Adventures in Aggregate
Submitted by Dan MacLeod, Danamac Concrete Systems, Langley, British Columbia, Canada
www.danamac.ca
Mild-mannered, terrazzoesque floor by day, photoluminescent phenomenon by night. This glow-in-the-dark effect can brighten up any surface.
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Ingredients:
- Ambient Glow Technology 1/2-inch stone photo-luminescent aggregate
- W.R. Meadows Inc. Spectrum 930 patina acid stain: Cinnamon
- Neutralizing solution: 1 pound baking soda dissolved in 5 gallons of water
- W.R. Meadows Liqui-Hard Ultra concrete densifier
- W.R. Meadows Bellatrix concrete enhancer
- Special equipment: a wet-grind polishing machine, a high-speed burnisher
Directions:
- Place a slab of 35-megapascal (roughly 5,000 psi) concrete and seed it liberally with the AGT aggregate. Let cure for 28 days.
- Grind the floor wet, starting with 25-grit diamonds, to expose the aggregate.
- Continue with 40-, 80- and 150-grit diamonds, cleaning the floor between steps.
- Switch to using 50-grit resin pads, followed by 100-grit.
- Once you’ve finished grinding with the 100-grit resins, wash the floor thoroughly, let dry and mask off the walls.
- Apply an even coat of the acid stain over the entire surface. Let it dry, and then apply a second coat of stain.
- Once the second coat has dried, wash off and neutralize the floor.
- Densify the entire surface by applying the Liqui-Hard Ultra. Let the Liqui-Hard dry overnight.
- Begin polishing the floor using 200-grit diamond abrasives.
- Continue to polish, stepping up to 400-, 800- and finally 1,500-grit diamonds, making sure to clean the floor between each step.
- Once you’ve finished with the final grit, wash the floor thoroughly and let it dry.
- Apply two thin coats of the Bellatrix concrete enhancer.
- Burnish the surface to a high gloss with a high-speed burnisher.
