Surface Preparation is critical in flooring and coatings. Some materials can form a chemical bond to concrete, but most rely on a ‘mechanical key’ – liquid elements of the new material penetrating cracks, pores and irregularities in the surface before curing to a solid form locked into the rough surface.
When a material isn’t well suited to this, a primer that is more effective creates the key, and uses a chemical bond to attach to the new material above.
Either way, the concrete surface must be clean, dry and free of contaminants. Any oils, dust, dirt, water etc is, in effect, a barrier, preventing the new coat contacting the concrete and sticking to it.
Bonded Flooring Solutions uses only the most effective techniques. Our reputation is built on our completed work portfolio, and there is just no point in designing and installing the sort of surfaces we do without preparing them for years of heavy-duty operation.
Captive Shot-Blasting is probably the best preparation of all for most concrete, providing it is approximately level to begin with. Thousands of impacts per second of high-speed steel shot breaks the concrete surface, pitting it with tiny holes and exposing any weak points. The latest vacuum systems recycle the shot whilst extracting almost every bit of dust.
Diamond Grinding is also an highly effective method of abrading flat concrete surfaces. A heavy, powerful motor drags metal segments impregnated with diamonds across the concrete surface, grinding away the top layer and any dirt with it. Again, industrial vacuum systems and dust shrouds eliminate dust escaping into the atmosphere.
Scarifying concrete is highly effective for using old, thicker coatings, and profiling surface imperfections. Hundreds of irregular teeth on a spinning drum impact and drive into the surface, breaking up loose or weak coatings and the top layer of concrete.
