Many churches are built with one space for the sanctuary or place of worship and other spaces for less formal meetings and classrooms. Other churches hold worship services in spaces that serve several functions, and decisions about the structure of those spaces must consider those varying needs.

Covenant Presbyterian Church in Buford, Georgia had to make such a decision about the type of floor it would install, when it came time to make renovations to its multi-use building in early 2010.

"We had carpet prior to the renovation," said Sam Trupiano, a deacon in the church. "Our church is a dual function facility. The sanctuary is also used as a fellowship hall. We decided to go with polished concrete because of the cost and because it is so easy to maintain."

At least once a month, members of Covenant Church rearrange or remove the chairs in the sanctuary to make room for events like dinners, weddings and other social gatherings. Over the years, the carpet in the space had become stained and worn. It was time for a new floor that would be attractive enough to adorn a place of worship, but easy to clean and maintain.

Polished concrete met these criteria, in particular, concrete polished using the Lavina products developed by Superabrasive, Inc., with headquarters in Hoschton, Ga. Superabrasive is a manufacturer and distributor of tools for the concrete, glass, optical and stone industries.

"This was a perfect application maintenance is so very easy and it is quite beautiful," said George Georgiev, president of Superabrasive. Georgiev added that the development of diamond tooling and new dyes for coloring has improved and expanded the business of polishing concrete.

"In 1999 I polished the floor of my garage and my neighbors thought I was stupid," he said, laughing. "They asked me why I would spend so much money for a marble garage floor. They didn't realize it was concrete."

Since that time, Superabrasive has continued to develop its line of InovaCreteTM products and Lavina machines for polishing concrete floors, including dry polishing with less dust and mess to clean up. They've also developed highly detailed specifications that must be followed perfectly in the installation process, so they can guarantee the high quality results for which the products are known.

"Superabrasive is the only firm that makes their own machines and diamond tooling," said Rich Hassert, CEO of Braxton-Bragg. "They have predictable results because they produce a whole system, not just the tools."

Technicians from Superabrasive were brought in to oversee the installation of the Covenant Presbyterian Church floor by the local contractor and make sure all specifications were followed. There were several challenges that had to be overcome in the renovation. One was the fact that the original concrete flooring had been poured at separate times, most about 30 years prior, so there were differences in the slabs. Much of the floor had been covered with carpet, attached with glue. There were many cracks and in some places steel bars were exposed.

The first step in the process was to fix the cracks and other imperfections in the original flooring using a product called Quick Mender. Once the cracks were mended, they could do the leveling, grinding and polishing. Two people using Lavina machines (two Lavina 25s and one Lavina 7 Edger) were able to finish the 2,500-square-foot job in four days.

Above, inset: Before grinding, polishing, dyeing and sealing the Covenant sanctuary space, the cracks and uneven joints between pours were patched and leveled.

Above, center: The open floor plan and removable seating allows the main worship space to be used for other activities and social events like dinners and weddings. With the chairs removed, the beautiful caramel and mahogany pattern is revealed. The darker pattern continues around the outside of the space, underneath the windows, and into an adjoining space.

The whole process was dry, and each floor machine was connected to a dust control vacuum system equipped with HEPA filters. The floors were also dyed two separate colors using mahogany and caramel water-based dyes, and the floors were sealed.

The end result is a light golden brown floor with a rich, darker brown color along the edges and for the aisle going down the middle of the room. These colors tie in well with the wooden stage at the front of the room. The sharp contrast between the two colors provides a guide where chairs can be lined up easily when the room is being used as a sanctuary.

Georgiev points out that there are many advantages to polished concrete, number one being its durability and high resistance to damage and stain.

"Once you have your concrete polished, it's basically maintenance-free forever," said Georgiev.

Another advantage is the complete flatness of mechanically polished concrete. Shoes rub against the tiny, micro-flaws in other flooring, generating dust and therefore more cleaning. But because mechanically polished floors are so flat, this type of dust is not created or trapped. Concrete floors also don't harbor allergens or release harmful chemicals, and unlike other organic surfaces like carpet and wood, they won't support the growth of mold. All chemicals used in the process are LEED friendly, low-odor and non-toxic.

"It's so easy," said Georgiev. "No mud, no mold, nothing goes in. Just wipe it off and the dirt is gone."

Once concrete was seen as anything but colorful, but today it can be dyed just about any color from turquoise to maroon to gold and decorative elements easily added.

Polished concrete is also relatively inexpensive, especially when considering the little or no cost associated with updating or maintaining the flooring. And though some people imagine it would be slippery, tests have not shown this to be the case, said Georgiev. In fact, concrete "exceeds OSHA requirements once it's polished, making it much less slippery than vinyl tile."

The people at Covenant Presbyterian have been pleased with these advantages, particularly the maintenance-free nature of their new floors. They wondered how the acoustics in the room would be affected by the installation of the new floors, but the walls of the room are covered with a rough surface, which reduces echo. In addition, most of the time at least 40 percent of the floor is covered by the fabric chairs they use in the room, improving the sound considerably.

"Overall we're happy and like the new floors," said Trupiano, "and we appreciate all Superabrasive did to help us update our new facility."

For more infomation on Superabrasive, Lavina products, and the InovaCreteTM System, please visit the Superabrasive website at www.superabrasive.com or the Braxton-Bragg website at www.braxtonbragg.com and see the sidebar on page 3 for information on the Sweets comprehensive architecture specification site.

")