Bauhaus concrete villa with core insulation - experiences

our large wall in the stairwell and the stairs were also impregnated as exposed concrete delivered. However, I want the surface to be even smoother and to get the dirt off. Therefore, polishing again. After that, re-impregnation is advisable.

our large wall in the stairwell and the stairs were also impregnated when delivered as exposed concrete. But I want the surface even smoother and to get the dirt off. Therefore, polishing again. After that, re-impregnation makes sense.

So, exposed concrete is smooth. Really smooth. I wouldn't know what could be made smoother there. It must also be clear that you will never get normal formed concrete, not executed as exposed concrete, ground to exposed concrete quality. The mix and processing just do not allow that.

The stairs and wall are explicitly exposed concrete quality. Our other walls are not, but are based on that. And you can grind it to surface quality. The concrete was selected accordingly for this.
With polishing, you achieve a high-gloss surface. That has less to do with the concrete quality.
It is then like polished natural stone. I only grind to a satin finish.
So even an apparently smooth wall can still be smoothed. The tactile feel is just different then.
It is a matter of taste what one wants.
The advantage is that dirt and splashes are also immediately removed.

Therefore, polish again. Afterwards, re-impregnation makes sense.

In our current apartment, the interior wall to the neighbor is made of precast concrete elements from the factory, filled with in-situ concrete. I would say similar to your system. It is smooth as silk and does not shed sand. We just left it as is, no problems for 10 years so far. I would be concerned about achieving a uniform surface; sanding and impregnating can quickly change the appearance completely. But you see the walls yourself and can best assess it. I think it's great that you get involved and work on it yourself. When you work on it yourself, it becomes your own – whether a huge house or a small hut! Best regards! mini

We also considered just leaving the walls as they are and sweeping them off. Impregnating makes sense because liquids are not absorbed as much. Or greasy fingerprints from children... It is not absolutely necessary. We want a slight gloss level and the concrete structure to stand out more. Impregnating usually does not change the appearance (or not as much) as sealing does. As mentioned, I will first try out different products in visually non-critical areas. The picture is also somewhat misleading because there is still sanding dust on the wall.

Of course I want to do some things myself in my house. It doesn't matter to me how big/small the project is or how expensive...
In addition, the concrete grinding would have been disproportionately expensive. I'm not too proud to do it myself.