Any hope for this floor? other than a jack hammer!

[dennisoates]

This floor is about 15 years old. It is done chipping now , some places its, 3/8 deep where it flaked off. My cement contractor blamed the cement company and the cement company blamed the guy that trowled it. I really don't want to jack hammer it out, looking for ideas that will make it presentable. thanks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rainbowtawas/sets/72157635944386375/

 

[ADSR]

Re: Any hope for this floor? other then a jack hammer!

That's the ***** who mixed it at the batch plant. I don't care how much you over work it with a trowel, that doesn't happen.

I'm not sure if a topping on top would bond very well.

 

[rsanter]

Leavening compound and race deck

Bob

 

[nolimits76]

That's pretty horrible.

Doesn't really matter who's fault it is at this point, since the floor is 15 years old, and statue of limitations have probably expired. In the future, I would make it a point to address issues like this as soon as they happen so you have some recourse options.

Moving on to the present. I think a leveling compound and race deck (or similar) tile would be a good solution for your particular case.

 

[Shea]

Actually, I've seen the surface of floors like these made new again with an epoxy patch mix for the pitting and then a good polymer topping. I wouldn't attempt it as a DIY project however due to the sheer size of the project. I would recommend contacting a good cement flooring contractor (definitely not the one you used before) in you area who is experienced in micro toppings to have them take a look at it.

 

[AlphaGarage]

If it's stabilized, that is if what's left is solid and no longer chipping, then you could tackle it DIY. Of course it depends on what finish you're looking for.

If you want a glass smooth monochromatic floor it's probably best to hand it off to an experienced contractor. But it you want a good looking floor that's easy to maintain and you don't mind a bit of "character" you can get that pretty easily for a lot less $$$.

Prep with a good acid etch, neutralize well. Use a 100% epoxy binder and add fine, clean sand, fill the voids and smooth it out as best you can. That should cure to a fairly smooth finish, if it's rough in spots hit it with a sander.

Next prime with 100% solids primer, then coat with a great quality epoxy and (this is important) use lots of flake! You don't need to go to full rejection (0.15 pound per ft2) but do go pretty thick, around 0.9 lbs/ft2., clear coat and you're done.

If you do a pretty good job filling the voids and smoothing them out, with the flakes you can end up with a great looking floor, the before/after pix will be pretty amazing!

Our patch material is TrowelEase 1161, a 100% solids epoxy product. You mix a one gallon kit with 50 lbs. of clean fine sand and you have a very durable patch, it will patch 16 ft2 to a depth of 1/4". It's also self-priming and incredibly durable (one of its frequent uses is loading docks and other high traffic, heavy weight environments) More details here.

 

[pauloman]

if working on the cheap - fix the voids with sand and putty - the stick on vinyl tiles - surprisingly pretty results for maybe 50 cents a sq foot. Not high tech, not super durable but works for 'light' use. --- Have gone this approach a number of times, including a garage and basement. Plus you can put down a dozen or two tiles and then stop and go to work, etc. Worse case is they come up and you need to glue them back down. Easy to scrape off if you upgrade to something better.

 

[dcs Inc]

This floor isn't bad and can be easily repaired. As long as you can get to a solid substrate which by the photos looks very possible, it can be rebuilt with either a cement based polymer overlay or an epoxy grout mixed and troweled on. Grind smooth and start your epoxy system.

 

[Zeke]

And to think some pay extra for a rock salt finish.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Fill the really deep holes with an epoxy patch material.
Next step???

Call Racedeck.

 

[thegarageguy]

did Alpha really say to acid wash it? Holy ****!

The slab needs to be shot blasted or grinded until all the loose and weak surface is gone and until you get to a more sound or firm substrate.

I would then suggest a urethane concrete self leveling system....thin mil epoxy system will not hide the unevenness....regular self leveling system still needs to be coated or sealed and would have to be high enough psi to be considered a "wear surface".

 

[AlphaGarage]

did Alpha really say to acid wash it? Holy ****!

The slab needs to be shot blasted or grinded until all the loose and weak surface is gone and until you get to a more sound or firm substrate.

I would then suggest a urethane concrete self leveling system....thin mil epoxy system will not hide the unevenness....regular self leveling system still needs to be coated or sealed and would have to be high enough psi to be considered a "wear surface".

Mmm.. he said "It is done chipping now..." on top of which I elaborated "If it's stabilized, that is if what's left is solid and no longer chipping..." And I'll stand by that. If it's still weak, crumbling, or soft, then I wouldn't suggest that route. Likewise if he wants a smooth as glass finish, I wouldn't suggest that route.

He doesn't want to jack hammer, so it sounds like he doesn't want to spend a ton of $$$. He wants presentable, not perfect. That's attainable.

 

[dennisoates]

Thanks guys for all the input! I am heading to florida now for the winter, but I,ll tackle this floor in the spring! will post pics of process.

 

[dennisoates]

what tiles do you suggest for 50 cents a sq ft, at home depot they are all 2.00 sq ft
thanks