More and more homeowners and businesses are creating that warm, easy-to-live-in feeling by taking advantage of their facilities’ largest single surface, their floor. They are using new materials, including artistic stains, to give their concrete floors great individualized looks as well as the easy maintenance qualities of a Class III laboratory.

A recent example is provided by a project Durall Industrial Flooring undertook for John Engstrom Photography (www.engstromphotography.com) near Minneapolis, Minnesota. The goal of the flooring redevelopment work was to enhance the coffee house atmosphere of the photo studio.

Before the development began, Durall created a custom kit of materials tailored for this specific project. The first step was to use Durall’s adhesive remover to remove the glue that remained from the carpeting and tile that formerly covered the warehouse-type facility floor. Because cement is so porous, even floors that look almost free of glue will yield great quantities of adhesive under the leaching action of the chemical removers, preventing future interference with the bonding of the new coatings.

A high-alkaline cleaner was then applied using a rotary scrubber with a stiff nilo grit brush. The high-alkaline degreaser brings the pH of the floor up to nearly 12 as it removes the leftover adhesive and contaminants. Following up with another scrubbing using Dura Klean, an acidic cleaner with water softeners, detergents, and rinse agents, shocks the floor with a pH of 3.5, thereby forcing contaminants and vulnerable cement particles to release from the floor. The acidic cleaner also opens the floor up, allowing the epoxy top coats to create a strong, long-lasting bond. A final scrub rinse and drying left the floor ready to accept repairs and artistic coloring.

The new look for the studio floors was produced using black and red stains shot downward with weed sprayers to give an alternating color look. Before staining began, masking tape was used to simulate a grid pattern, holding stain off mock grout lines. The pattern was laid diagonally across the floor to heighten dimension and interest. Two people, two sprayers, two colors—but just one artist—as the red was laid with the artist’s eye and the helper followed, filling in unsprayed areas with black. Once dry, the tape was removed and two top coats of clear, flat catalyst epoxy were applied, leaving a soft, non-glare surface that is easy to keep clean and lets light softly dissipate.

The resulting floor brings together beautifully the grand wood, soft leather, and natural greenery of a studio that is functional, easy to keep up, and comfortable for those long hours of artistic development.

Durall Industrial Flooring supplies kits of materials that are customized to owner specification and delivered directly to the job site. Kits include full directions and 24/7 help lines staffed by seasoned flooring experts, so professionals and amateurs alike can successfully install a quality floor.

Web visitors can obtain free, job-specific quotes on materials or nationwide turnkey installations by completing a simple questionnaire at http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com.

For a high-resolution photo example, visit: http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/photos/artistic

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at: harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com

Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)

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When carpet is removed from over concrete holes and craters are left from carpet tack strips that were nailed into the concrete. Each nail when removed can leave up to a ½ in. wide hole in the floor. The same is true with doorway transition plates that edged your carpeting or tile. The removal of old walls will leave even bigger holes in the floor. The following information can help you repair your floor holes so that smooth modern flow coated flooring can be applied.

After removing floor tiles, tack strips, doorplates, walls etc. your floors will need to be cleaned so that your holes can be filled with a permanent bond. If all that you need is the holes filled the preparation need only apply to those areas. This will mean that your holes will be made level again but you will be able to see each of them unless covered with another material. If you will be using an epoxy or urethane coating over the top you should prepare the entire floor before filling your holes.

Now that your floor is prepped and dry mix up some 100% solid epoxy and fill each hole as close to the top as possible. There will be some surface tension holding the epoxy together and when it hardens in about 12 hours you will need to use a 4-in. grinder with a masonry wheel. (A $19 tool) to flush off the edges of each pour to blend it with the surrounding surface. Note if you are going to coat your floor with epoxy you can do this while the whole epoxy is still wet. Don’t go over the filled epoxy but if you break the edge of each pour you will find that the repair tends to loose its surface tension edge and flow nicely with the surrounding epoxy hiding many of your pours. This can save quite a bit of time during your grinding phase. Once you have ground off the edges of your pours just sweep up the epoxy dust for your next coat. You may want to repeat or touch up some pours if needed.

Durall Industrial Flooring supplies kits of materials customized to owner specification and delivered directly to the job site. Kits include full directions and 24/7 help lines staffed by seasoned flooring experts, so professionals and amateurs alike can successfully install a quality floor.

Web visitors can obtain free, job-specific quotes on materials or nationwide turnkey installations by completing a simple questionnaire at http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com.

For high-resolution photo examples, visit: http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/photos/checkerboard

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at: harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)

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Suppliers of floor coatings to businesses and do-it-yourself home owners are deploying real-time technical phone support in order to solve the problem of improper installation.

The trick to creating a quality floor coating is getting the coating to adhere to the substrate surface with out chipping, peeling, or lifting. The key is preparation of the floor surface. But good surface preparation is a direct function of the experience and training of the applicator. Technical help lines now provide the business maintenance crews and homeowner the necessary on-the-job training and factory direct experience by phone. This kind of personal support greatly enhances the custom-built kits that suppliers are providing to homeowners.

