Table Mountain Creative Concrete offers grinding and polishing as a way to refinish and bring life to your concrete floors. Grinding and polishing will expose the aggregate (small rocks) used in the concrete mix. The result is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind floor that is durable and does not require much maintenance. The photo shows the polished concrete floor in our conference room at our office, with dark, light and colored aggregate exposed.

First, we grind the floor with a special concrete grinder. We start off with a rough grit blade and work our way to a very fine grit, just like sanding wood. The result is shiny, smooth concrete with a beautiful polished finish. We can uses stains, dyes or sealers on top of your polished concrete, but most of the time the polished concrete can stand alone and needs little maintenance.

Incorporate curves.
You don’t have to settle for boring square shapes with straight lines. There’s a growing trend for curved patios that blend with the landscaping . Shape your concrete patios so it flows with the landscaping, while “squaring off” where it meets up with a walkway or doorway.

Add a pattern or stenciled design.
You can give your patio the look of natural stone or brick by using a stamped pattern or stencils.

Add a border.
Framing a patio with a border, especially if the patio has a pattern makes it look cleaner, giving the pattern a place to end, rather than running off the edge. Borders also are an effective, inexpensive way to dress up plain concrete, if economy is an issue.

Use color judiciously.
You can achieve a wide array of great decorative effects using integral or topically applied color. It can be more economical to use the same color for patterned fields and borders. Choose colors that match or complement the house.

Allow enough space for outdoor furniture.
We usually recommend a minimum patio size of 12 x 12 feet. This provides enough room for a six-chair outdoor table, plus some additional walk-around room. Of course, you can go a bit smaller or much larger depending on your furniture arrangement and space available.

Table Mountain Creative Concrete recommends the following maintenance plan:

1. Wash the dirt/debris off stamped concrete surface with a garden hose or pressure washer.
2. Apply a small amount of liquid dish soap to surface and scrub with a push broom.
3. Rinse well with a garden hose or pressure washer until there is no sign of soapsuds.
4. DRY surface completely by using a leaf blower or by waiting 24 hours to air dry. DO NOT APPLY SEALER TO A DAMP/WET SURFACE!
5. Once the surface is completely dry, apply the sealer as follows:• Apply the sealer with a 1” nap roller or sprayer. One suggestion is to apply the sealer in approximately 2′ x 4′ sections to help ensure full coverage without missed spots. Using a hand-held fertilizer twirly-bird, broadcast medium sand into the first coat. This will help provide slip resistance.
   
   • Sealer should be applied when air temperature is above 50 F. Best results will be obtained by applying sealer during cooler temperatures — fall and spring — or before 10 am and after 4 pm in summer months when surface temperatures should be under 90 F.
6. A second coat can be applied after the first coat is tack free (not sticky to your touch).
7. Your stamped concrete should be resealed every 2-3 years to protect your investment. One 5-gallon pail of sealer will cover approximately 1,000 sq.ft.

For routine cleaning, use a slightly damp mop or regular dust mop. Never use detergents as they will cloud the sealer.

What not to do: Rubber underlayment stuck to floor

Do not lay rubber backed mats on a sealed concrete floor. Doing so could result in permanent discoloration due to trapped moisture and the rubber will stick to the sealer. You can place a thin cotton or linen cloth directly on the floor and then lay the rubber backed mat over it to protect the floor. When using carpet pads under area rugs, be sure to use a high quality pad. The inexpensive pads have a high amount of rubber in them and will also stick to your floor.

If you follow these suggestions your floor will be beautiful for many years.

The entire entryway of this Colorado Springs home was masked to prevent any damage from the coal slag during the sandblasting process and later from the color which was applied.

We respect your property and belongings! As part of every project, we protect the work area from dust, color, and debris so there’s no need for you to clean up after we leave.

After you have removed smaller objects (like furniture or planters) we use masking film to protect walls, landscaping, and other immovable items. As the project progresses, masking film is replaced as needed to ensure that it continues to do its job. When the project is complete, all film and tape is removed and disposed of and a complete sweep of the area is performed to be sure we are not leaving debris behind.

A collection of album covers decorate one wall of this “man-cave” in Lafayette. The entire wall was masked to protect the covers from dust during the grinding process.

Outstanding landscaping sets this Brighton home apart. We carefully wrapped rocks, exterior walls, and an outdoor kitchen to protect the surfaces from the sandblasting process.

This Wheat Ridge home has a concrete wall, siding, and landscaping which were masked to protect them from any overlay material.