Cool Floor – Can Be Hot / Iowa Acid Stain, Hydronic Radiant Heat Floor

Location: Shellsburg, Iowa

Project: New frame construction residence

Installation by: Tim Johnson

Material Supplier: SureCrete Design

Total Sq. Ft.: 4,000+

Products used: SureStain, HS260, SureFinish

The client wanted an acid stained floor. But his home design called for frame construction, way off the ground. Hydronic radiant floor heat was on the client wish list as well. Traditional 2^nd floor concrete construction was too costly. The solution offered by experienced concrete artisan, Tim Johnson, of Earthworks in Shellsburg, Iowa was genius.

First, Earthworks in Iowa, had the frame floor engineered to accept an additional 4 lbs. per square foot of dead load above a gyp-crete floor. Next, he stapled a radiant barrier to the wood floor. Then radiant heat tubing was placed on the barrier, and was fastened to the floor in loops according to manufactures specs.

Then just like a regular concrete guy, Tim placed 1½” concrete over it all. His concrete design called for 6 sack mix with ¾” stone and micro-fibers. The concrete cures to a dead load of approximately 18 lbs. per square foot at 1½” depth.

Finishing was primarily done with a small 2’ edge machine. The small size trowel machine can maneuver in and out door openings. Early the next day, the floor was scored into 3 foot tiles. The first score line that established the pattern was placed directly over the main carry beam. Deflection was most likely at this point. Tim uses a small saw on “skates” set to a depth not to exceed ⅜”.  At this depth the ¾” heat tubes will never be damaged.

So, where does the genius come in? Can’t all of this be done with gyp-crete? So here’s the genius: the 1½” concrete can become the finish floor. No extra floor covering is required. Try that with gyp-crete.

Terra Cotta SureStain was used to color the floor into rich earth tones. The sealer selected was HS260 for an economical pick. SureFinish a high quality floor wax was used to complete the job. This was a great choice as it now became the sacrificial wear coat to protect the sealer beneath indefinitely, while providing a measure of slip resistance. The result is a “cool” floor that can be “hot.”

To see the latest in environmentally friendly interior, low maintenance floor coatings, go to the industry leaders at SureCrete. Earthworks is a certified installer of decorative concrete, concrete restoration, and concrete countertops.

Location: Castle Rock, Colorado

Project: Eco-Friendly “GREEN” Decorative Concrete Floor System

Installation by: Double Diamond Homes

Material Supplier: Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply – Colorado Springs, Colorado

Total Sq Ft: 1,200  sq ft

Products Used: SureCrete Micro-Topping (trowel down), Eco-Stain, Water Based Polyurethane

When choosing a Eco-friendly “GREEN” flooring system for your home or office in the greater Colorado area you may want to look to Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They carry the latest in concrete product technology for contractors and Do-It-Yourself homeowners who are looking to apply Eco-friendly “GREEN” decorative concrete systems. One company out of Colorado Springs, Double Diamond Homes,  recently used one of these systems. Lets look at this project and see WHY the owner of this property made an excellent choice in choosing a “GREEN” concrete flooring system.

The 1,200 sq ft home in Castle Rock, Colorado was looking to achieve a smooth concrete floor to compliment the color scheme and pattern chosen by the owner. The project began with the proper evaluation of the substrate. This particular home was new construction, so although the floor was a little dirty, there were no real stains, residues or glues to contend with. The reason Double Diamond Homes choose to use SureCrete’s Micro Topping was to change the floor from gray to white, giving more pop to the colors of the concrete stain. In addition to the white color of this trowel down micro topping, it is also Eco-friendly due to its Zero VOC single component mix design.

Once the micro topping had dried, they began the coloring and pattern creation stage. Looking to fulfill the Eco-friendly “GREEN” flooring system request they choose Eco-Stain for the coloring process. As the name sounds, it is environmentally friendly, Zero VOC and uses NO water or chemicals for cleanup, like typical reactive acid stains. With 29 UV-stable colors to chose from the client choose Espresso and Beechnut.

This particular concrete stain only sees the concrete porosity, there is NO chemical reaction. This unique attribute allows the concrete stain to bring the natural trowel marks of the micro topping to life, offering a gorgeous modeled floor affect. Once Eco-Stain had dried they were on to the sealer stage of the Eco-friendly decorative concrete floor system. Typical acrylic concrete sealers could have been used but would need more maintenance, for tis reason the Colorado contractor and owner of the home choose to go with a Polyurethane concrete sealer. Knowing that they would be moving in soon they had concerns of s strong solvent smell from the sealer. Addressing this concern and keeping with the Eco-friendly “GREEN” flooring system they recommended Dura-Kote Water Based Polyurethane. This sealer meant the “GREEN” criteria due to its low VOC makeup and also provided the owner with the aroma free application they requested due to their quick turnaround time needed.

Dura-Kote Water Based Polyurethane comes in satin and gloss finishes. For this application they choose the glossy finish. Two coats of the Water Based Polyurethane were applied to manufacturer specifications. Although light foot traffic is allowed after 12 hours, it takes most polyurethane concrete sealers 3-5 days to reach full cure and become a more scratch resistant finish. The end result was a beautiful floor that is not only functional, easy to maintain, pet friendly but the entire process was done to meet the Eco-friendly “GREEN” Decorative Concrete design by the homeowner in Castle Rock, Colorado.

Related Articles:

Renewing the color of old paver’s – Eco-friendly concrete stain solution

Eco-Friendly Concrete Stained Floor – Houston Raceway Park

Industrial Concrete Floor Stained – National Guard Base Obetz, Ohio

Eco-Friendly Stain for Commercial Application

How to choose the right concrete stain

Although there are many options, the most popular suggestion, is a  quick reseal with solvent acrylic sealer. The solvent it most cases gives the needed pop to the faded paver. This technique though requires maintenance and resealing to try and keep the paver looking its best. A technique that is often overlooked and does not hit the pocket book that hard is to recolor the paver’s using a concrete stain and than applying the acrylic sealer.

