Concrete cutting, polishing and coloring treatment solutions and methods

A method for cutting a surface of dried concrete, comprising the steps of:

• wetting the surface with a solution including colloidal silica, wherein the solution including silica acts as an abrasive to facilitate removal of stock from the surface of the dried concrete;
• permitting the colloidal silica to penetrate the surface over time;
• while the surface is wet with the solution including silica, cutting the surface of the dried concrete with a bladed tool;
• during the cutting of the surface, applying pressure to the bladed tool to force the bladed tool toward the dried concrete, the bladed tool attached to a machine having a weight such that the pressure applied to the bladed tool to force the bladed tool toward the dried concrete is greater than or equal to the pressure generated due to the weight of the machine;
• and
• rewetting the surface one or more times during cutting to maintain a slurry of silica and concrete cut from the surface of the dried concrete.

A method for grinding and polishing a dried concrete slab, comprising the steps of:

• wetting a surface of the dried concrete slab with a solution including colloidal silica, wherein the solution acts as an abrasive to facilitate removal of stock from the dried concrete slab;
• permitting the silica to penetrate the dried concrete slab over time;
• and
• shaving the surface of the dried concrete slab while wet with the solution including silica, with a leading edge of a bladed tool to remove a portion of the dried concrete slab, the removed portion comprising slab shavings, while minimizing scratches in the surface of the dried concrete slab being shaved by the bladed tool.