Highly chemical- and wear-resistant, epoxy coatings have been used on concrete floors for decades in the industrial arena. These coated floors are easy to maintain with enhanced beauty and reduced wear. Unfortunately, these industrial grade coatings are generally not placed on the shelves of hardware stores and big box retailers due to liability concerns. In addition, store clerks are usually unable to provide the needed guidance for proper application of these industrial grade products.

One epoxy coating manufacture that is leading the way on this type of support is Durall Industrial Flooring of Minneapolis, MN. Durall enables individuals and project managers to obtain free, job-specific quotes on materials as well as nationwide turnkey installations by completing a simple questionnaire at www.concrete-floor-coatings.com.

For photo examples and more detail, visit www.concrete-floor-coatings.com

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com

Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)

Here are useful tips learned during more than 40 years of installing epoxy urethane floor seals and coatings on Fortune 500 company concrete floors, as well as in basements, garages, and decks. These tips can help you avoid mistakes that can limit the life of your floor.

There are three broad steps to doing your floor project: planning and preparation, repairing, and applying the coating. This article is the first in a three part series, and deals with planning and preparation.

General guidelines for applying an epoxy coating to your floor:



Do no harm.

Investing in prep produces the best value, (cost divided by years of service).

Let the chemicals and equipment do the work.

What can go wrong, will go wrong, unless you think ahead.

Technique is what separates mortals from Rembrandts.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.



Now let’s get started with tips on how to plan your job and prepare your floor.



Plan the job.

Stick your coating to something that is not going to move

The better the tools, the less work you have to do.

Removing loose concrete is as important as removing dirt

Different types of dirt require different cleaners

“Shocking” the floor can help free dirt and contaminants.

Some things must be abraded off.

Don’t blow bubbles through your finish

There is only one way to remove gum

Asphalt bleeds

If you coat over things that move, your floor may move

Vacuum out those holes

Gravity is unforgiving

. Once you prep your floor, anything in the air will eventually end up as dirt on your floor. So don’t wait too long to do your coatings. Bugs, leaves, dust, and lint can eventually compromise the quality of the job you end up with.. Water settles in floor cracks and holes. If you vacuum them out or blot them with a rag, you will not have the problem of unexpected delays due to finding water still in your floor after the surface has dried.

. Adhesives are often a problem to remove on floors. But if you leave the adhesive, your coating is like an eggshell. A hard exterior with a soft interior will often let the shell crack and peal away.

. If you use a solvent-based floor coating and coat over any asphalt spots, the solvents will make the asphalt bleed into your finish spoiling the color. Use a scraper to remove any asphalt. Then follow with some degreaser or mineral spirits.

. Modern gum is actually synthetic rubber and is not affected by cleaners or most solvents. Scraping is the most common method of removing gum but a 190-degree hot water jet works fast if you have one.

. Gases often come up through your porous concrete floor. Methane and radon gas are very common under concrete slabs and move their way through the concrete causing some bubbles in the finish. But most often bubbles are caused by the chemical reaction still going on between your cleaners and the floor. One or two good scrub rinses are needed to help avoid generating gas bubbles in your floor.

Gum, adhesive, asphalt, some paints, concrete splatters, silicone sprays from Rain X, and Tire Shine are just some of the blemishes that you may need to scrape or grind off by hand when preparing a floor.

When you do your laundry you put your shirt in the wash and it is probably at a pH of 6.5 or 7. Then you add your detergent, which may bring the pH up to 8 or 8.5. That pH change is part of what make the dirt particles want to let go of the fabric. When we do floors, we shock the floor by bringing the pH up to 12 and then hitting it with the acidic cleaner dropping the pH to 5.5 or so. That really helps make concrete particles that are about to let to, let go.

. If one cleaner worked for everything there would only be one cleaner sold. But some dirt and contaminants, like fats and oils, respond to alkaline-type cleaners and some dirt and contaminants, like minerals, rust and concrete respond, to acidic-type cleaners. If alkaline and acidic are mixed they cancel each other out to neutral, so two separate cleanings are needed for your concrete floor, one alkaline cleaning and one acidic, followed by a good scrub rinse to stop the chemical action.

. If you walk over concrete with your socks on, you will usually see that they get all dusty. That’s because the concrete is constantly deteriorating and breaking away. Your preparation should leave only concrete that is well attached, so aggressive scrubbing is a must.

Renting power scrubbers, walk-behind vacuums, double-bladed squeegees, and long-handled scrapers are all multipliers that reduce your work and increase your performance. You can try to do without lots of fancy tools, but you might have to ask yourself, will you stop your work earlier than you should because it’s just too much work.

. Remember that a floor that has 3000 lb. or more going over it every day needs much better adhesion than a wall that may get brushed by an elbow occasionally. Stick your coating to something that is not going to move.

Save trips to the store and costly delays by getting everything you need ready before the job starts. One quick step would be to go to a website like www.concrete-floor-coatings.com for a free cost analysis which will list everything you need to do your job, including step by step instructions.



Remember, “Life imitates Star Trek.” You may begin to notice in the future that virtually every floor in the galaxy seems to have a flow-coated, two-part coating on it. I am seeing fewer and fewer new wood floors, linoleum, or oriental rugs. How about you?

Follow the rules and your job will turn out with the great look you want.

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com or phone 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7).