Concrete floor finishes may prove a

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DECORATIVE CONCRETE
Concrete
ﬂooring ﬁnishes

(Photos: Permaban Ltd)
Adrian Saxby, Permaban Ltd

C
oncrete ﬂoor ﬁnishes may prove a
conundrum for speciﬁers and
clients. A vast range is available,
and choices can be made according to
aesthetics, cost, warranty and the
desired performance of the system,
amongst others. The proposed usage of
the floor should be first established to
enable the ﬂooring ﬁnish selection to be
narrowed down.

Monolithic ﬂoors
‘Monolithic’ is derived from ‘mono’,
meaning single, and ‘lithos’, the Greek
word for stone. In its simplest form, a
monolithic floor can be the concrete
itself. The concrete can be left in various
degrees of finish, ranging from a brush
finish to a highly polished and sealed
power-floated finish. One of the main
attractions of a monolithic finish is the
predicted life, which tends to be greater
than an applied topping. Specialist con-
tractors can grind the concrete to a spec-
ified degree of polish (see Figure 1).
Diamond grinding greatly increases
abrasion resistance whilst producing a
beautiful finish. The aggregates are
exposed and the act of grinding these
aggregates increases the effective pol-
ished stone value (PSV). Higher PSVs
provide greater abrasion resistance.
Impregnating the concrete matrix with Figure 1: Diamond grinding greatly enhances the aesthetics of the ﬁnished ﬂoor.
densifier further strengthens the floor
surface. Selected aggregates and cement ish, producing slabs which are imperme- Following the development of ﬂooring
types can produce many different and able. systems with grinding, the beneﬁts of a
attractive ﬁnishes. terrazzo surface can be harnessed with-
Dry-shake ﬁnishes may be used to Terrazzo-substitute ﬁnishes out the disadvantages. The cost of ter-
harden a monolithic ﬂoor and provide Decorative aggregates can also be added razzo ﬁnishes compares extremely
various colour options. The selected as a dry-shake system. When ground and favourably with ﬂoor coverings such as
material is applied to the wet concrete polished these can produce beautiful ter- tiles, epoxy or urethane coatings. Their
and hardens into the surface during con- razzo-style ﬁnishes (see Figure 2). Since life expectancy far exceeds any synthetic
crete curing. This can be a very cost- Roman times, terrazzo ﬁnishes have been coating, making it considerably more
effective method of producing a hard- greatly admired for their beauty and cost-effective.
wearing, maintenance-free, coloured timeless elegance. With a predominately As a dry-shake ﬁnish, it can be
ﬂoor. Typical uses are self-storage facili- stone surface, they provide excellent applied to new slabs during placing,
ties, factories, engineering or retail ware- wearing characteristics; however, their becoming homogenous with the concrete
houses. Waterprooﬁng compounds can use has been restricted because of the slab and facilitating incorporation within
also be applied as part of a dry-shake ﬁn- high cost and difficulty of installation. strength calculations. A further beneﬁt is

62 November/December 2003 CONCRETE
‘ Any surface preparation implications
should be considered at the planning
stage, regardless of ﬂooring type.

Planning, preparation
and installation
’
Careful planning for new construction,
with early ﬂooring ﬁnish selection, may
produce cost and time savings because
unnecessary processes can be designed
out. For instance, if a screed topping
were speciﬁed, then a highly polished,
powerﬂoated ﬁnish would prove an
unnecessary expense and actually retard
Figure 3: This pigmented ﬂoor exhibited the drying out period, leading to the
excellent abrasion resistance and was requirement for extra surface prepara-
used in a vehicle servicing area. tions and treatments.
The need for good surface testing and
Figure 2: The terrazzo-style ﬁnish can vide practical and decorative ﬁnishes. preparation cannot be sufficiently
be most attractive. Resins and screeds are used in industrial stressed. Time spent on correct initial
and commercial applications that will be installation eliminates the requirement to
that the slab can be installed early in the heavily trafficked and require a high ‘build in’ time for remedial work, follow-
construction process. Other trades may level of abrasion and chemical resistance ing a poor installation. Flooring manu-
complete works and the slab is then (see Figure 3). The resin market has facturers usually help contractors and
ground and polished to its ﬁnal speciﬁed grown considerably in the last decade: engineers achieve quality installation
ﬁnish near the conclusion of the project. because it is in their interest to do so.
It is therefore protected during construc- • epoxy coatings continue to provide an Ultimately, main contractors should be
tion and there are cost-savings on build attractive, hardwearing, economical satisfied regarding the competency of
schedule. The dry-shake version can be ﬂooring system, although with a lim- the installation contractor and the
supplied in the same wide range of ited lifespan maintenance of quality records. Many
matrix colours and aggregate choice as • polyurea resin is predominantly used factors can affect the floor installation
the pumpable system. The pumpable in very fast, resin-bonded, aggregate integrity, including moisture content,
system can be applied to virtually any systems, where the aggregate provides environment, atmospheric conditions,
suitable surface, such as mezzanine or the wear surface and ﬁnish dew point, surface profile etc. Testing
steel decking, aged and damaged con- • decorative resin ﬁnishes, such as stone with regularly calibrated instruments
crete, domestic, commercial and indus- carpet effects and resin bonded ﬂakes, should be part of a quality installation.
trial new-build applications. The colours are being used in high proﬁle areas
and styles can be tailored to suit individ- such as retail environments. These sys- Concluding remarks
ual requirements. Aggregates such as tems are versatile and provide a hard- Any surface preparation implications
marble, granite, basalt and limestone can wearing, decorative ﬂoor with a vast should be considered at the planning
be added. The matrix is a high-perform- range of ﬁnishes stage, regardless of ﬂooring type.
ance, cementitious compound, based on • polyurethane resins are becoming the Many problems can be prevented with
the latest silica fume and polymer tech- preferred binder in performance early planning, discussions with the
nology. Smooth-ﬂowing and fast-setting, screeds because they have greater ﬂooring contractors and/or seeking
it can be foot-trafficked after a few hours chemical resistance and are more advice from specialist consultants.
and take full vehicular trafficking after moisture tolerant when installed, Budget is usually a major factor, but
24 hours. Upon curing, it produces an although the greatest beneﬁt is fast- caution should be exercised before opt-
immensely strong, durable ﬂoor, suitable track installation. ing for the cheapest price. It should be
for the most demanding clients. Most • polyurethane screeds and self-levelling borne in mind that certain ﬂooring ﬁn-
colour pigmentations are available, mak- systems can usually be trafficked six ishes may save money during the con-
ing the system ideal for corporate iden- hours after installation and are self- struction period, but problems may
tity usage. sealing. The resin rich nature of arise in the short and medium term
polyurethane screeds makes them ideal with costly consequences. At best, a
Surface coverings for grinding or polishing. This exposes poorly speciﬁed ﬂoor may require reg-
There are a vast range of surface cover- the aggregates and provides an attrac- ular maintenance and at worst, the
ings. Laminates, wood, vinyl, carpet, tive, fast-track, high-performance ter- ﬂoor may require replacement or
tiles and others are generally used to pro- razzo-style ﬁnish. extensive repair. s

CONCRETE November/December 2003 63