How To Make Concrete Shiny

Yes! You lot can hands make concrete shiny!

Do you love the wait of a smooth and shiny physical finish? Are your concrete planters or other concrete crafts still coming out with the matte finish that you weren't hoping for?

Not only does a shiny end have aesthetic appeal, only it also increases the immovability of your physical.

This is because a shiny surface will help protect from futurity stains since it helps close the pores of the concrete.

Getting shiny smooth concrete, with a mirror-like finish can be achieved in a number of ways. Some are time-consuming and a flake pricey.

Merely I've got good news, there is a very simple and low-cost solution to getting both a drinking glass-like sheen and a smoothen concrete surface.

There are some common methods used to become a sheen in concrete. These include using mechanical means similar a wet polishing procedure using a special grinder, applying a sealer, or adding an epoxy coating.

And a popular option, especially with concrete crafts is to employ a concrete sealer.

Here are the details on the unlike ways to achieve a sheen.

Make Concrete Shiny from Mechanically Polishing

A mechanical polish is washed using a hand grinder, like an angle grinder.

It'south not necessarily a common tool to have on hand, but can exist rented from a hardware shop.

It requires the apply of grinding discs with metallic bond diamonds.

Metal bond diamonds are industrial diamonds that are manufactured for use in physical.

The grinding process can produce skillful results, but it will take a lot of time because it's a multi-stride process.

The procedure includes starting with a low dust level disc, making many passes on the concrete's surface. Eventually you work your way up to a higher grit before finally finishing.

While this is feasible for flat objects similar physical tables, stools, or fifty-fifty coasters, information technology's hard to apply it to round objects like planters.

I practice believe you tin can become grinding accessories that piece of work with Dremels and Multi-tools that may work better for curved objects.

Equally a whole, diamond polishing doesn't sound like an easy DIY projection and doesn't make a lot of sense to me when information technology comes to working with concrete crafts.

Utilize Epoxy to Become a Silky Smooth Surface with High Sheen

Yous can also apply an epoxy resin coating to the surface of the concrete.

In the photo in a higher place, I colored the epoxy, just a clear one would have the same glistening outcome.

If left in the sunday an epoxy that isn't UV resistant may get slow, cloudy, or xanthous over time. Only inside, it will concord its sheen and clarity.

If information technology's exposed to water, like in a planter application (even if information technology's inside) will likewise make information technology cloudy.

Although I haven't used it to say from experience, UV-resistant, marine-grade epoxy is manufactured to help prevent yellowing and cloudiness.

Epoxy coatings have a couple of benefits, non only do they add an incredibly groovy shine and protect the unabridged surface, merely they likewise are swell for smoothing a crude surface.

In many ways, it'south the perfect cease, but information technology'due south non very friendly on the pocketbook.

Epoxy resins tin exist pricey and are not necessarily cost-constructive for use in concrete crafts.

Using Concrete Sealers for a Shiny Effect

Acrylic sealers come in matte, satin and glossy. A concrete sealer can only attain a certain level of sheen.

If yous start with matte concrete/cement and utilize a sealer with a high gloss finish, it will provide a sheen.

But unfortunately, it won't produce that same groovy shine you would go from epoxy treatments or the polished concrete look.

You can come across in the photograph above, the comparison between some magnetic cement planters I made.

The planter on the left is an unsealed matte concrete and the planter right has a gloss sealer applied.

The event is more of a satin appearance or at all-time a semi-gloss.

Hither'due south an article with details on when and why you should and shouldn't seal concrete.

How to Make Concrete Shiny the Easy Way

There is one surefire way to go your physical to be equally shiny every bit drinking glass, polish also every time –but at that place is a caveat to this, and then please read on.

Offset, the type of concrete mix can play a factor in both shine and smoothness, but not every bit much as you think.

Yous can get just as much of a high sheen from a mix with large gravel in it as you can a mix with fine powder.

However, the mix can play a part in how smoothen of a stop you lot get.

