The Team at Policrete

Our workforce has the flexibility to work around any situation. We understand that many business owners cannot close their doors for extended periods of time. With ample time to plan ourselves around your job we can provide a service that minimises the disruption to your business operations.  We can even keep our machines working 24hrs around the clock if this is needed. Public holidays and weekends can also be booked well in advance. Our efficient equipment and well trained staff will have you back up and running as soon as possible. 

Polished Concrete and Epoxy Flooring Professionals	The Policrete team at work

 
For new homeowners that are dying to get into their new homes, get in early and we’ll get your floor done within a few days of the handover of keys from your builder. You’ll be moving your furniture in within a week and sleeping there in no time. Existing home owners that want no hassles, we can take care of all removal and disposal of existing, tiles, carpet of floorboards and get grinding on the same day. We will be the only contractors you will need to transform your tired old flooring into a modern delight.
 

Our Concrete Grinding and Polishing Equipment

The most advanced machinery from all over the world is used as part of our daily procedures. This allows us to produce high quality work consistently job after job. Our dust extraction is EPA approved to work for dry grinding which ensures the safety of our staff and the public. Daily and Weeky maintanence checks are performed both on site and in our workshop to keep our equipment in good working order.
 

Our Polished Concrete and Epoxy Products

As a fully trained and accredited WerkmasterTM installer and applicator, our processes for polishing concrete utilises the werkmaster densifier and penetrative sealer products. As a leader in the US for concrete polishing machinery, this start to finish concrete polishing procedure is the best in the world.
 
Our Epoxy Flooring products are supplied to us by Elite Crete Australia, an American leader in decorative epoxy coating systems. Our staff are all fulle trained and accredited to supply and intall the full range of Elite Crete Products. The only manufacturers of Reflector Enhanser flooring products, a unique new look in the flooring industry.

Typically, concrete is not considered polished before 400 grit and it is normally finished to either the 800, 1500, or 3000 grit level, depending on the level of gloss you are after. In simple terms, the process of polishing concrete is similar to sanding wood, however a coating is not placed on your concrete unlike timber. Concrete polishers are much more heavy-duty than timber floorboard polishers and are used to gradually grind down surfaces to the desired degree of shine and smoothness. What is left is a very strong stain repellent surface that feels good under foot and looks aesthetically beautiful.

Your options for polished concrete are the level of aggregate you would like to expose, a light, medium or full grind will decide how much grinding will need to be done and therfore also change the price per square meter rate. After the grind is completed we can then go to the level of gloss required.

Polished concrete flooring, highly reflective	Polished concrete, floor in Melbourne

The closest equivalent example would be polished granite or marble. Coating concrete after grinding is not considered polished although many people do refer to this as “polished concrete” it is however not the same product. Ensure that what you are getting is exactly what you are expecting and more importantly, paying for. We operate within Greater Melbourne and have been called out to redo concrete floors where the owners were expecting polished concrete and got a coating or sealer. Policrete have completed many projects in and around Melbourne and always left our customers amazed with what they were able to achieve out of their concrete. Equipment used also makes a massive difference in the quality of the finish, so ensure that your contractor is using the best equipment available and most importantly is using premium quality diamond pads and polishing pads. Without the right set up and accessories a high quality polished concrete surface is not attainable.

High durability of polished concrete flooring	Reduction in lighting from polished concrete

100% Self levelling Epoxy Flooring Coating System	26 Factory Epoxy Colors to choose from

Benefits of our epoxy flooring system over other flooring options is in the products superior resistance to staining, chemicals and oil spills. This non slip surface is extremely easy to keep clean and allows for minimal maintenance. The product is applied in a seamless installatio over your new or existing concrete flooring. A full gloss or satin finish coat is then applied.

Titanium Epoxy Flooring	Red Epoxy Floor

Epoxy floor coatings offer many advantages over other flooring options. Because of the fairly solid consistency of the epoxy resin, it can be applied over rough and uneven surfaces without the need for heavy grinding. Once installed, the floor will be waterproof, highly resistent to rust, acid, chemicals, heat and corrosion. It will also withstand higher levels of abuse from foot traffic and vehicles making it a popular choice for industrial and commercial sectors.

