FAQs

<p>Patterns and colors can always be added to help spruce up your polished concrete. Ask your contractor what colors and patterns are offer and are best suited for your specific flooring needs.</p>

Concrete polishing steps include inspecting and fixing any issues that could be happening with your concrete. Each floor has its own unique properties and should always be inspected by a professional. The grinding and polishing process may fix some issues with your concrete but not all, and to determine which ones, it is imperative that you contact a professional.

<p>Concrete can crack for many reasons, some of the most common of those reasons are:</p><ul><li>Too much water in a concrete mixture will cause your floors to crack because the water dilutes the concretes strength once it is poured. The concretes ingredients will begin to separate causing early cracks in your concrete.</li><li>When concrete is poured during cold winter months it can crack when the ground underneath begins to thaw because of movement in the ground’s foundation. Roots can also cause movements that begin to crack your concrete foundation.</li><li>When too heavy of objects are placed on top of your concrete there may be some premature cracking. This can be exaggerated if your concrete is old or has not been well cared for.</li><li>Spiderweb cracks are caused by a loss of moisture in your concrete but these cracks are minor and do not pose a threat to the foundation of your concrete</li></ul><p>As you can tell, there are many reasons why a concrete slab would crack, the key is to properly care for your concrete and to hire a professional.</p>

<p>Concrete can crack for many reasons, some of the most common of those reasons are:</p><ul><li>Too much water in a concrete mixture will cause your floors to crack because the water dilutes the concretes strength once it is poured. The concretes ingredients will begin to separate causing early cracks in your concrete.</li><li>When concrete is poured during cold winter months it can crack when the ground underneath begins to thaw because of movement in the ground’s foundation. Roots can also cause movements that begin to crack your concrete foundation.</li><li>When too heavy of objects are placed on top of your concrete there may be some premature cracking. This can be exaggerated if your concrete is old or has not been well cared for.</li><li>Spiderweb cracks are caused by a loss of moisture in your concrete but these cracks are minor and do not pose a threat to the foundation of your concrete</li></ul><p>As you can tell, there are many reasons why a concrete slab would crack, the key is to properly care for your concrete and to hire a professional.</p>

<p>Polished concrete floors can last for a number of years and each range is different depending on the environment that they are in. Meaning, a floor in an industrial setting will have a different lifespan than one in a residential setting. This concern is one that you should address with your professional contractor, however, on average a polished concrete floor will last well over 20 years.</p>

<p>Polished concrete floors offer many benefits. Below are some but not all of the incredible qualities your floors will possess when you decide to polish your concrete:</p><ul><li>Resistance is an important quality for high foot-traffic areas. Polished concrete provides an environment that is resistant to damage from chemical and oil spills, as well as, slip and water resistant.</li><li>Water-resistance is a special and important quality when you have concrete floors because concrete is naturally a very porous substance. When concrete is unprotected, it will absorb any and all water that is spilled onto it; therefore, your floors will become breeding grounds for mold and mildew.</li><li>The lifespan of your polished concrete floors is well into the double-digit decades because it is impervious to everyday damages that would otherwise cause you to need constant maintenance. In industrial settings, polished concrete is popular because not even heavy machinery can cause the floors to wear and tear quickly.</li><li>Affordability is another popular reason for polished concrete floors, these floors are low-cost because of not only their immediate cost but because of their long-term ability to save you money.</li></ul>

<p>Concrete polishing is a delicate and systematic process that should be conducted by a professional. Below is an average way as to how the floors can be installed:</p><ul><li>Experts should first inspect your floors before moving on to the next step. This is will allow your contractor to evaluate what condition your concrete is in.</li><li>Fixing any cracks, stains, chips, or holes is the next step in the concrete polishing process.</li><li>Grinding your floors to their perfect shine is our goal and this can take several different forms and steps.</li><li>Polishing and reviewing your floors is your contractors’ job. Do no rely on DIY kits for any one of these sections if you want a strong and durable floor.</li></ul>

