Polished Concrete Walls and Surfaces from Policrete

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 and the start of a lot of hand grinding