Success of SA flooring industry is set in concrete

Despite a sluggish economy, the South African flooring industry continues to grow from strength-to-strength, with a notable increase in demand for cementation overlays and polished concrete floors across residential and commercial sectors.

Diamond Products director Darryl Gray notes that the increase in demand has been due to the numerous benefits that a polished concrete floor offers. “A concrete floor is more cost-effective to lay and maintain, and it also boasts increased durability and strength, when compared to conventional flooring options. Another benefit is that it doesn’t harbour dust or allergens.”

Concrete floors are also stain and slip resistant once sealed, and offer high light reflectivity, which saves energy by reducing artificial light requirements. Another major benefit of concrete as a flooring option is that it can achieve a high-quality and aesthetically-pleasing polished finish, regardless of the age of the surface.

In a highly-competitive and economically-challenging market, Gray indicates that suppliers must be familiar with the types of products and solutions available, and what each of their applications are, in order to best support their customers. “Suppliers must properly train their customers on how to effectively use the equipment, tools and consumables that they sell,” he stresses.

Excellent workmanship and the correct equipment are vital for achieving optimal results. If each stage of the project is not completed correctly, Gray warns that the final result will not produce all the benefits that a polished concrete floor should. Diamond Products boasts extensive expertise and knowledge to support customers and their various projects and developments.

“We effectively use our resources to provide practical and sound advice for our customers, and have direct access to products, trends, expertise and knowledge from global market leaders. As a result, we have extensive experience in a number of polished concrete flooring projects, ranging from large vehicle showrooms and factory floors, to malls and residential developments,” Gray continues.

The company supplies a variety of machinery, equipment and tools, along with consumables and sealants. Some of its products include; single-head floor grinders, scarifies, handheld grinding and polishing systems, triple-head planetary handheld polishers, Triple Head Planetary floor grinders and dust collectors.

“The Diamond Products team’s collective experience in manufacturing, re-tipping and repairs of tools and machinery makes us an industry-leader that is able to tailor-make and adapt various tools and machinery for challenging and unique projects with the highest degree of precision,” notes Gray.

Looking to the future, Gray believes that demand for concrete flooring will continue to grow as the local market embraces the advantages of this floor structure. “Restoration and refurbishment of concrete floors is another major area for growth. This includes the removal of epoxies, paints and other coatings, not only on concrete floors, but also on stone, tile and marble surfaces.”

He concludes by adding that demand for concrete flooring can be further increased if industry stakeholders engage more with the architectural industry, by better educating those at the source of development projects on the numerous benefits of this cost-effective and durable flooring option.