Let’s Bust A Few Concrete Myths

Concrete flooring is an increasingly popular choice in New Zealand homes, businesses and industrial facilities. It’s strong, durable, stable and incredibly eye-catching. For all that, there are still a few myths surrounding concrete, and they might be stopping you from taking the plunge and investing in this wonderful flooring surface. As leaders in concrete grinding in Auckland, we’re proud of what we do and the results we achieve and we think you should know the truth. So, it’s time to bust a few falsehoods and bring you the facts.

• Myth One: Concrete is cold. This is a common myth and one that we’re keen to put right because concrete flooring has great thermal mass which allows it to retain heat and gradually release it during the day – so it’s a fantastic surface for keeping a home warm during winter. Yet at the same time, it can capture heat on a hot day to keep a home cool in summer. No other flooring surface offers the same degree of thermal mass qualities as concrete. 
• Myth Two: Concrete flooring is not environmentally friendly. Nothing could be further from the truth. As we’ve already discussed, concrete’s thermal mass allows the surface to warm and cool a home by capturing the heat of the sun. Concrete is a durable surface that will last for years and years before it needs replacing, and let’s not forget it is hypoallergenic as well, so it doesn’t harbour allergy-causing particles as carpet does. 
• Myth Three: DIY concrete grinding is easy. Some people think it’s a piece of cake to plug in a concrete grinder and polish their own floors. If that was the case, there’d be no need for concrete grinding specialists like us. But a lot has to be factored in when polishing concrete such as machine speed: for example, by selecting a speed that is too high, there’s a real chance the diamonds will overheat and prevent proper cutting. And then, there’s a high possibility that an amateur will choose the wrong metal bond diamond tooling for the job. Or use cheap diamonds which will produce awful results. And DIY concrete grinders will invariably use the wrong technique when operating the machinery, which has dire consequences as well. Polished concrete floors can look so good that they’re worth doing properly…and professionally.   
• Myth Four: Concrete is ugly. Take a look at our gallery and you’ll see that is not the case at all. Polished concrete floors are striking and distinctive, and well beyond the boring and grey stereotype often connected with this material. With so many options available in terms of colours, textures, patterns, and finishes, polished concrete floors are not at all ugly!

We hope we have busted a few myths and put your mind at ease if you’re considering using polished concrete as a flooring surface. Feel free to contact us and we’ll happily discuss why concrete is so much better than you could ever believe.