Every professional agrees that unless the proper preparation has been carried out it is extremely likely that whatever you set out to do could end up with disastrous results. This is very true in almost every task in life that you can think of.
This is very much the case when it comes to applying a coating to a concrete floor.
People these days are generally very well informed prior to making decisions and fortunately it is now relatively easy to do your research. Nobody likes to throw money away and we all want value for our hard earned cash. Doing your research is all well and good but how do you know if you are receiving the best advice and are you being given enough information to
enable you to make correct informed decisions.
Let me give you an example related to coating a concrete floor. There are a variety of paints dedicated to concrete application and the companies that manufacture them by and large make very good products. Some of these paints claim resistance to chemicals, oils and fuels as well as water. Lots of things can be resistant but how resistant and for how long? How hard is it when it dries and how flexible is it under the stress of natural movement? Will it continue to stick to the concrete when I drive my car on it with hot tires after returning from a trip to Margaret River or just from one side of Perth to the other. Tires heat up pretty quickly, they’re designed to in order to perform their best. When they sit on concrete paint and contract as they cool they actually grip the paint and this is what causes the problem of hot tire lift. There you are in your favourite hardware store looking at the concrete paints which can easily cost in excess of $200 for 4 litres and you say to yourself “well that’s not too bad I have about 40m² of garage floor that much will cover it. So many people stop there make the purchase including brushes and rollers and all things necessary to get the job done. From now on it all starts to fall apart. To successfully paint a concrete floor that is going to receive any traffic at all I will give you a run down on what should happen next. Firstly, presuming you have established the concrete is dry and hard enough you will need to grind the floor and prepare it to receive a good quality primer. Grinding is necessary for the surface to be able to successfully receive the primer, cracks, chips and faults need to be repaired. Follow this up with 2 to 3 coats of paint that’s two more 4 litre cans and a suitable sealer, another 4 litres. By now you will have spent at least $1300. At this point you have spent 10 hours labour plus drying time over two days at least and the floor looks great.
Hopefully this is where the story ends. However, the sealer you put down is just that, a sealer not a solid coating and it is porous nearly all sealers are porous and after a short period of time, spills will have worked their way through and into the concrete. If you have been driving hot tires onto it there could be patches of peeling and so the story continues. After about 12 months you are not happy with the surface any longer, and you decide to recoat the floor, another $200 plus your time.
Grinding the floor properly is one of the best ways to ensure that whatever coating you plan to use, will adhere well.
Concrete floors are rarely level and do not come perfect, like most things they are likely to suffer from imperfections and unevenness. Over time cracking, staining and chips can cause damage to your coating.
Correct preparation is critical prior to the coating being applied.
The removal of Laitance, filling of cracks, checking hardness and moisture level prior to grinding is just as important as the grinding.
If we have got this far and everything has been well prepared all we now need to do is select the best type of coating.
There are quite a few types of coatings you can choose from and you need to know which one has the best look, proven longevity, almost maintenance free and adhesion or “Stickability”.
There is one product that is solid and that product adheres to the concrete by a chemical reaction that allows it to penetrate deeply into, and in fact strengthen the concrete.
The product that ticks all the boxes, iCOAT POLYUREA. It is up to 20 times stronger than epoxy and 98% more flexible.
Labelled “The King of floor coatings” has for years been used to coat pipelines, sewers and manholes and more recently the lining of vehicle utility tray beds. There is no other product so durable and so flexible. NOW YOU KNOW THE SECRET !!!
