This is a polished concrete floor not a stained concrete floor. The floor was ground down to reveal the aggregate with progressively finer diamond grits and at the appropriate point in the process a dye was applied. At the end a penetrating stain protector was also applied and then the floor was burnished. I am sorry I was not clearer. The worst fading is closest to the doors and windows. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

"The worst fading is closest to the doors and windows."

No UV protection. Happens to all types of floors and furniture in direct sunlite withour some sort of UV protection. What type of windows do you have? Do they have Low E glass? What product was used as the top coat?

We have very good quality windows with low E glass. The Ameripolish dye was supposed to have UV protection. Two penetrating stain protectors were used before the final burnishing. Nothing else in my home has faded like this floor has.

Yep...UV fade. The 'dye' (which is different from a stain) is LESS STABLE (re: colour fastness) than the stains. Which means a DYED concrete slab will fade very quickly compared to a stained slab. It is simply the way of the chemicals involved. So the DYE (whomsoever chose the dye vs. the stain) is issue Numero Uno!

The SECOND issue is the level of UV protection on the windows. To add MORE UV protection to your window choice (before they were installed) you would have had to pay more money for the UV upgrade. Without the UV upgrade, the unstable dye would be exposed to the destabilizing UV rays of the sun and Voila! Faded concrete.

And the third (possible) issue would have been the finish itself. The Ameripolish line has UV protecting finishes...which would have been a big plus in your situation. If the UV protecting finish was NOT used, then the dye and the UV rays would be allowed to do their normal business - uninhibited.

If you look up "concrete dye fading" you will find there are many articles about the instability of dyed concrete colours. Which means the answer to your question, "Has anyone else experienced this problem?" is - Yes.

@ Nancy - sorry I posted at the same time you did.

Question: How much UV protection are you getting from the windows? Is it 45%, 75% or 95%?

Have you contacted the original company to see which of the UV protection products they used?

To be frank- there is a chasm of difference between polished and stained concrete. Too much, or too little, depending on your desired look. That needs to be worked out ahead of time.

During a responsible, great polish, there are densify-era applied, for strength. Aggregate showing- a person needs to be prepared with all the varieties of polish, to make sure you don't get too much. That should have been talked about before the "point of no return". And if your contractor "added color" after polish (who asked him to do that?) , you have a mixed breed. The time for color wasn't the top coat- it should have been integral, to your mud, for lasting results.

Put down some rugs in the high sunlight areas, and enjoy the rest. Live with it, for a while.

Laurie, color is added during the grinding process. In our case, I was not there, but I did look up the process and the sequence of events and discussed it with the contractor. BTW, are you a contractor?

Nancy, no I'm not a contractor, but I did recently build a ground-up true custom home. We wanted concrete floors, but I was nervous as I'd never done it. My GC introduced me to the best two concrete guys in the city- owners.

They answered all my questions, and each peppered me with lifestyle questions etc. Advantages were that the top coat of either staining or your process helped strengthen the concrete. Also any color under the sun. The dis-advantages were what you're dealing with (fading) as well as the top coat. They aren't very thick, and if you get a "ding"- a dropped piece of furniture upon delivery/placement, for example- you can be left with a divot/small piece that shows the color of the original concrete. "Fixes" are possible, but it very often still shows. And it can be a messy process. I was asked "Could you live with leaving it?" No, I'm afraid I'm more OCD than that!

BTW: Fading isn't just a function of sun, as I was told by both. Fading and dulling happens where the most traffic is. Duh- like all flooring, right? But with color, it can be more noticeable.

Integral color also can strengthen concrete. The biggest advantage is that it goes through the entire slab. Small ding/? Still the same color. Disadvantage was the limitation in color choices. Does it appreciably change the color of the concrete? At that time, the answer was "not really".

Neither recommended a color, for me, mainly for my tolerance levels re: fade and my desire to have the most maintenance-free floor that was still beautiful. I went with polished and strengthened with densify-ers, and it still looks great 3 years later.