The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
In my experience, sealer issues caused by cold weather don’t occur in the northern “cold climates” but rather in the more temperate or “shoulder” regions that have transition seasons. They also tend to happen in warm climates that may experience cold weather for only brief periods of time.
What is the most important test when it comes to evaluating decorative concrete overlays? A case can be made that any test result can help better define how a product will perform, but when it comes to decorative overlays some tests are more meaningful than others.
The air temperature is 97 degrees F, the concrete arrives late and it turns out it’s a hot load. A set retarder is added, which only makes matters worse. The concrete now sits for eight hours before you can do anything with it. Now what?
For those of us who work in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe, we take for granted the quality of our everyday materials, let alone how easy they are to obtain. In developing countries, the amount of time and cost involved in getting everything needed for a job can be staggering. But staggering to who?
These questions came from a couple who were building a new home and wanted polished concrete floors. The main floor is slab on grade, while the second level is slab on an engineered raised subfloor. There were issues during the concrete finishing, which eliminated polishing as an option.
There is no shortage of information, or opinion, when it comes to surface preparation for applying coatings or overlays. Read any technical data sheet for a topping or coating and it’s almost always the first thing discussed. Words like critical, must, essential and required are often found in the guidelines dealing with surface preparation.
Is training still relevant in the decorative concrete industry? Has the industry reached the maturity stage in its life cycle which directly impacts the desire or need to be trained? Or are we on a plateau, about to witness yet another surge of growth with new technologies and methods?
Too often mixing decorative overlays becomes an afterthought or path of least resistance process. This is the drill and paddle I have used for years, so it must be OK. Worse yet, and I am guilty of this, those of us on the training and manufacturing side default to whatever mixer is provided when we show up for a product demonstration.
I’ve always been curious why certain decorative systems and finishes take hold only in certain regions of the country, while others are universal in their appeal and demand. The answer lies somewhere between perception, demand and what the market is offering.
Chris Sullivan discusses the new OSHA respirable crystalline silica regulation and how it may not impact all decorative concrete products.
