Where is FGS polished concrete installed?
FGS PermaShine is installed in a wide range of commercial and institutional floors, spanning many industries. You will find FGS PermaShine polished concrete in warehouses, showrooms, production facilities, retail, and other commercial applications. It is also found in residential basements, garages, and showrooms. Institutions, such as K-12 schools, universities, and government buildings are also popular installations for FGS PermaShine polished concrete.
What is the process for installing and maintaining the FGS Permashine System?
What you see on the surface of a perfectly polished concrete floor is the end of the process. That's why the integrated FGS polished concrete system is so important to the appearance, performance, safety, and long-term savings of every FGS Permashine floor.
Preparation
Proper surface preparation steps are imperative for polished concrete. Not only do you need to know the tools and techniques to perform the surface preparation, you need to know when to use them. Grinding and honing an existing substrate, followed by cleaning and vacuuming the concrete surface is necessary before further steps of the polishing process take place.Like any professional concrete project, proper preparation prevents poor performance. Make sure you hire an experienced, FGS-Approved Installer before moving ahead with your polished concrete project. When it comes to grinding, honing, and polishing your concrete floor, you want experience and expertise.
Polishing
The act of polishing concrete is a set of steps designed to grind, polish, and hone a concrete surface to an agreed upon level of sheen. Using the FGS PermaShine polishing process, LATICRETE FGS-approved installers understand the steps involved; they possess the proper equipment to use (and when to use it), and they have expertise with LATICRETE polishing concrete chemicals.
Like any quality concrete project, polishing concrete takes time, tools, and the talent to use them. LATICRETE FGS PermaShine Approved Installer program assures that your polished concrete project gets done right the first time, giving you an exceptional and easy-to-maintain floor for years to come.
Hardening
LATICRETE densifier, FGS Hardener Plus, is specifically formulated to penetrate diamond ground and polished concrete wear surfaces to seal, harden, densify, and waterproof them. This water-based, VOC-compliant product is applied following the sequential diamond grinding and polishing steps of the FGS PermaShine process. L&M FGS HARDENER PLUS™ provides long-term dustproof protection to the floor, and enhances the visual impact of your floor's finish.
FGS Hardener Plus adds years to your polished concrete floors expected service life, and reduces the cost of regular maintenance of that same floor. The powerful densification of a concrete floor by FGS Hardener Plus increases its durability by chemically and permanently transforming the comparatively soft, exposed cement paste into a hard, wear-resistant surface.
Maintenance
FGS PermaShine is easy-to-maintain. In fact, the floor's appearance will improve over time with a good maintenance plan. Simply cleaning the floor regularly with a mop or floor scrubber and conditioning the floor with L&M™ FGS CONCRETE CONDITIONER™ ensures that your floor improves its shine and durability over time.
How long does it typically take to install?
Installation schedules of FGS PermsShine polished concrete vary by project. These timing variables include job location, installer schedule, owner’s schedule, total sq. ft. to be polished, current floor conditions, level of sheen specified, will dye be used, type of equipment, etc. Your FGS PermaShine-approved installer will provide a timing estimate.
How soon can I return my floor to service with FGS PermaShine polished concrete?
Polished concrete is an iterative process—the set of steps performed to achieve the agreed-upon level of sheen (or polish). You will be able to walk on your floor when between each iteration. Please note that there is typically mechanical equipment on the job during agreed upon work hours.
Are polished concrete floors slippery?
FGS Permashine polished concrete floors meet National Floor Safety Institute’s highest requirements for slip resistance. As long as the floors are kept dry and well-maintained, FGS polished concrete floors exceed the toughest non-slip standards.
Is the process of grinding and polishing messy?
The process generates dust. However, modern polishing machinery includes industrial-strength vacuums that minimize much of the dust.
This looks like a coating was used. Is that a coating on the floor to make it shine like that?
This is a common misconception. FGS PermaShine polished concrete is a patented process, a set of steps an approved installer goes through with polishing equipment and concrete chemicals that react with the existing concrete surface. This leaves nothing left on the surface—and the concrete is hardened, densified, and dustproofed. It is also likely protected from stains with a guard product such as LATICRETE® PermaGuard.
Can polished concrete be used outside?
No, this can be used interior only.
What's the best way to maintain our new FGS/PermaShine polished concrete floor? I am interested in making the bare concrete surface last as long as possible and continue to look good over time.
The simple process of frequent washing an FGS PermaShine floor is the easiest and lowest cost way to keep a glossy, high traction floor.
Concrete floors have been the preferred choice of designers and knowledgeable owners for at least the past eight decades. Over time, many of these concrete floors suffer from abrasion and wear. Symptoms of abrasion and wear are dusty and rough surfaces. Designers and owners now have a solution to the abrasion and wear issue. Dry polished concrete, namely FGS PermaShine, has solved the problem of floor abuse from abrasion and wear.
Fine wine improves over time, so does your favorite distilled spirit, seeped in charred oak barrels and stored in dark warehouses. FGS PermaShine concrete floors also improve over time. The good news is that concrete floors don't need to be put away for years to improve. First of all, they need proper chemical hardening and treatment with our L&M™ FGS HARDENER PLUS™ to develop superior floor surface durability. Then, their long-term improvement rests on the shoulders of a consistent, comprehensive, yet simple, floor maintenance program.
The FGS PermaShine patented polishing process adds beauty and proven durability to concrete floors. The gloss of an FGS PermaShine floor is controllable, predictable, and affordable. But, like anything-even a Sherman tank-it can be abused and needlessly ignored, reducing its superior shine and wear characteristics. The most important step towards a long lasting, beautiful polished FGS PermaShine concrete floor is to follow a regular washing schedule using a mechanical scrubber with a simple, low-cost solution of L&M FGS CONCRETE CONDITIONER™ added to the scrub water. Add FGS CONCRETE CONDITIONER to clean wash water at the rate of two ounces of per gallon. Equipment can range from a ride-on auto scrubber to a simple string mop and wet vacuum. It is a specially formulated degreaser and hard floor surface conditioner that has been designed to effectively clean bare, polished concrete floors.Concrete surfaces cleaned with FGS CONCRETE CONDITIONER are certified "High Traction" rating granted to FGS PermaShine floors by the National Floor Safety Institute. Continued, regular use are needed to maintain certification.
Here's the winning combination concrete floor owners and users have been seeking:
- The FGS PermaShine Polished Concrete Floor system
- L&M FGS HARDENER PLUS - hardener/densifier for bare concrete floors
- L&M FGS CONCRETE CONDITIONER - for ongoing, low cost maintenance.
To learn more about this system or if you have questions, contact us! We can supply you with testimonies and contacts already benefitting from FGS PermaShine floors and help you maximize the ongoing benefits of your own FGS PermaShine polished concrete floor.
Will my FGS polished concrete floor stain if I spill products on the surface?
Always clean spills as soon as possible. Even better, have a Spill Kit available at all times in your facility. A part of the FGS Permashine system includes PermaGuard, LATICRETE stain protection system for FGS polished concrete floors. Click here for our FGS Permashine polished concrete floor maintenance plan.How much does FGS PermaShine polished concrete cost?
Installation of FGS PermsShine polished concrete varies by project. These variables include job location, schedules, total sq. ft., current floor conditions, level of sheen specified, will dye be used, type of equipment, etc. Your FGS Permashine-approved installer will provide an estimate. Contact us to find an installer near you.