If you are not into bright and loud colours, the exact same product can be applied without colour enhanser for a crystal clear high build coating for concrete floors.

Full exposure with Epoxy Resin Coating	Full Gloss Epoxy Resin Flooring

The same grinding steps are taken with this approach as with polishing concrete and your options of aggregate are the same. A light grind show only small traces of rocks and stone while a full grind exposes all the aggregate below. The difference lies in how the floor is finished and brought to a shine. In this method the floor is grinded and then sealed with either a turps/solver or water based polyurethane coating very similar to how a polished timber floor is finished. Similiar wear and tear characteristics can be shared with sealed concrete and polished floorboards.

This method has the advantage of being more affordable than polished concrete as it generally is a much faster process after the iitial grind is completed. The product looks great and still offers high durability, resistance to stains and is still environmentally friendly. Some concrete floors, typically those of poor strength and bond cannot be polished even after hardening of the surface. This is where a grind and seal will be the next best option.

Policrete offer all types of coatings including, water and solver based epoxy coatings, polyeurethanes and water based concrete sealers.

Concrete Grind and Seal in Richmond Apartment	Polyeurethane coating for concrete
Concrete Flooring in Hallway	Satin finish concrete sealer for retail shop

Our main suppliers of concrete coatings and sealers can be found on our ”Useful Links” page

When building a house with a volume builder the process is very difficult. All large builders will use the minimum building requirements in the construction of their houses in order to cut costs. If there is a dollar to be saved then you can bet they are already doing it, if not going a bit further. 20 and 25 mpa is the lowest requirement for housing slabs, a good quality 25mpa concrete mixture should be fine for polishing but it will never really ever be good quality. Cheap concrete suppliers and cheap labour results in poor quality concrete slabs. They will usually look quite fine from the use of a helicopter machine to finish the top but as good as soon as a grinder is put onto the floor its hard not do dig deep with the diamond blades. The combination of cheap concrete, cheap tradesmen and the common practice of over watering the concrete in the trucks on site to make it easier to work with occurs is nearly all volume builders concrete floors.

Even if you ask them to use 32mpa concrete and that you are happy to pay the difference in the price, they will not budge. Does this mean that you can’t polish your concrete slab, probably. However it doesn’t mean that you can’t achieve that sort of look. We have high build epoxy resin coatings that can be placed over soft and chalky concrete. If your budget permits you could install a 10mm thin concrete overlay system. Or if we can work around your door and ceiling heights, we can place a 50mm – 100mm solid concrete overlay. Your options will be limited if your concrete is poor but there are still good viable solutions that beat floor tiles of floorboards. Talk to us at Policrete as soon as you can and we can point you in the right direction.

Regular 25mpa concrete being pumped into the footings	Decorative concrete mix in 32mpa being poured on top

Depending on your needs, we are equipped to manage the job from start to finish, including the removal of existing coverings. We have a flexible and fluid approach and are happy to discuss these options with you. Our top of the range vacuum systems ensure minimal dust and mess from our work procedures.

Existing concrete grinded and sealed	Old concrete after polishing
Factory concrete floor after polishing and stencil	Existing Concrete Floor

It’s one and only downfall is its constant need for cleaning and maintenance. It’s rough and porous texture leaves it open to staining and allows dirt and grime to stick to its surface, driveways especially can become very dirty quite quickly. The only way to keep it clean is to constantly high pressure hose the surface with harsh chemicals such as hydrochloric acid. This only buys limited time until it needs doing again. Whilst there are many sealers on the market today, few if any of them really do completely seal the concrete and repel stains and they do absolutely nothing to reduce dirt from sticking.

From our experience, whenever we have grinded down exposed aggregate, the stone coverage is almost perfectly spread out. We can see this from how the aggregate is sitting before we start grinding and can gurantee how the concrete will look once grinded. Once we begin, the true color of the concrete will come through emmediately and once finished, sealed and left to dry you will be left with a concret surface that you can iterally mop clean. The surface is left non slippery and is safe to walk on when wet.

This side of the Policrete business is growing steadily and has provided us with some very exciting finished products.

