Preparation

This may include repairs, patching, leveling or whatever is needed in order to ensure a smooth walkable surface or a smooth subfloor that’s able to receive floor covering.

Epoxy

A combination of resins and hardeners that chemically react to form a rigid plastic material when mixed together. The final material is strong, durable, resistant, and bonds extremely well to most base layers. Epoxy floors are so strong that they’re often used in heavy traffic areas such as industrial or back of the house areas that may otherwise use concrete. Self-leveling epoxy is applied over new, old, cracked, or damaged concrete floors to create a smooth, seamless, durable, and low maintenance flooring surface. The self-leveling system is also available in a variety of colors. This system is used when you need aesthetic appeal and/or abrasion, chemical, heat or slip resistance.

Sealing

Concrete is typically sealed to protect against stains, chemicals and surface-level abrasions, to reduce dust, or even for aesthetics alone. Sealers either block the pores in the concrete to reduce absorption of water and salts or form an impermeable layer which prevents such materials from passing. This is extremely important because most concrete damage is attributable to surface moisture intrusion.

Staining

A coating system designed to achieve a certain look and color using an acid-etch or acetone dye stain. Acid-etch stains essentially “burn” the color into the concrete, whereas other stain options, require mechanical grinding or an acid wash for surface preparation. The protective coating can wear down over time, especially in high-traffic areas, so reapplying clear coats or protective wax periodically is important to ensure nothing penetrates the coating causing a loss of color in that particular spot.

Polishing

The concrete is typically prepared with a planetary grinder to open up the concrete pores. That’s followed by multiple rounds of successfully finer-grit diamond along with chemicals to achieve the desired look. If the customer wants color, an acetone dye stain can be applied before finishing it with a guard coat. Polished concrete requires very little maintenance because the polishing process closes the concrete pores helping it resist staining and moisture. Polished concrete has a higher upfront cost than similar finishes because more equipment is required to install it, however its return on investment in the long run makes it worth it, especially for high-traffic spaces.

Moisture Mitigation System

Its goal is to limit or eliminate the movement of water vapor into the flooring system. This may stem from sources like ground water, or moisture vapor from a subfloor system itself, such as off-gassing from a insufficiently dry concrete slab. Moisture in your flooring can wreak havoc by breaking down adhesives causing materials to lift or “potato chip” and it’s a breeding ground for mold.