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Decorative Staining For Indoor Concrete Flooring Systems

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Greg Bell in Concrete with Comments Disabled

Decorative staining for indoor concrete flooring systems make room for a wide range of designs to be achieved when it comes to both interior and exterior spaces. These floors come with the look of natural stone, and they have an attractive and interesting high gloss finish. You can choose from a wide array of colouring options and design possibilities when it comes to decorative concrete flooring systems.concrete coating systems

How Does Decorative Staining Work?

Decorative stains for indoor concrete flooring are applied after the concrete has been cured. It is possible to apply stains to older concrete, yet repairs and cleaning may be necessary. The colour of your choice and its intensity determines the stain mix. You, or the project manager, will have to decide on a colour and how intense it will be. After the chemical reaction that makes the colouring possible has taken its time to complete, the floor then gets washed and left alone to dry. After this step, a protective resin has to be applied on top. This is what gives the glossy look to the concrete floor.

The Finished Look

The finished look of decorative staining is indeed very stylish and classy. While it is glossy, it is also non-slip which makes it an ideal solution for homes and commercial shops. Depending on your preferences, indoor concrete flooring systems and their decorative designs can be textured or flat, and have many different colours and patterns. Decorative stained concrete is the one feature that will make your home, office or shop stand out from the crowd. You will surely get many compliments and questions on your stunning new space and floor.

How to Maintain Stained Concrete Floors

In case you are looking for low maintenance alternatives to other flooring options, you can’t avoid concrete floors. Everything is easy to clean and maintain with these kinds of floors. No matter where the indoor concrete flooring system is being placed, whether the home or workplaces, harsh chemicals and cleaners are no longer required. You can just clean your concrete floor with warm water and a mild soap.

Indoor concrete flooring systems can be applied in both your home and workplace. It doesn’t matter where you would like this type of flooring, it will look sleek and modern.

If you would like more information about concrete flooring systems, contact one of our installers today for a free estimate or for any questions you may have. Be sure to also check out our concrete flooring gallery to view many more options available to you.

The Floor Company

Address: 1117 Newmarket Street, Unit B, Ottawa, ON K1B 4N4
Phone:(613) 706-6664

Ripping Out a Concrete Slab Vs Resurfacing It

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Greg Bell in Concrete with Comments Disabled

When the time comes to finally admit that your concrete slab is completely shot, think again, it may not be!

It’s very common for us to be called out to see a floor and quote on replacing it only to find that replacing that slab would not only be unnecessary, but more costly than being repaired or resurfacing.

Another detail to consider when going down this path is the fact that even if you do replace a slab that appears to be beyond its years, you end up with a new, unprotected slab, that could see the same fate again.

concrete slab resurfacingConsider this: If the reason you wish to replace your concrete slab is because of surface imperfections like pitting, cracking, mottling or other unsightly issues, a resurfacing product like a self levelling epoxy or one of many other options may do a even better job than new concrete would.

Here is what we mean. By resurfacing a badly pitted or cracked slab with, for example, self-levelling epoxy, you not only get the new, pretty, smooth and easy to clean surface but this new surface is also impervious to the chemical and mechanical attacks that caused it to erode in the first place.

Another benefit is that with epoxy treatments you can choose colours, patterns, graphics, non-slip additives, logos, gloss sheens and more and build these features into the repair cost and process for your floor.

Rather than pay the cost financially of ripping out the old and bringing in the new, not to mention the environmental cost, why not use less material, time and often less money to get a new surface that will outperform the old and provide the custom usability you need?

If your slab is presenting other issues like damp spots appearing with no moisture causing scenarios above grade or if the slab is heaving, meaning the slab is higher on one side of the crack than the other, you may still need to remove the slab.

Usually, with heaving or moisture issues there is a problem below or adjacent to the slab that needs to be addressed. Resurfacing a slab showing these symptoms is a bad idea. The work done to “cover up” the problem will not only come undone in short time but it could make the underlying issues worse.

In closing, consider keeping your old beat up slab a little while longer, it could save you a lot of money and give you a beautiful new and stronger than ever surface.

Contact us today for a free slab evaluation. You may be glad you did.

Polished Concrete Flooring Explained

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Greg Bell in Concrete with Comments Disabled

Polished concrete is the process of changing the properties of a concrete slab. First, the floor is honed in order to reduce high spots and remove weak and dusty concrete capping. Second, the floor is hardened using an environmentally friendly process. This hardening process reduces the size of the pores in the concrete and then the floor is polished using progressively finer diamond grits or diamond fragments embedded in metallic or resinous segments, once this process is complete, the new highly modified surface is guarded using a penetrating sealer and then literally baked using friction heat from a high speed burnishing process. The end result is a floor with a beautiful and naturally occurring sheen that although shiny, is not slippery.

Check out some of our polished concrete floors in our gallery

Let’s get the most common question out of the way first; is concrete cold? Polished concrete, although not as warm as carpet, tends to be warmer on the feet than tile. This is because unlike tile, polished concrete absorbs more air polished concrete floors ottawatemperature because it is a more porous material than a glazed tile. While not as warm as carpet or any other flooring, with an underlayment or a subfloor under it, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

Unlike linoleum or other floating floors, polished concrete does not make an artificial squishy sound under your foot. Polished concrete leads to a high quality natural stone feel adding a rich high end feel to your home.

Other advantages to polished concrete are its natural reflective properties. These properties give your space a calming characteristic that is conducive to a natural and relaxing environment.

If you have children, pets or an environment that requires frequent sweeping like a woodworking room or art studio, polished concrete cannot be beat. You can see such floors at big box stores like Ikea, Home Depot, Walmart and more residential areas like high end lofts and condos.

Polished concrete is the process of changing the properties of an existing floor as opposed to purchasing and adding a floor to your space, therefore, the environmental impact both during installation and in the future when modifying or disposing of a property is greatly reduced compared to using a manufactured product.

Installing a polished concrete floor in your home or commercial location could take 2-3 days depending on the amount of square footage. If you are looking for a flooring company to turn your floor into polished concrete, contact us today for a free no obligation estimate.