Low thickness polished concrete floor: a solution for bars and restaurants?

If we had only one word available to describe the qualities of polished concrete floor, we would undoubtedly choose the term “versatility”. 

Why? Because “Nuvolato” (cloud effect polished concrete) surfaces adapt to any context, from private homes to bars and restaurants.

In fact, the low thickness polished concrete floor, thanks to its design, gives commercial and non-commercial spaces a contemporary and elegant touch. For example, one of the most popular styles in the design of bars and restaurants is the industrial style, where essential lines and wide spaces embellished with vintage elements (inserted here and there), become real protagonists.

But the qualities of the polished effect concrete floor do not end there! Isoplam® has been producing concrete surfaces for decades with astounding results. However, pictures tell the stories better: have a look at the gallery on the site.

Polished concrete floors could be the ideal choice for your bar or restaurant!

What is a low thickness polished floor?

The polished concrete floor offered by Isoplam® takes the name of Skyconcrete. It is present both in the indoor and outdoor version. Therefore, it can be used for the creation of internal floors and at the same time for the realization of interventions in external areas and in the dehors.

Skyconcrete has an important peculiarity: its thickness does not exceed 2-3 mm; this allows the covering of existing floors without having to carry out demolition works. An aspect that is obviously also synonymous with cost savings. Returning to the topic of versatility, Skyconcrete can be easily applied to ceramic floors, tiles, marble, concrete, sand-cement, and self-levelling screeds.

What is a polished concrete floor?

The polished concrete floor is obtained through the use of a special-colored cement mixture which, together with the particular processing with the mechanical trowel, allows obtaining a surface characterized by fascinating veins recalling the unmistakable style of marble. In the Isoplam® catalog, the polished concrete exists in 36 different shades: a wide choice to adapt the new flooring to the design of your bar or restaurant.

Create a low-thickness polished concrete floor with Isoplam®

Here's how to adopt low thickness polished concrete floors in your business with Skyconcrete. Below are all the steps that will characterize the installation of the new surface:

• Sanding: through this operation, the substrate is evened out.
• Application of the Skyprimer epoxy primer dusted with quartz: it is used to create the base on which the polished concrete floor will then be created.
• Application of the first coat of Skyconcrete: with a steel trowel, the special mixture of binder and colored cementitious powder is distributed over the entire surface.
• Second coat of Skyconcrete: a second layer is added, subsequently worked with a trowel machine, and finally sanded with a single brush.
• Final protective: a transparent, water-repellent protective coating is spread on the surface, protecting it from oils and all other kinds of stains.

Why choose a low thickness polished concrete floor in a bar or restaurant?

What are the reasons for choosing low thickness concrete for the floors of bars or restaurants? 

Let's start with the important mechanical qualities: Skyconcrete makes the surface particularly durable and especially suitable for those areas with high foot traffic, such as bars and restaurants, where the comings and goings of customers and employees are a constant. In fact, its special formulation and the trowel machine processing method give the surface an excellent degree of wear resistance.

Since Skyconcrete, like Microverlay, is a continuous surface, it has no joints and is therefore easy to clean, ensuring an optimal degree of hygiene.

It is also stain-resistant, thanks to the type of processing and the special transparent protective agents applied in the finish. These prevent the surface from being damaged by the most common staining agents, leaving time for cleaning. 

Isoplam offers specially formulated nonaggressive cleaners for gentle but effective cleaning.

Floors such as Skyconcrete and Microverlay are also suitable for bar and restaurant bathrooms, or in restaurant kitchens where there may be the presence of water and other liquids, because in terms of slipperiness both systems comply with DIN 51130: 2014. At the same time, the resistance to the absorption of polluting liquids, for both solutions, can be enhanced with a suitable water/oil repellent protective.

Let's not forget that in the outdoor version, the low-thickness polished concrete floor guarantees excellent performance for outdoor spaces and dehors.

Being a low-permeability material, it is not afraid of water and changes in temperature and humidity. These characteristics ensure that the surface does not wear in the long term, also preventing the appearance of annoying and unsightly cracks.

Returning to the subject of cleanliness and hygiene, fundamental factors for activities such as bars and restaurants, Isoplam® low-thickness polished surfaces offer other intriguing characteristics: they are hypoallergenic and non-toxic. In fact, due to their monolithic composition, in addition to limiting the accumulation of dust, they limit the proliferation of microbes and bacteria.

The economic aspect also cannot be ignored. As already mentioned, Skyconcrete's versatility allows the cement mix to be applied to virtually any existing floor covering, thus saving expensive demolition costs.