Two types of grind and seal floors

The “grind and seal” floor is a popular choice for homes and businesses wanting a cost-effective flooring solution that looks modern and can offer some protection to the concrete underneath.

While they are often considered to all look the same, we find there are two main types:

1. The wet-look grind and seal – The wet look is the type of grind and seal finish achieved when a solventless clear epoxy resin is used as the sealer. The penetration of the resins into the slab creates a darker, richer colour that makes the concrete “pop”, and tends to offer greater durability in most cases.
   
   
2. The light-look grind and seal – The second type offers a much lighter finish and is typically achieved using thin films of clear water-borne or solvent-borne resins that sit on the surface like a layer of cling wrap. While this type is popular in residential and retail settings, it can suffer more with issues such as impact and hot tyre pick-up.
   
   

As always, the choice of which grind and seal option to use will come down to what’s most suited to the project demands. If the floor is going to be subject to heavy traffic and/or possible sources of impact, then the wet look is probably going to be the best option.

For more detail on grind and seal floors, including our approach to getting the best of both worlds, read the full post here – Do all grind and seal floors look the same?

Take care and keep smiling,

Real World Epoxies