Exposed Aggregate before and after	Exposed Aggregate after grinding
Driveway after Grinding and Seal	Polished Concrete driveway

Once grinded flat the surface can be sealed much easier than when it was rough. UV polyurethanes and concrete sealers available on the market have proven to be tough and durable while also being non slippery.
People are so impressed with this style of work, we are constantly stopped and asked what type of material the product is, as people often shocked to find out it’s simply concrete that has been grinded.

For any owners of existing exposed aggregate concrete slabs this is the next big thing.

Wet Concrete Driveway	Polished Concrete Pavers

• Epoxy Removal
• Tile glue removal
• Existing concrete coating removal
• Floor levelling
• Paint removal
• Crack filling and grouting
• Carpet and Tile Removal

Our dust extraction equipment can keep your existing areas clean while we are working. Placing new flooring products over existing concrete that is not fresh and clean can be risky. Even the mess caused by tradesmen working on your slab will mean your adhesives will not grab to the concrete as well as they should. A light surface grind can take the guess work away and leave you confident that years later nothing will have come away from the concrete.

Epoxy Removal	Glue Removal

If floor depth or thickness is not an issue for the job then a 50mm to 100mm overlay can be installed. The main advantages of this system is the saving is costs associated with not using the decorative concrete mix in the footings and ground works. The ability to complete all the overlay works at lock up stage also greatly decreases the risk of damage to the floor during construction. The work can be completed around the same time that painters would normally conduct their work without the need to worry about rain, hail or shine.

Formwork and Steel going in	Screeding the concrete into place
Full grind with the Werkmaster Raptor	First coat of High Gloss Polyurethane by Tuffcoat

This system is becoming popular with builders as the cost saving is substantial and the work fits into the building process much easier than working off a finished product for the whole construction. The savings can mean that you can use a more expensive decorative concrete mix for the finished product and even add your own touch with crushed glass aggregate of any colour. Decorative stones and pebbles can be used to create a unique look and feel to the floor and your overall aesthetics. This feature is only rally achievable when used in conjunction with an overlay system as the job will not be expoed to the elements of nature which can make concreting a tough job when done outdoors.

Countertops and Tiles
To maintain simplicity and fluidity in design, this overlay system offers tiles and countertops that complete the aesthetic. Countertops come in a full range of colors and finished, are generally composite in construction in sizes up to 2.4m x 1.2m

Finishing coat of Polyurethane	Crushed glass aggregate was thrown into the concrete mix.

The beauty of Polished Concrete does not have to be restricted to your horizontal surfaces. Walls and even ceilings can be polished with patience and a lot of hard work. There are several ways to tackle these types of applications and every job will require a different approach. The wall above was poured in situation, commonly abbreviated to “in situ”, this method will create a seamless wall with sharp lines and angles. Concrete is  extremely heavy, at up to 2.5 tonne per m3 only an experiences formwork carpenter should tackle this job. The wall above for example was formed up twice as the landscaper handling the job was out of this depth. The formwork needs to be extra strong as you will need to mechanically vibrate the concrete for it to fill every edge and corner as this vibration aids in removing air pockets.. Tapping your hammer against the formwork to vibrate the concrete will only tire your arm.  A concrete wall poured in situ will need expansion joins cut in within a week after pouring to minimise the chance of cracking. These cuts will look clean and sharp if done carefully.

The second option is to have concrete panels formed and poured off site in a factory and delivered to site. A well established pre cast concrete panel can have this work done for you. They should not mind using a decorative concrete mix if required. This way we will be able to polish the panels while they are laying down. The biggest advantage will be that a stand up machine will be able to be used instead of a hand held grinder, the grind and polish will be flatter and smoother and we will be able to expose more aggregate in a shorter time. The panels will have a better finish to them however sharp lines will be harder to achieve as they normally miter all external corners. joints between panels will also require caulking on site. The extra costs associated with delivery and installation need to be factored in.

All in all the two options will probably price up very similarly so the decisions about which way you want to tackle your job will largely be decided by your site requirements and restrictions and your level of experience with concrete works. Of course you can give us a call at Policrete if you need some guidance and advice.

Grouting pinholes and air pockets	The start of a lot of hand grinding