What The Difference Is Between Concrete Resurfacing and Refinishing

What's best for your concrete?

Business and homeowners across the country are wanting concrete floors more and more every year. For those going through renovations of their concrete floors, there's two main options - resurfacing, and refinishing. Since the decision is dependent on what you want out of your floors, this article is going to help you make an informed decision. From the visual upgrade of a resurfacing, to the more practical refinishing, choose what's best for you and your floors!

Concrete checks every box you need, practically and visually, whether it's for the smallest residential garage flooring, or supporting your industrial warehouse. Adding a sealer, or even an epoxy topcoat, by refinishing or resurfacing the concrete refreshes your floors and helps them last even longer!

What is Concrete Refinishing?

If your concrete has some surface imperfections, concrete refinishing is the solution! By grinding the surface layer of your concrete, refinishing will refresh your floor and give it a new life. After the floor has been ground, the installer will apply a layer of sealer. This means that you can also opt to add some color to your floors if you wanted to!

Types of Concrete Refinishing

Decorative Polished Concrete

Concrete is known for its iconic rough gray finish, but installing a decorative polished concrete refinish can help you visually upgrade your floors! Not only will this refinishing job upgrade your floors' beauty, but its also an upgrade for its durability. Install various stains or dyes with the help of a strong sealer.

Silver/Full Aggregate Finish

If you want a classic matte gray finish for your concrete floors, the Silver/Full Aggregate refinishing style will achieve that for you with its more intense grinding process. This type of refinishing is often found in more high-traffic areas, because of its durability.

Bronze Polished Concrete

Bronze Polished Concrete utilizes diamond-pad grinding heads to give your floors a rich bronze coloring. If you want to massively improve the integrity of your concrete's surface, while also giving it an elegant beauty, this concrete refinishing option is for you.

Platinum Polished Concrete Finish

For the most shine, choose a platinum polished concrete finish. Using a thorough diamond-polishing process, this concrete refinishing style will help your floors fulfill their natural beauty. It also comes with an upgrade to its durability in the form of a strong sealer top coat, which is then polished even more.

Gold or Salt and Pepper Polished Concrete

Gold/Salt and Pepper Polished Concrete refinishing process involves a traditional grind & polish process, leaving you with a glossy floor. This refinishing option is perfect for high-end spaces wanting a more luxurious concrete polish.

What is Concrete Resurfacing?

Concrete resurfacing is a process that completely revitalizes your concrete. Instead of a simple surface-level upgrade, the installers will apply an entirely new coating system to your concrete. This process is perfect for concrete with more significant damage, or if you just want a new look for your floors!

Professional resurfacing often involves an installation of epoxy coating. A new epoxy coating doesn't just mean a significant upgrade to its lifespan, but it means you can choose from a variety of beautiful designs, too!

Whether its a quick-drying polyaspartic, or a long-lasting and strong polyurea, or a urethane resin, you'll have options to choose from! There are several ways to customize your epoxy floors even more. From the iconic streaks and waves of a metallic epoxy coating system, to the practical upgrades of vinyl flake or silica sand broadcasts!

Concrete Resurface, or Refinish?

While the decision for which option you want to pursue is up to you, consulting with a professional is the best way to make the most informed decision. Between the condition of your floor, and your goals with the floor, there's a few things you need to consider when choosing. Trust the right contractor to help give your floors new life!

For simple visual upgrades, refinishing might be the best path for you. Concrete refinishing is often less intensive, and will help repair basic surface-level damage to the concrete as well. If you want to completely revitalize your floors, give them an entirely new look or repair significant damage, resurfacing your concrete could be what you need.

So for homeowners looking to resurface concrete patios and pool decks, or business owners wanting to refinish their concrete warehouse floors, you'll have options. No matter which path you take, make sure to trust the right contractor to do the job the right way.

Learn How To Work With Concrete

Knowing the difference between concrete refinishing and resurfacing projects will help save you hours of labor time and effort. Flooring contractors who want to expand their services need crucial hands-on experience to deliver the quality their clients deserve. So get a headstart on the competition! By signing up for our Polished Concrete University, you can get that important hands-on experience that you need. Over our 5-day program, you'll learn:

1. Operating a concrete grinder

2. Installing a polished concrete system

3. How to repair various sized cracks, and holes, in concrete

Give your business a better chance and sign up today!

Conclusion

If you're a business or homeowner renovating your concrete floor, you have more options than you might think. Concrete is already durable and beautiful, but with the help of refinishing or resurfacing, you can achieve even more! Give your old concrete a new look, from matte, to metallic, you can do anything you choose.

Do you have any questions about which service, refinishing or resurfacing, your floors need? Give our technicians a call at (954) 228-8856! If you're a contractor looking to start expanding your services, refill on essential resources, for reasonable prices, at our EpoxyETC store!