Perfect Polish: An Introduction

In 1996, I was present when a “process”, which was just catching on in Europe, was introduced to me and a few colleagues that had never before been performed in the U.S. Little did I know but this “process” would forever shape the direction of my future and many others like me. It is called polished concrete.

Polished Concrete is the process of grinding new or existing concrete to a smooth texture with industrial grade metal bonded diamond tools and large floor grinders weighing up to 1200 lbs. Once you have smoothed the concrete you switch to a resin bonded diamond and start the polishing steps to achieve the final shine or luster that is desired. Originally, this process used water to cool the diamonds during the grinding process and also kept the air borne concrete dust to a minimum.  However, the environmental concern of the disposal of this “slurry” necessitated the development of a dry process that connects the floor grinder to a HEPA filtration vacuum extractor to contain 98% of the dust particles.  This new process made polished concrete a practical option for green building projects.

It did not take long for industrial facilities to see the benefit of polished concrete over the use of epoxy and urethane coatings which have to be reapplied often, even annually. Soon after, the big box retail market caught wind of it and this market exploded.  No longer did home improvement stores have to look like dirty warehouses; with polished concrete, they were able to dress up their stores to attract the homeowners vs. just the contractor. Over the last ten years, polished concrete in the retail and industrial market has grown at a record pace, and has even expanded into the commercial sector with polished concrete becoming a preferred flooring choice in schools, museums, and government facilities.

My name is Brad Padgett and I am President of Concrete Polishing Technologies, Inc. CPT is based in the historic community of Norris just north of Knoxville, Tn. It’s been over 15 years since I first saw this process and immediately my brothers and I started making plans to start Perfect Polish, a concrete polishing contracting company. We did our first job in 1998 for a company in the carpet business in Chattanooga, TN and have not looked back since. To date, we have polished well over 20 million square feet and have grown to be one of the largest polished concrete specialty providers in the United States. Some of our notable projects include the San Francisco Federal Building (Silver LEED), Academy of Sciences (Platinum LEED), the Smithsonian Museum, and the Governors Mansion in Nashville, Tennessee.

As I look to the future of not only my company and industry, but the future of our country and even globally I see the increasing need for sustainability in the building sector. Using the structural slab as a finish prevents the need for materials to produce floor coverings, and concrete is one of the longest lasting and most durable hard surface choices available.  As polished concrete’s customer base continues to grow, I look forward to Perfect Polish remaining at the forefront of this ever evolving trend.