When choosing the best floor for your restaurant, it’s important to make sure the floor meets both your restaurant’s aesthetic and functional goals. Picking the right flooring for your restaurant dining area involves careful consideration. It may seem overwhelming at first because there are many options for restaurant dining room flooring.
You may be wondering, what floor is best for a restaurant dining area with high foot traffic? What floor is easiest to clean and maintain in a food and drink setting? Or possibly you’re interested in a restaurant floor that is resistant to stains, spills, scratches, or abrasions.
Here’s some things you may consider when choosing the flooring for your restaurant dining area or brewery floor:
Ability to endure heavy foot traffic
Resistance against stains and spills
Slip resistant
Easy to clean and maintain
Extremely durable
Long-lasting
Meets aesthetic goals and improves ambience
Budget and cost-effective
Low installation time
A restaurant flooring solution that meets and exceeds these goals is polished concrete. Let’s breakdown and explain why a polished concrete floor is the best flooring option for a restaurant, brewery or bar.
What is the best flooring for a restaurant or brewery?
Polished concrete.
Restaurant Polished Concrete Floor by Grindkings Flooring
Polished concrete is the best flooring option for a restaurant dining area, brewery, or any food/drink facility for many reasons. To start, polished concrete floors are incredibly strong and easy to take care of. They can also keep up with the large amounts of foot traffic from patrons.
Investing in a polished concrete floor for your restaurant or brewery is a smart choice. They are durable, resistant to damage, and timeless, making them the ideal choice for restaurant flooring.
While many people are familiar with the exposed concrete or glossy concrete polishing look, they may not be familiar with the processes, lifespan, and benefits of polished concrete. So let’s explain what polished concrete is exactly.
What is polished concrete?
Mechanical polished concrete is created through a process using industrial-grade floor grinders with a sequence of specialized diamond tooling and chemical treatments. The concrete polishing process is very labor intensive. It involves stages from initial preparation, concrete grinding and honing, to precision concrete polishing using progressively finer diamond tooling and quality chemical treatments.
Is polished concrete slippery?
When you think of polished concrete floors, you may expect them to be slippery due to their gloss level. In reality, polished concrete floors are in fact chosen for the exceptional slip resistance. Many people think high reflectivity equals slipperiness when it comes to polished concrete, but this isn’t the case.
For example, major retailers like Home Depot, Costco, and Walmart trust polished concrete floors for their exceptional slip resistance, as well as their durability and longevity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the average cost of a slip and fall accident is $30,000 to $40,000. Each year, over 8 million emergency room visits are due to slips, trips, and falls. Source.
Facilities like Home Depot or Kroger prioritize safety to protect both customers and employees. To prevent slip and fall incidents, these stores typically employ a combination of safety measures, including polished concrete floors. This is also important in a restaurant setting.
What is the safest flooring for restaurants? Polished concrete.
Polished concrete floors are known for their slip resistance, making them a popular choice in restaurants, grocery stores, and large retails stores. They offer good traction, even when wet, and are easy to clean and maintain.
Here’s some additional tips to enhance the safety of your restaurant:
Place anti-slip mats and rugs in high-traffic and potentially slippery areas, such as entrances, near kitchen (grease etc.) and near restrooms
Regular Maintenance – Consistent cleaning and maintenance routines are crucial to remove debris, liquids, and other potential hazards from the floor
Adequate lighting is essential to help patrons see potential hazards and navigate safely
Can you compare polished concrete apples to apples? Not exactly.
Before we dive in, it’s important to mention that not all concrete polishing systems on the market are the same, and polished concrete floors cannot be compared apples to apples. While the end goal may be to achieve a polished concrete floor – the processes, materials, and expertise involved can vary significantly from one system to another. Some topical polished concrete systems on the market are sold as polished concrete, however theses systems could last only 3 months to a year and do not offer the benefits of real polished concrete.
It’s important to partner with an experienced commercial concrete polishing company to ensure you are investing in longevity and a real mechanical polished concrete floor for your restaurant or food/drink facility. Otherwise, the benefits of polished concrete discussed in this article will not apply to the topical polished concrete floors.
Why is polished concrete the best flooring option for restaurants?
From durability to aesthetics, polished concrete is the standard of excellence. It’s the longest lasting flooring system on the market as well as the most eco friendly.
Keep reading to learn why it’s smart to invest in a polished concrete floor for your restaurant or brewery.