The reason for this is that when larger aggregates are in the mix, similar large gravel, it tin make information technology more difficult to get the air bubbling out when vibrating.

The aggregates may trap the air and when this happens information technology volition cause air pockets that tend to rise to the surface of the piece, leaving either small-scale or large holes or both.

So, the get-go footstep is to make certain y'all are using a mix that only has sand as an aggregate, or has very modest gravel as the aggregate.

This may not be avoidable if you are working on a larger project. In that case, just be aware it will require your due diligence in vibrating the mold fully before information technology begins to set.

Hither's an article with data on which type of physical mix is all-time for certain projects.

Now the cloak-and-dagger to how to brand concrete shiny is to apply a shiny mold, that's correct, that'south all.

Concrete will mimic the surface information technology is cast against. This is an important step to sympathize in the concrete casting process.

Cement and physical will mirror what information technology touches, so not but does information technology get the shape of the mold, only it also becomes the texture of the mold.

For all-time results, cast the concrete in a mold that has a high sheen.

These molds tend to experience glace to the touch, and/ or have a cogitating surface.

A dandy mold surface that will give you a shiny and smooth finish every time is glossy plastic (non matte). Take caution, some plastics can trick you.

For instance, some water bottles have a fleck of a texture to them and may issue in more of a matte appearance when cast confronting.

Tupperware plastics often have a rough texture too that will not give you the look y'all are hoping for.

If you lot accept a adept look at your Tupperware, yous'll detect that many also are a bit dull looking, not shiny clear.

Those are typically the ones that volition brand your physical/cement come out matte.

The photograph above shows a piece of high gloss acetate film and a piece of a flexible plastic cutting mat that had a boring and slightly textured surface.

I used them to cast concrete coasters –for two unlike projects.

The tops of the coasters were touching either the picture or the plastic mat.

The acetate film made shiny coasters and the plastic cut mat resulted in matte physical coasters.

For more info, here's an article on the types of mold materials you can use for casting cement, and which materials are best to use based on the projection.

Silicone molds, specifically made for casting concrete, accept a relatively dull-to satin texture. Just since they are 100% smooth they tin sometimes produce a slight sheen.

*Now here'southward the caveat I mentioned about producing a shine every time.

The length of time the concrete cures in the mold will profoundly affect whether it comes out matte or shiny.

You can bandage a concrete planter, using the smoothest mix in the shiniest plastic mold effectually, and still go a matte end.

Why? Because concrete needs time to get to know its new self. It volition accept on the backdrop of the fabric it's bandage against.

If you remove it too presently, the chemical reaction that is taking place while it's curing hasn't finished, and and so the crystallization procedure has happened.

If you want the concrete to shine, you need to leave the physical in the mold for the full curing time. The manufacturer volition specify this on the handbag.

But there are and so many factors when it comes to the length of time for curing, that if polish is an important factor, then it's a good idea to extend the curing time.

This examples shows concrete left to cure for different lengths of time before demolding. The mold was a shiny plastic brawl.

I removed the magnetic cement planters on the left before they had fully cured.

I left the planters on the right side sit at least an hr past the one hour cure fourth dimension that had been specified past the manufacturer.

This comparison shows sealed physical and concrete that saturday in the mold past its cure time.

You can see that the long-cured physical on the right is still shinier than the sealed concrete.

Now you can e'er use this handy fact in reverse.

If the mold I happen to be using is shiny, only if I desire a matte finish instead of shiny, then I will often remove the slice early from the mold.

But only if I'thou sure information technology won't weaken the final product due to the shorter curing fourth dimension.

Don't you love it? Yous become to skip the final step in your projection considering you simply bandage your cement crafts piece against the right mold textile.

No laborious polishing, no epoxy expenses, and no lackluster feelings from only getting a semi-shine from a sealer.

Now if y'all want the concrete to exist matte, simply do the contrary of what is advised hither, demold early, and apply plastics that are dull, or have a slight texture. Easy, peasy and cheap!

Don't forget to Pivot it for later!

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