Why is this process a smarter choice? First off it ensures that the color displayed is at its his potential vibrancy and accuracy. Secondly, it allows the consumer to alter, change or unite concrete slabs and sidewalks with their paver’s. Let’s take a look at one example. This project was done in a subdivision in Land O’ Lakes Florida. The situation was faded paver’s that bordered both sides of the concrete sidewalk leading up to the front entry way of the home.

The first step taken was to make sure the concrete sidewalk and paver’s were clean. For this process they used SCR (Super Concrete Renovator), a concrete cleaning solution that is “GREEN” or environmentally friendly and will not hurt the garden or landscaping near by. Once this solution was applied at a 4-1 ratio with water, the surface was pressure washed.

Next was the application of color to the paver’s and the concrete sidewalk. For this they choose the latest in “GREEN” concrete stains by SureCrete Design. The product is called Eco-Stain, a water based penetrating concrete stain that comes in 29 UV-stable colors. This product can be applied via multiple spraying tools or sponged on for faux finishes. After the concrete stain is applied it sits and dries for 30-60 minutes. After it is dried you can apply any type of acrylic sealer. As with any manufacturer, SureCrete does have sealer available also.

We hope these ideas help rejuvenate your fading concrete paver’s and sidewalks and allow for new looks and colors to refresh your own home or business!

Location: Canon City, Colorado

Project: Staining a concrete retaining wall

Installation by: Anderson Thompson

Material Supplier: Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply

Total Sq Ft: 324 sq ft

Products Used: Orange Blossom & Oak Eco-Stain plus SureCrete Water based Clear Acrylic sealer

A concrete retaining wall is an important, functional element to your home. For many though, it is a blank canvas waiting to have someone bring it to life. That is exactly what happened to a homeowner in Canon City, Colorado. With such beautiful scenery surrounding his home, his retaining wall block was a large white eye soar that stood out. After searching online and finding Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply, they realized they could bring their backyard retaining wall to life and do it in a way that was environmentally friendly!

The team at Two Sisters DCS, explained the pros and cons of traditional reactive acid and acrylic based stains offered by many companies. Realizing they did not like the sound of chemical stain or the uniform paint like look of acrylic stains, they choose to go with an environmentally friendly stain called Eco-Stain. This product offers 29-UV stable colors and uses the concrete retaining walls natural porosity to give the modeled and variegated stain look desired. To finish off the installation they choose a low VOC sealer from SureCrete Design, Hi-Gloss Clear WaterBase Sealer. Since the homeowner did not want to take on this project, Two Sisters DCS offered some local contractors, which were qualified for this application.

The process of installation was to thoroughly clean the retaining wall via a pressure washer and SCR. Once the retaining wall was clean, the team with Anderson Thompson Group, sprayed on the two colors of Eco-Stain with a HVLP gun hooked up to a compressor. This technique allowed for an even amount of material, and reduced  the amount of concrete stain being applied. This gave the opportunity to minimize runs and uneven or splotchy  modeling on the concrete retaining wall. After the stain dried, which is typically 30-60 minutes, they then applied the Waterbase acrylic sealer. The sealer was a wise choice as it locks down the color and provides a protection against staining from the soil and other minerals in the ground and water.

Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado but offers concrete products and supplies to all of Colorado including Canon City. For more information please contact them at 1-719-661-8978.

Location: Air National Guard Base –  Obetz, Ohio

Project: Improving the aesthetic look of the concrete floor

Installation by: Artistic Scapes, LLC

Material Supplier: SureCrete products from Buckeye Ready Mix and W.R. Meadows

Total Sq Ft: 11,000 sq ft

Products Used: SCR , Eco-Stain , Dura-Kote Water based Urethane , Sure Finish

The 121st ARW Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Obetz, Ohio was looking to create an  industrial look to their concrete floor. The project had two phases of design: 4,000 sq ft of concrete surface was going to be cleaned and sealed and the remaining 7,000 sq ft was a stained concrete floor.

The reason behind the two applications was to create a concrete floor surface that was easier to keep clean and maintain. In addition to minimizing the maintenance on the concrete floors, the products used delivered an improvement to the aesthetic look of the facility. An obstacle on this project was that the floors were poured in the winter and the central heating was not fully operational. The crew at Artistic Scapes utilized space heaters to help. The temperature was uneven and altered cure rates of the staining and sealing process.

The beginning phase was to clean 4,000 sq ft with SCR (Super Concrete Renovator) an Eco-friendly concrete surface cleaner. Once the surface was clean and profiled they began the application of sealer which was W.R. Meadows VOC OMP-25.

Next they began the final 7,000 sq ft by preping the walls to protect them from the staining process. After using SCR (Super Concrete Renovator) an Eco-friendly concrete surface cleaner they used SureCrete’s Eco-Stain. An Eco-friendly concrete stain that penetrates the floor and uses porosity as is way to create a natural looking variegated and modeled design. The color chosen was Walnut and it was sprayed down with a pump up sprayer. After allowing the stain to completely dry overnight the crew began the first coat of sealer. To keep with the Eco-friendly concrete floor application, they choose SureCrete’s Dura-Kote WB Urethane.  This sealer is 56% solid and has zero smell, it is also has a VOC of 72 gms./L.

To finish the project they applied a few coats of Sure Finish. A sacrificial wax coat for sealed concrete floors.

]]> http://www.theconcretewhisperer.com/archives/268/feed 0