 17% water, and 4% air. The resistance that we want to give to the concrete or concrete will depend on where it is going to be used, in footings, columns, ceilings, beams, stairs, etc.
The 21st century: environmental culture: the use of recycled materials as ingredients for concrete has gained popularity due to the increasing number of environmental legislation, as well as the progressive awareness of society. The most widely used recycled ingredients are fly ash, a by-product of coal-fired power plants. The environmental impact of the cement industry was significant, but through the use of these new materials, it is possible to reduce quarries and landfills, since they act as substitutes for cement, and reduce the amount needed to obtain good concrete. Since one of the harmful effects on the environment is that the production of cement generates large volumes of carbon dioxide, cement substitution technology plays an important role in efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Certain catalysts that allow self-washing are usually included in the mixtures, as is the case with titanium dioxide.
If we have a concrete floor in our establishment or at home and we want to embellish it so that it becomes something unique, giving it a shine with a wet appearance is not synonymous with slippery, since in the absence of any wax or sealant coating, the concrete is in its NATURAL state, and friction occurs at its surface. Various levels of gloss can be achieved on your concrete floors, matte, semi-gloss, high gloss, and wet look high gloss, it depends on what you like best.
Polished concrete offers great light reflection, which reduces cost and energy use. It is a floor without pores, which prevents the accumulation of dust, fungi, and spores that can affect your health, which helps keep the indoor air much healthier, and is also very easy to maintain and clean.
Cleaning polished concrete or concrete floors is very simple, easy, and uncomplicated, but you can not use abrasive cleaning products such as acids, ammonia, bleach, or products in high concentrations (including cleaning) and much fewer solvents, as they can cause loss of brightness. The cleaning of polished concrete must be based on cleaning products with a neutral PH, since a cleaner that is too acidic or too alkaline will deteriorate the concrete, leaving marks in the form of stains. We can offer you our ecological floor cleaner for cleaning polished concrete floors. Likewise, the use of microfiber mops is recommended to clean surfaces without causing scratches.
With what has been summarized so far, we can realize that polished concrete or concrete floors are the most ecological floors that currently exist, since they do not use toxic materials in their preparation, they are harmless to the environment, safe for the people, and recyclable. In the process of polishing concrete floors with our system, no debris is produced or aggressive products are used, the concrete is polished and polished naturally until it reaches the desired gloss level.
The polishing and polishing of concrete or concrete floors has undergone an important development worldwide during the last 15 years due to the high demand for this type of floor since its benefits and yields are higher than most optional floors and polishing and polishing. Shining these floors today is very easy if you have the necessary tools, it is no longer necessary to use large polishing machines unless we are talking about polishing and polishing thousands of square meters. For small businesses, a suitable two-speed rotary, the correct planetary chuck, the appropriate diamond blades, and a lithium densifier that is applied to the surface of the concrete before going through the polishing process, hardens and compacts it, is sufficient. pore in the concrete.
The result of this process is a surface with a high level of reflection, beautiful and elegant, durable, resistant to abrasion, respectful of the Environment, and easy to maintain. Today it is one of the preferred surfaces in LEED-certified projects (Environmentally Friendly Buildings). Polished concrete has become a perfect and economical option in airports, schools, factories, distribution centers, sports complexes, cinemas, office buildings, and much more, where the need for economy and elegance is required.
Durability in polished concrete gives a highly resistant surface with a long useful life. The combination of polishing and the application of a densifier (hardener) and subsequent protector creates a surface that is up to twice as hard as untreated concrete. The shine that comes out of the polished concrete on the surface is not a wax or some other superficial layer, it is a NATURAL shine, therefore it is not slippery. The level of durability is unmatched by other floor maintenance and polishing products. It is resistant to scratches, machine traffic, dust, and abrasion. If properly maintained, the shine is permanent.
Polished concrete offers extremely low maintenance compared to any other type of treatment or compared to any other type of flooring. It does not need to be waxed-crystallized.
Under normal circumstances, it does not need re-polishing or other labor-intensive maintenance. But if for some reason it has to be redone tomorrow, its cost will be about half of its initial cost.
Leading a sustainable lifestyle means wholeheartedly embracing respect for the environment and making a positive impact for people and the planet.
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