Concrete

There are 3 options for Concrete Restoration/Concrete Repair:

1. Concrete Overlay
2. No Concrete Overlay
3. Removal & Replacement

Option One: Overlay

A Concrete Overlay has been given many terms/names such as Decorative Concrete, Stamped Concrete Overlay, Skim Coat and Concrete Flooring. The concrete overlay will permanently cover up surface imperfections on existing concrete. With today’s decorative overlays, it’s easy to give almost any concrete surface, indoors or out, a complete face-lift and at a much lower cost than removal and replacement.

There are multiple options available for achieving any look imaginable with a concrete overlay. Our Concrete Overlays/ Polymer Cement Overlays consist of a proprietary blend of Portland cements, 20 various aggregates and proprietary hybrid polymer resins. Unlike conventional cement and concrete mixes, Concrete Overlays can be applied in layers as thin as a credit card or up to several inches thick without delaminating or failure. The overlay creates a chemical and mechanical bond with the substrate, now having a PSI of 5000-7000. Normal concrete has a PSI of 3000-3500.

Overlays are great for many concrete surfaces, including:

Concrete Overlays adhere well to existing concrete and resist damage from salt, chemicals, UV exposure, freeze-thaw conditions, and abrasion. The Concrete restorations are much stronger than regular concrete and are used to resurface existing concrete. Concrete overlays can be created in almost any color, pattern, stamped or texture, thus making for a very decorative surface. With Concrete resurfacing your project can be just to,”re-new the surface”, or “one of kind decorative concrete project”. Sealing the concrete restoration/concrete repair will protect the concrete overlay from salts, stains, grease and wear.

Option Two: No Concrete Overlay

Stain or Dye? Acid-Based Stain does more than simply add color. Rather than produce a solid, opaque effect like paint or colored coatings, stains permeate the concrete to infuse it with rich, deep, translucent tones. Stains react chemically with the calcium hydroxide in concrete. If the concrete is exterior and the surface of calcium hydroxide has been worn away, then a thin overlay can be applied to achieve a great look. Stains are more marbling and translucent then most dyes. Stains also leave a residue which has to be cleaned thoroughly and dried thoroughly before the sealer application.

Dyes are the latest buzz in the decorative concrete community. Their ease of use, extensive palette, and vibrancy of color are creating a wave of popularity that is gaining momentum. Dyes are nonreactive and impart color by penetrating concrete. Dyes are much smaller in particle size than chemical stains, thus allowing for easier penetration and color saturation while leaving less residue on the surface. The small dye particles fill the pores of the concrete and are very hard to remove, making dyes nearly as permanent as stains. Because there is virtually no residue, minimal cleanup is required, greatly speeding the application process. Solvent-based dyes tend to be more monotone and uniform in color. The downside to dyes is that they penetrate very fast, leaving little room for error during application. Also, they are not UV stable, so most manufacturers recommend indoor use only.There is one down side where polishing is not the right application, such as the concrete flooring is in such bad condition that a concrete overlay would be needed to achieved a more uniform look. The examples may be cracks, holes in the concrete floors, uneven surfaces and mastic/glue. In those examples concrete repairs would be installed and then a concrete overlay applied thus giving you a brand new surface to work with. With this brand new surface, grinding is not needed and a micro finish surface can be applied for a granite-marbleized appearance, very beautiful with warm and depth.

Option Three: Removal & Replacement

Removal & Replacement means, money, time and resources. Yes, in some cases this will be your only option because of high deterioration of the concrete slab, poor substrate, poor drainage, incorrect concrete pour, or structural failure.

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