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Overlays and toppings typically range from 1/16- to 3/4- inch deep and are applied to structurally sound concrete slabs to improve aesthetics, protect surfaces and extend life in lieu of ripping out and replacing existing slabs. There are several types of overlays including spray applied, troweled on, self-leveling, stamped and microtoppings.
Back in the ’60s, when epoxies first came along, they were often specified in food-related areas because of their ease of cleaning and resistance to germs, he says. Ramy remembers the old guys didn’t want anything to do with epoxy, so they’d paint the walls and the young guys would handle the floors.
The floors of this 80,000-square-foot outdoor mall on the island of Kauai were patchy, cracked and worn out. One sweeping restoration changed everything.
Want to see the full process of how to use a stampable overlay to transform an existing interior concrete floor?
A small sampling of helpful hints shared at demonstrations sponsored by the Decorative Concrete Council during the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Concrete Contractors.
As you look at some of the more commonly used overlay products, you can get a better sense of what might work best for your project. Lee Tizard, vice president of Floric Polytech Inc., offers this snapshot look at some overlay options.
Here’s a novel, fast and inexpensive way of saw-cutting curves on concrete overlays or toppings, using a 1⁄4" diameter PVC pipe, 4" grinder and shop-vac.
Correctly estimating the thickness needed to get the job done right is one of the biggest issues a contractor faces when applying a polishable overlay.
When Productivity Inc. built a new showroom in Minneapolis, Minn., more than three years ago, the company chose to top the floor with Artera, a polishable polymer-modified fiber-reinforced cementitious overlayment made by LifeTime Floors.
Polishing 52,000 square feet of floor is never an easy task, but some jobs can be more demanding than others. This was one of them. It took contractor Darryl White and a crew of five 11 weeks to prep, polish and finesse the artwork for the floors of Alabama Robotics Technology Park.
Decorative concrete has become increasingly popular with every passing year, and has evolved from primarily flooring products to use in walls, showers and countertops. Because of the increased popularity in decorative concrete, the used of overlays has grown as well and they have a lot of advantages.
