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.

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Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee

Project: Beazer Home – Community Pool Deck  Renovation

Installation by: ACM

Material Supplier: SureCrete Design

Total Sq Ft: 14,000 sq ft

Products Used: Flash Patch, SureTex, , Eco-Stain, Pigmented SureSeal 20%

A Beazer Home’s community clubhouse had issues with their pool deck, during the initial installation of the almost 14,000 sq ft pool deck it encountered rain and a poor finishing technique. Although the builder was disappointed in the outcome, they were not prepared to do a major overhaul immediately.Why? They wanted the concrete pool deck to naturally go through its curing process and have time to make any movement and cracks. This way they could ensure a new aesthetic and functional  look that would stand the test of the traffic it would bare from it’s community. Let’s see the process that the team at ACM used to make this a successful decorative concrete makeover.

The first phase was to patch all dips and uneven spots that were causing water run off issues. To do this they used a concrete patch and blend product called Flash Patch. After all areas were level the cleaned and profiled the concrete pool deck to get it ready to receive its new decorative concrete surface. With slip and fall a major issue on a pool deck surface, the team at ACM choose a decorative concrete overlay mix from SureCrete, called SureTex. This product is designed to create the strongest bond to the concrete pool deck surface and create a classic knockdown or cool deck look. It’s mix design is single component, “just add water”, and therefore is Zero VOC and considered a Green or environmentally friendly concrete overlay.

After mixing SureTex with a pre-measured color pack and the right amount of water, they began the base coat on all 14,000 sq ft. They were able to cover the square footage with ease using a stand up squeegee. This was probably a wise choice of tool, as it does not require the applicator to bend over and be on their knees for  such a large project.

Once the base coat was dry on the concrete pool deck surface, they mixed up some additional SureTex with color, but this time sprayed it our of a hopper gun hooked up to an air compressor. This technique delivers a splatter affect on the surface, creating the beginning stage of the classic knockdown look. As part of the team is mixing and spraying the SureTex onto the surface the other half are using the stand up squeegee to flatten or knockdown the splatter texture to create the gorgeous new decorative concrete look.

After letting the material dry overnight, they then used a pigmented sealer to waterproof and ensure a consistent color across the entire concrete pool deck surface. As recommended by the manufacturer, they applied 2 coats of sealer for optimal performance and water and stain repellance to complete the project.

Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee

Project: Residential Pool Deck – Decorative Concrete Overlay System

Installation by: Architectural Concrete Finishes

Material Supplier: SureCrete Design

Total Sq Ft: 960 sq ft

Products Used: SCR, SureSpray, Flash Patch, Eco-Stain, SureSeal 20%

With the damage that cold winters can have on concrete surfaces, you can imagine how a pool deck would look over time. The situation for this project in Tennessee is an existing broom finished concrete pool deck with multiple cracks and a old weathered look to the surface. If you where the homeowner you are probably thinking the same thing, it’s time we created a nicer aesthetic look to our outdoor living area. Let’s look at how the team at Architectural Concrete Finishes (ACF) tackled this pool deck makeover and what obstacles they encountered.

This particular client had a short schedule in which the new pool deck makeover could take place, the time frame given was one week. Not typically a difficult task, except the weather was not going to cooperate that well with showers coming during the middle part. This required the team at ACF to work 28 hours over 2 days.

With the pool deck having cracks, they chose to use an epoxy crack treatment system. They followed that up by patching any low concrete areas with Flash Patch. This material allowed for a quick setup time, typically 30-45 minutes, and allowed them to quickly get to the base coat of the pool deck makeover. ACF choose to use the latest technology in resurfacing concrete overlays, the product is called SureSpray. What makes this material desirable is its simplicity and bonding strength. It is a single component mix design, “just add water”, and it is zero VOC making it an Eco-friendly concrete overlay.

The base coat of SureSpray was applied with a stand up squeegee and left to dry overnight. The next morning they used 1/2″ reinforced tape to create 48″ square patterns on a 45 degree angle. Along the coping of the pool they created a 12″ border to complete the design of the pool deck makeover. Once the tape pattern was completed, they mixed up some more SureSpray but used an air compressor with a hopper gun to create the top surface design. Allowing the top coat to dry for several hours, they began the first phase of color. Keeping with the Eco-friendly product theme, they used Eco-Stain. Espresso was the color chosen and it was mixed with water 6-1 to create the desired color scheme. After the stain dried, they pulled the reinforced tape to reveal the pattern and began to put the first coat of sealer on the surface. The used brushes along the area close to the coping in order not to prematurely seal that area.

Once the sealer cured hard enough, they began staining the 12″ coping border with Espresso Eco-Stain at full strength, leaving a rich and much darker brown border. At this point they used a HVLP gun to spray the stain on the border. This tool is neat because it allows you to control the amount of a material going to the pool deck surface and it creates a solid look rather than a modeled look seen from typical pump up sprayers. Once the stained coping was dry, the entire pool deck received its final coat of sealer, SureSeal 30% clear.

Location: Downers Grove, Illinois

Project: Resurfacing a commercial floor

Installation by: CCI Flooring, Inc.

Total Sq Ft: 20,000

The owner of a Grocery store in Downers Grove, Illinois needed to create a new atmosphere for his daily clientele. The existing floor had ceramic tile and VCT that had to be removed first. After removal the crew at CCI Flooring began the restoration of the base floor with a deep patching material called Flash Patch. Once the floor was restored to a level, sound surface, they began the installation of the Old Village Look. The process for design and application was managed by 3 crews.

The first crew from CCI Flooring worked on the  BDC-UF Flake System in the main aisles and walk ways. The remaining crew worked on the 10,000 sq ft of Stenciled decorative concrete thin overlay called SureSpray. This system required a base coat that was integrally colored and spray down. Although this material is not considered a self leveling material, it laid down flat. Once the base coat was dry to touch they applied the stencil and began the creation of the flagstone decorative concrete look.

An interesting obstacle that CCI Flooring had to overcome was the Flagstone pattern sq ft. The original order was for 7,000 sq ft. Before the project ended, the owner liked the decorative concrete look so much that he added an additional 3,000 sq ft. This required the reuse of the original stencil, as they did not have time to order additional ones in.

As the projected was nearing its completion CCI Flooring worked with SureCrete Design to choose the right sealer that could not only protect the decorative concrete look designed but also handle the constant wear pattern of the stores clientele. They choose to apply 2 coats of Dura-Kote Epoxy 100, a zero VOC sealer. They then applied one coat of Dura-Kote Hi Gloss Polyurethane. The purpose of the Polyurethane sealer coat, was to  provide UV stablility to the epoxy and act as the protective gloss  finish.