Concrete Floor Self Leveling Topping Durability / Life Expectancy

[00si2]

I just had my floor poured a few weeks ago and id didn't turn out very good. I made a post and it can be found here:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82832

I'm debating having the high spots ground down and then using Ardex k-15 (or something similar) to level everything out. I'm going to have it professorially done. I've talked with a couple different contractors and a few people that sell the products and from what they're telling me their products will be as good if not better than the original concrete surface. Both aesthetically and the strength. I have a hard time believing its stronger than the original concrete. My biggest concern is the stuff peeling up eventually.

What I'm looking for is real world experience with this stuff. Has anyone had something similar done in the past? Have you had any problems with it peeling or flaking? How long has it been in place? Any info would be Great!

 

[Weedwaka]

We have the same problem.

What I am to understand is that the skim coats can be very strong but if they delaminate they can crack and come up. If you can keep a bond, it should hold up really well. It also looks different than regular concrete, so unless you do the whole slab it will look patchy.

Mapei makes some stuff that is supposed to get right down to a feather edge.

Ask about a warranty. Its a 10k job to fix our slab and although they all state this stuff is amazing and will last forever , none will warranty past 2 years. Makes you go hrmmm.

I think we will end up smoothing out the highs and lows for drainage and dropping on some racedeck .

 

[thegarageguy]

There are many manufacturers of these products and each manufacturer has many different formulas for different applications.

In order to apply properly, we diamond grind, then apply the primer. The next day we prime again, wait till dry, then pour the floor.This ensures minimal pin holing and maximum adhesion.

These systems cure within a week, generally from 4000 to 9000 psi and can be coated from 2 to 24 hours. K15 cures to 4100 psi and is generally meant as an underlayment, not a wear surface. It still needs to be sealed. In your case, an epoxy-poly system is best for wear and chemical resistance.

 

[PecosBill]

We too do a lot of topping pours. We stick fairly exclusively with Mapei products, so that's what we are comfortable with. Mapei's Ultratop has a compressive strength of 6100 psi after 28 days, it also is rated as a wear layer, and is OKed for warehouse duty, which is subject to hard tire lift truck wear. We have had great luck with it.

For patching, and ramping from 3" to feather edge, they make Mapecem Quickpatch, which has a 28 day compressive strength of 4000 psi. That might be the product for patching any areas you are grinding out. From there you can use any coating system you were planning on using in the first place. If you were just planning on going with a plain concrete look, you can coat the whole floor with Mapei Concrete Renew Fine, to even out the finish across the floor, and then seal it.