Concrete floors
These are exceptionally hard surfaces (with a surface hardener) for very long use. Moreover, they are very tensile and thus resistant to scratches and shock.
Concrete industrial floors are most frequently intensively used surfaces, e.g. in:
- garages,
- industrial halls
- large shops.
It is the most frequently used type of surface, because in typical conditions it fulfils all performance requirements. Furthermore, it can be used as a perfect ground for resin or polymer-cement coating.
What makes these floors so popular is their functionality and numerous performance advantages. The top layer – for extra protection – is coated with a special cement- and grit-based agent, which is exceptionally hard. The substance must be strongly rubbed into the not yet bonded surface, which makes the floor high-tensile. It is also possible to use a coloured hardener at that point. The surface prepared that way has a specific colour throughout the entire time of its use. The hardeners come in the following colours: gray, light gray, green, red, sand-coloured.
An extremely important element in the process of making this type of floor is the proper performance of the subsequent steps. Omitting one of them may lead to only apparent savings, but in the future it will cause faster aging of the material leading to cracks or dusting.
The making of the floor includes the following steps:
- surface preparation
- laying an anti-humidity layer of PE film
- making perimeter expansion joints
- pouring the mass of a specific class together with reinforcement
- surface levelling
- compacting and smoothing the surface
- distributing the hardener and rubbing it in
- impregnating to ensure optimum conditions for cement hydration
- cutting out expansion gaps
The mechanic rubbing takes place at certain specific intervals. The first rubbing is to combine the hardening surface with the concrete. The purpose of the follow-up rubbing is to smooth the surface to make it homogenous and shining. Rubbing is a very important procedure as it determines the surface quality.
The impregnation ensures optimum conditions for cement hydration, increases its abrasion and impact resistance. To achieve this, a polymer-based agent is applied on the surface.
The time necessary for making the floor depends on the size of the surface and the ground on which it is made. Usually it takes between several to over ten hours. After that the so-called „curing” takes place – it lasts 28 days.
Concrete industrial floors with the surface hardener are durable and tensile, which makes them difficult to scratch or damage by hitting.
The versions with the surface hardener are used in industrial facilities with moderate and heavy traffic, production facilities requiring little chemical resistance, warehouses, shopping halls, garages – that is places that require high abrasion resistance.