Concrete Surface Preparation

Concrete Repairman LLC offers professional concrete floor grinding and preparation services, using advanced techniques to ensure a smooth, durable surface. Call 602-418-2970 for expert service.

If you plan to overlay or restore existing concrete, proper surface preparation is essential to achieving good results

Preparing concrete surfaces for finishing is a time-consuming task that many contractors perform begrudgingly or are tempted to overlook altogether. But if you’ve ever skipped this essential first step in the process, you undoubtedly learned the hard way how critical it is to the success of the job.

Concrete surfaces are prepared before resurfacing concrete to look like plain concrete again or to be upgraded to a decorative finish. Today polymers can be applied as thin as 1/8 ” or up to 3/4″ thick and stamped, producing a surface that looks just like a normal stamped concrete surface.

Surfaces are also prepared before various floor-coating installations in industrial, commercial, and institutional applications. The most important characteristic of resurfacing materials or floor coatings is the texture of the concrete. This section offers an overview of the steps required for surface preparation and an introduction to the machinery used.

How To Get A Surface Preparation Job Off To A Good Start

You can’t ever be too prepared. The information below will help you get organized before starting surface preparation work. Without considering these things, you could end up doing more harm than good.

Job Planning for Architects, Engineers, Property Owners

Job planning requires the important people in a project to be informed of any special requirements they have prior to the project being put out to bid.

  • Time schedules
  • How work will be done around existing operations
  • Allowing drying time if water is used in the surface preparation process
  • Acceptable levels of dust
  • Possible fumes
  • Noise levels

These problems can be avoided if known about and planned for ahead.

Examine the Surface

Before contracting for a job or awarding a project, the contractor must survey the concrete surface in its current shape.

If excessive laitance is present (a weak layer of cement and fines on the concrete surface), this material must be removed down to solid concrete. The coating or overlay will not bond properly to the weak layer of concrete.

The surface should be checked for existing sealers, curing materials, grease, oil, efflorescence, and dirt that need removal. In short, you want no surprises.

Know the Job Specifications

Most job specifications for surface preparation state the surface should be “sound, free from surface defects, dry, and clean.” Each of these terms is subjective, so the job specifications, the coatings or overlay specifications, and the expectations of the architect and/ or project engineer must align.

Specifications should also say how uniform, clean, and rough it is and what strength the concrete substrate should be before a coating or overlay installation. See “Standards You Should Know About”

Proposals for surface preparation specifications should clearly state cleaning methods, profiling methods, and surface defect repair procedures.

Other specifications may include time schedules and acceptable levels of noise and dust. Also, is there time in the schedule for concrete to dry to the required moisture level if water is used in the cleaning process? If the specifications don’t cover these issues, ensure they get covered.

James Belville – Foundation Repairman™ – 480-725-7614

Owner of Concrete Repairman LLC, James is a third-generation master concrete finisher with extensive experience in concrete repair, commercial and residential concrete installs, polished concrete, acrylic coatings, and epoxies, including quartz and trowel-down epoxy coatings, Urethane mortars, concrete polishing, and foundation inspections.

James also teaches high school and college students how to confidently finish concrete through several distributors nationwide. Television appearances in “The Concrete Cowboy” in Phoenix, Arizona. James is skilled in the art of finishing concrete and has 30 years of hands-on experience.

Concrete Repairman LLC. Roc 300512
Licensed-Bonded-Insured Contractors of Arizona.

James Belville, a concrete and foundation repair expert, leads Concrete Repairman LLC. With over 30 years of experience, he provides top-quality repair solutions. Contact 602-418-2970 for expert foundation services.