Properly cast concrete counter tops have some natural sheen, but you must polish concrete to achieve the smooth, glass like finish often found on these kitchen counter tops. Polishing concrete counter tops requires a specialized piece of equipment: a hand held concrete polisher. While this piece of equipment can be rented at many home improvement centers, you should also expect to spend around a hundred dollars on concrete polisher pads to complete this project.
Using a concrete polisher requires a bit of practice to avoid creating circular marks on the surface of the concrete. The best way to avoid circular marks is to make sure that you are applying even, vertical pressure to the concrete polisher. Go slow and make sure you have full control of the equipment at all times.
Before beginning, you should decide if you want to polish the concrete counter tops to expose the aggregate. If you are only concerned about the shine of the counter tops, you can lightly polish the surface of the concrete only. While you will not see the aggregate, you will create a very smooth, shiny surface with minimal labor. If you want to expose the aggregate for visual interest, be prepared for a lot more work.
Step 1: Start with a 50 grit concrete polisher pad on the hand held concrete polisher to remove the top layer of the concrete kitchen counter tops and expose the aggregate. Generously wet the counter top with a spray bottle of water. Keep the concrete surface wet to prevent the polisher pads from overheating and degrading quickly.
If you do not wish to expose the aggregate, skip this step.
TIP: Wear a heavy apron to protect your clothes from the dirty water that is a byproduct of polishing concrete counter tops. You should also wear eye protection when using the concrete polisher.
Step 2: Continue polishing the concrete counter tops, using a 100 grit pad next. Continue decreasing the abrasiveness of the concrete polishing pads until you reach 400 grit pads. Use your spray bottle to keep the surface of the concrete wet.
If you do not wish to expose the aggregate, skip this step.
TIP: Between each polishing, clean the surface of the counter tops with a damp sponge and water to remove the dirty water and dust that will accumulate.
Step 3: Polish the surface of the concrete counter tops with 400 grit pads. If you did not want to expose the aggregate on your kitchen counter tops, you should start this project using the 400 grit pads. As always, keep the surface of the concrete counter tops wet with water from a spray bottle.
Step 4: Polish the surface with 600 grit polish pads next. Finally, finish the polishing with 800 girt polish pads to create a smooth, glass like finish.
Step 5: Clean the concrete counter tops one last time with the sponge and clean water. Once dry, seal the concrete to protect the surface against stains.
