Lastly, self-leveling overlays require no wet-curing, day wait period for strength gain or 4- to 6-month wait time for drying. Self-leveling cement overlays, introduced in the U.
This new alternative to traditional flooring in old buildings, when combined with its inherent advantages over traditional concrete, though, soon led to experimentation with various finish treatments, in particular, clear waxes and sealers, and shortly thereafter, with color options, such as integral pigment, topical dyes and concrete stains.
Now, some thirty years later, self-leveling overlays play a prominent and ever-growing role in decorative concrete flooring. Overall, there are currently four main areas where self-leveling overlays are used in decorative concrete - three of these are in flooring. In each of these areas, self-leveling overlays often provide a unique and indispensable advantage over the use of existing concrete for the same decorative option.
Gray cement "warehouse" look flooring in a kitchen. On the ground floor of a home with a basement, a self-leveling overlay is the only way to achieve this look. These self-leveling overlays are often simply coated with a matte dull finish floor wax. The basic, gray, non-gloss finish created by this wax has added further appeal for homeowners, because of the easy care and light maintenance involved.
Acid-stained, designer concrete flooring, on the main floor of a custom home, using a self-leveling overlay. This floor was installed by an Ardex-certified contractor. Ardex, Inc. Effective marketing by Ardex, and high product quality, combined with its advanced training courses for contractors, and the company's own use of acid-stained self-leveling overlays at their corporate offices, greatly helped establish credibility, and popularity, in the use of coloring techniques with self-leveling overlays.
Polished Concrete: One of the prerequisites for a great outcome to a polished concrete flooring project is that it begin with a concrete slab that is as flat as possible. Otherwise, as the concrete slab is ground during the repeated steps of the concrete polishing process, alternating areas of fine and coarse aggregate, immediately adjacent to one another, become exposed due to the undulating peaks and valleys across a concrete floor.
If aggregate exposure is desired in the final polished concrete finish, small to medium size aggregates can be added to the overlay material during mixing. A matte, gray, concrete countertop bar in a finished basement that was created using a self-leveling overlay from the Bostik Company. Concrete countertops traditionally have been, and often still are, poured with conventional concrete. Lastly, one important note: As with self-leveling "underlays", it is important also not to confuse self-leveling cement overlays with self-leveling "epoxy" SLE , a separate and distinct product that also plays a significant role in decorative concrete flooring, and with concrete countertops.
Similar to the self-leveling overlay, self-leveling epoxy is also very strong, creates a smooth finish, and can be used as a wear surface. But unlike self-leveling overlays, self-leveling epoxy does not have the look of concrete. Nor is it used for leveling sloped or uneven concrete. In addition, because its considerably more expensive, it would also never be used for resurfacing rough or pitted concrete.
Self-leveling epoxy, mixed with colored, metallic pigments, is used to create "metallic epoxy" flooring, an alternative to acid-stained concrete.
Similar to self-leveling overlays, self-leveling epoxy requires the application of a good primer coating in order to avoid pinholes and bubbling on the surface. Otherwise, these surface defects collect dirt, become very visible, and mar the decorative finish. Experienced contractors often use a propane or acetylene torch during installation to remove pinholes and bubbles while the epoxy material is still fluid. At the same, while self-leveling overlays are such an ideal option for decorative concrete flooring, it needs to be kept in mind that they are really only for professional use - and even then, not just any flooring contractor can install them.
In most instances, it requires a decorative concrete professional, who has been trained and certified by a manufacturer in the use of their products. The reasons for this are that self-leveling overlays dry extremely fast; are easily susceptible to imperfections, like air bubbles, pinholes, lumps, cracking, alligatoring and watermarks; require careful surface preparation and site layout; and are expensive. If one is not careful, it is very easy to make a big mess and spend a lot of money in a short amount of time trying to install a self-leveling cement overlay.
Premier Veneers' owner, Jeff Donius, was certified by Ardex in to use their underlays and overlays, as well as color and decorative techniques with SDT. We have been working with this product and similar self-leveling overlays from other companies since Unlike most contractors, Premier Veneers is also trained and certified in decorative applications, like acid-staining, polished concrete and concrete countertops, meaning that we can install a self-leveling overlay and then apply the decorative finish.
Finally, as a further testament to the instrumentality and importance of self-leveling overlays to the concrete flooring market, we would point to the fact that the concrete industry has begun to incorporate self-leveling features into conventional concrete, as well. Both of these products are intended to create concrete flooring that is more flat and level, and less labor intensive and expensive, than the pouring of conventional concrete, just the way self-leveling overlays have been used for the last thirty years.
In addition to making a considerable mess, DIY concrete repair can cover up serious structural issues and make a failing surface more dangerous. We bring the best materials and leading-edge expertise to rejuvenate the look of existing concrete while ensuring a safe, functional surface without the need for total slab replacement.
Contact our attentive team of experts to learn more. View Larger Image. What Is it? When Is it Appropriate? Hiring the Right Professional Concrete repair requires years of training and experience to ensure that flooring, and the underlying structure, are safe and durable.
Share This Post With Others! Related Posts. How to Get Rust Off Concrete. October 14th, How to Acid Wash Concrete. September 14th, The self leveling concrete can be integrally colored, then topically dyed to create any color you desire from basic grays to vibrant, reds, yellows, blues and greens.
You can create any color pattern you can imagine, then cut any pattern into the floor to create the look of custom tile. Can you stain resurfaced concrete? Completely resurfacing concrete with an overlay is one way to upgrade the look, and you can choose from a wide variety of color and pattern options.
If your concrete is in good condition but just needs a facelift, you can also stain, stencil or engrave it to improve the appearance. Can self-leveling concrete be removed? If a self leveling underlayment presents itself in your concrete typically under VCT then it will have to removed properly prior to polishing the concrete. When the leveling compound is isolated in areas, it can be cut out and patched with a polishable patching product.
With stained concrete, the concrete itself will last for many years, potentially over years. However, in order for the stain to last, the floors will need to be sealed or waxed once or twice per year. A: Our Concrete Floor Leveller is tougher than latex surface levellers and easily copes with vehicle traffic. Unlike traditional surface levellers it can also be painted over. Concrete stain embeds the surface to color it translucently, while opaque concrete paint covers the top of the concrete but is subject to chipping and peeling when improperly applied.
Concrete stains go on quicker, dry faster and take less work than concrete paint, but they offer no significant protection. Overall, staining concrete can look like a simple process.
However, it is important to keep in mind that while your stain is permanent, so are your mistakes. Efflorescence is salt deposited on surface concrete and masonry. It is created when water carries free salts out of concrete or masonry and they react with the atmosphere, producing insoluble salts typically white in appearance.
Water is the trigger that makes efflorescence happen. If you are looking to just get rid of some not-so-level parts of the compound, try lightly chiseling them to be almost level with the ground. Then use an orbital sander or something similar to try to get it down. Yes, it is possible to lay a second layer of self-leveling concrete once the first layer is fully set and dry. Primer should be used before pouring just like with any concrete floor.
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