Polished Concrete Can Withstand Heavy Foot Traffic
Commercial Polished Concrete by Grindkings Flooring
Consider the level of foot traffic your restaurant receives. Restaurants and breweries typically experience heavy foot traffic, so it’s important to choose a durable floor that can withstand the daily wear and tear. Polished concrete is known for its durability and can withstand the large amounts of daily foot traffic from patrons. The mechanical grinding, honing, and polishing process creates a dense and tightly compacted surface that resists wear and tear from foot traffic. This ensures the floor's longevity and minimizes the need for frequent maintenance or replacement.
Polished Concrete is Extremely Easy to Clean Compared to Other Floors
Polished concrete is easy to clean and maintain due to its smooth, even surface that resists dirt and stains. Unlike other flooring options, it does not have grout lines where debris can accumulate. Its durability allows for the use of commercial cleaning equipment without damage, and it's ready for immediate use after cleaning, minimizing downtime. Routine maintenance typically requires only basic cleaning tools and a neutral pH cleaner, making it a cost-effective and hassle-free flooring choice. This also helps maintain proper hygiene standards in your restaurant.
Polished Concrete Restaurant Flooring by Grindkings Flooring
Polished Concrete is Beautiful
Polished concrete floors offer a modern look that can enhance the overall aesthetics of a restaurant, brewery, or bar. What’s your style?
Some Examples of Different Styles of Polished Concrete Floors:
Rustic Polished Concrete
Industrial Polished Concrete
Premium Showroom Polished Concrete
Modern Polished Concrete
Full Aggregate Polished Concrete (Stone exposure)
Cream Finish Polished Concrete
Polished Concrete Has Stain Resistance
In comparison to untreated concrete or other types of restaurant flooring, mechanically polished concrete offers a higher level of stain resistance, making it a very practical choice for restaurants, cafes, bars, or breweries. Spills like wine, coffee, and condiments can easily be wiped up without leaving behind stubborn stains.
Polished Concrete Floor by Grindkings Flooring
It's important to note that while mechanically polished concrete is more resistant to stains, it's not completely impervious to all types of stains. Certain acidic or strongly pigmented substances, such as wine, coffee, or other acidic liquids/foods, might still cause discoloration or staining if not promptly cleaned up. To maximize stain resistance and protect the surface, it's recommended to clean up spills as soon as possible. It’s also recommended to maintain a regular cleaning routine using appropriate cleaning agents.
Polished Concrete Floors Can Brighten Your Restaurant
The high-gloss finish of polished concrete floors reflects light, which can help brighten up the space naturally. This can be great in creating an inviting and visually appealing atmosphere for your restaurant.
Polished Concrete is Cost-Effective for Your Restaurant
Polished concrete floors are more cost-effective compared to other flooring options like tile or hardwood. The process involves grinding and polishing the existing concrete slab, which can also save on materials and installation costs.
Polished Concrete Considers the Environment
Polished concrete utilizes the existing concrete slab which in turn reduces the need for additional materials and minimizes waste. It's also energy-efficient, as the reflective surface can help with natural lighting, potentially reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day.
Polished Concrete is the Longest-Lasting Flooring System, Ideal for Restaurants
When properly installed and maintained, polished concrete floors can last for years without the need for repairs or replacements. This longevity makes them a practical and sustainable choice for high-traffic commercial spaces like restaurants.
Overall, the combination of durability, low maintenance, aesthetics, and cost-effectiveness makes polished concrete floors the best choice for restaurants, breweries, and bars, helping create a functional and visually appealing environment that meets the demands of a restaurant, brewery or bar.
Hire a Concrete Polishing Company for your Restaurant Polished Concrete Floor
It’s important to partner with an experienced concrete polishing company for your restaurant flooring.
Restaurant Polished Concrete Company Serving Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida
Grindkings is a polished concrete floor contractor that provides concrete polishing services for the metro Atlanta area, including Acworth, Alpharetta, Athens, Atlanta, Brookhaven, Buckhead, Cartersville, Canton, Dunwoody, Johns Creek, Kennesaw, Marietta, Midtown, Milton, Newnan, Peachtree Corners, Rome, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Smyrna, Vinings, Woodstock, and more, as well as the Southwest, including Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. If you’d like to receive an estimate for your polished concrete project, please visit here or fill out the form below.