<p>A proper polished floor requires very little maintenance for up to 15 years. All that is needed is an auto scrubber every two or three days and a rejuvenator and burnish at 6 months or so.</p>

<p>Ameripolish Pregrind for softening the cap on super hard troweled burned in finishes.</p>

<p>There are many steps a professional contractor will take when it comes to installing a newly polished concrete floor. Many times, the “new” floor is simply the concrete that was already there, just fixed. When you contractor comes to inspect your floors, they are looking for damaged sections that must be fixed prior to polishing your concrete. Cracks, holes, and foundational issues will be evaluated and tended to appropriately. If you have specific questions or concerns, always speak to your contractor prior to installation.</p>

<p>Polishing your concrete has many benefits, as the questions above just answered, but in summary, polishing your concrete guarantees a long-lasting floor that will give very little problems. These floors are resistant to problems that other floors face on a daily basis: for example, a wood floor is easily damaged with spills, and little maintenance, however, a polished concrete floor would not be affected by those things and would be much more affordable from beginning to end. Polished concrete offers a budget-friendly and long-term solution.</p>

<p>Husqvarna GM 3000, Metzger SRG, Ameripolish PG 7K, and Prosoco Grind n Fill.</p>

<p>Saw cutting is necessary to expose a clean concrete surface for the poly material to adhere to.</p>

<p>Metzger RS 88, EP 80, EP 90 and MM 80 as joint fill materials.</p>

<p>Ameripolish SR2 solvent is the go to for a full penetrating seal AP-3D SP is the go to for a surface seal.</p>

<div>In the industry that is resinous flooring "epoxy" has become a catch all term for fluid applied flooring, in reality epoxy is a thermosetting polymer and typically two components- resin and hardener. Epoxy is great as a primer and base coat due to its ability to penetrate into a concrete substrate. Epoxies typically do not have much UV stability causing them to amber overtime. Epoxy is also not generally recommended as a topcoat outside of specialty systems such as novaloc due to its poor abrasion resistance.</div><div> </div><div>Parking garage coating is typically a single or two component moisture, or catalyst activated cure urethane technology, these systems are designed to waterproof and protect the structural components of the structure they are applied too. With this being said, parking garage coatings require more diligence when preparing the substrate when applying mixing and applying the material and as well as frequent inspections as not only millions of dollars could be lost due to the systems failure but also peoples lives due to structure collapse.</div>

<p>Outgassing occurs when air in the concretes pinholes release, and puncture a not yet fully cured coating. The leading cause of out gassing is applying material when the temperature is rising as that is when the most air will be released from the concrete, think of a tire in the summer versus the winter. I have a post that I have written on LinkedIn entitled  "On Preventing Outgassing". </p>

<p>There is no one size fits all solution. Each project must be investigated individually, taking into account, wear patterns, chemical exposure, austere environment etc. If I had to give one system, it would be a 3/8" urethane cement with colored quartz and MMA topcoats  as this system is nearly indestructible has perfect moisture protection, tenacious bond to substrate and most manufactures have warranties starting at 10 years. /urethane cement/MMA flooring is sold to the customer anywhere from $8-$150 a square foot and is out of many general contractors budgets. </p>

<div>tile may be coated as long as it is properly bonded, you can test bond by dragging a chain across the tile and listening for any hollow spots. Hollow spots should be demoed out and patched.</div><div> </div><div>For prep tile must be completely deglazed, this can be done with a grinder or shot blaster. It is best to use both of these pieces of equipment and conjunction, grinding first to deglaze and remove any lippage Followed by a light brush, blast to remove any residual dust, prep the grout lines, and also remove any loose grout.</div><div> </div><div>For filling the grout lines it is system dependent. A good standard to have is a skim coat of urethane. Cement applied with flat trowels.</div>

<p>When dealing with petroleum soaked floors it is important to get the manufacturer involved and have their reps write scope and  sign off on our workmanship. When properly prepped and the correct systems used petrol soaked floors may be coated while still delivering standard warranty.</p>