How to Make Conrete Floors Shine

The most effective way to make concrete floors shine is to have them sanded to a glossy finish. Specifically, honing the concrete, according to Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia, provides floors with a "...smooth, low-maintenance and durable finish...produced by grinding the concrete surface with abrasives." Finer and finer abrasives are used until the concrete takes on a fully polished appearance. You can hire contractors to polish unfinished concrete floors, but if you rent a professional floor grinder from a home improvement or hardware store, you can give your concrete floors a smooth finish at home.

Broom
Dustpan
Mop
Floor cleaner
Bucket
Respirator mask
Goggles
Epoxy
Floor grinder
Concrete polishing pads with diamond grits 30- to 3000-grit resin-bonded diamonds
Acrylic floor polish

Instructions

- 1
  Sweep all dust and debris from your concrete floor using the broom and dustpan.
- 2
  Mop the concrete floor completely using warm water and floor cleanser, mixed, as directed by the manufacturer, in the bucket.
- 3
  Rinse the mop and bucket, and then clean the floor with water.
- 4
  Patch any cracks in your concrete floor, if necessary, using epoxy. Allow the epoxy to completely dry, as directed by the manufacturer, before proceeding.
- 5
  Place on respirator mask and goggles.
- 6
  Attach the coarsest grit (30-grit) pad to the floor grinder. Plug in grinder and sweep across the entire floor, using small, circular strokes.
- 7
  Sweep all ground dust from your concrete floor using the broom and dustpan.
- 8
  Attach the next coarsest grit (usually 80-grit) and re-polish the floor. Sweep dust, then proceed through each of the pads, from coarsest to finest (3000-grit), sweeping up dust between pads.
- 9
  Apply the acrylic floor polish, as directed by the manufacturer, using the mop. Allow to dry.

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