Thank you for your follow-up post and response. Again, we are sorry if your original phone call with us did not go as smoothly as it perhaps could have. I also apologize the technical data sheet for the product may leave out some things for a DIYer doing a project for the very first time. As mentioned before in an earlier post, our documentation is written more for our main contractor customers as they represent 80% of our business. This would underscore another challenge we have in selling the TS210 product into the DIY market. Certain information not explicitly included in the data sheet is implied or inferred based on our contractor customers level of knowledge and experience. Perhaps this would be an area of improvement for us and is something we can possibly look into further. We just don't want to have multiple sets of data sheets as that would not be practical for us. We also don't want to have data sheets that are 10-12 pages long and certain info depending on the customer or application may still be left out. So, we try to keep to the industry standard of 2-4 pages long and write them in a manner that serves the needs for our main audience which is our contractor customers. Another option we have considered is just abandoning the DIY market altogether for our TS210 product and just make it available to the contractor market.
Perhaps part of the issue in your situation is definitional. In the world we operate in at least, we normally wouldn't use the term burnished to describe a smooth troweled concrete surface whether done by hand or by machine...not even a really slick finish that would come from a process in the industry called "burn" troweling where a contractor, more typically on a commercial floor, would use a very beefy power trowel and sometimes with weights placed on it. This technique uses multiple, aggressive passes with the machine trowel, often with a high blade pitch, to create a very smooth and hard surface. The end result with "burn" troweling still generally falls far short of a typical true burnished or polished surface in terms of smoothness, hardness, light reflectivity, etc.
In our parlance or jargon, burnished concrete is very different than standard machine troweled concrete and has a very specific meaning. This technique is not done as a final finishing technique like machine troweling is done when a slab is first installed. It is typically done at a later time and the starting point for the process is typically a standard machine troweled surface. This technique is not very common for residential or homeowner applications though. This technique is most commonly used on large industrial floors where a much smoother, denser, and harder surface with significant light reflectivity is desired. This technique is commonly specified by architects, design engineers, and specifiers for these floor applications. Burnishing is typically done with a very different piece of equipment than a standard machine trowel. The equipment involved calls for a very large high speed floor burnisher that is either propane powered or requires 3 phase power. They also generate a lot of heat and often times special guard like products formulated for burnished floors are then subsequently applied to the surface and then the material is burnished and buffed into the surface. Burnishing usually yields more of a true polished surface in a 1 step process compared to the more common multi step grind/ polish process (ex. 50 grit, 100 grit, 200 grit, 400 grit, 800 grit, 1500 grit, 3000 grit) that is used to a achieve a more traditional polished floor through grinding disks and resin polymer pads. For large industrial floors, floor burnishing is generally more practical, cost effective, and takes less time to achieve a "polished" floor result compared to the standard floor polishing process.
There is a lot of misinformation out on the internet about the differences between machine troweled, burnished, and polished concrete. Sometimes people, including smaller residential contractors, use information interchangeably which just adds to the confusion. The reason that the distinction on the type of surface is important is that while the TS210 is definitely a "go to" product for most machine troweled concrete surfaces and can often times be used on some light to mid burnished surfaces (ex. 400 to 800 grit). The TS210 may not always be the best option for highly burnished or highly polished surfaces though. The reason is that those types of floors just don't have the required absorbency that is needed for the TS210. Another constraint for highly burnished or highly polished floors is that the product is a matte finish and that undermines the light reflectivity and sheen customers appreciate with true burnished/ polished concrete. For these reasons, the special guard products referenced above or very low solids (10%-15%) polish guard type products that preserve or even add sheen might be more suitable. Examples of such are noted below:
https://prosoco.com/Content/Documents/Product/CD_LSGuard_PDS.pdf
https://prosoco.com/Content/Documents/Product/CD_PolishGuard_PDS.pdf
With your clarification in your response about actually having smooth troweled concrete and not what we would consider "true" burnished concrete as outlined above, here is a possible path forward for you...
1) Since you mentioned water did absorb into your surface in about 5 minutes and presumably darkened in color, your floor would likely be a candidate as is for the TS210 assuming there are not any other disqualifying issues that we are not aware of. The fact that all water didn't absorb into your surface until 8 minutes vs 5 minutes is not necessarily a huge cause for concern in our opinion.
2) When you do your water tests, we would recommend doing them in several different areas if you haven't already as different areas of your floor may have different absorbency rates. Perhaps conduct the water tests in 5-7 representative spots on the floor especially the ones that you believe are denser and smoother than other areas.
3) Primer coats referenced in the technical data sheet for the product, in our experience, are typically only really needed for light to mid burnished or polished surfaces (using definitions above) that are greater than the equivalent of 150-220 grit resin bond diamonds...for example, a floor that is the equivalent of 400 to 800 grit or so. However, for greater peace of mind, you could certainly do a primer coat even if not required. There really is no downside to doing one other than more product will be needed and more time will be involved on your part in completing your project.
4) If your water tests don't yield positive results or you still have some level of concern, etching your floor with a chemical etching agent might be an option to consider. This is normally not required for most standard smooth troweled concrete but we have had customers do this to minimize risk of any possible adhesion issues and to give themselves the best shot for success with their project. You would just need to rinse and neutralize the surface thoroughly before application of the TS210.
5) Because of your concerns, we would probably also recommend just buying a small quart size sample to test and evaluate the product before placing an order for material you would need for your full project. This is what our contractor customers almost always do for commercial applications. It helps them confirm adhesion, appearance, performance, and overall suitability of the product prior to proceeding with application of the product on their entire surface.
Yes, our stated coverage rates are 800 to 1000 sq ft per gallon for a single application and 400 to 500 sq ft per gallon for two applications which is what we require for best results. Yes, the primer coat could reduce absorbency of the surface leading to a better coverage on the first full application. However, there are too many variables involved to say exactly by how much.
With being a Newbie as you mentioned, we would not recommend that you use a sprayer. Our experience with the DIY market is that most DIYers do not have a good enough quality sprayer and usually don't have the spray technique of contractors which typically only comes through experience. Instead, we would recommend you working out of a roller tray and using a 1/4" thin nap roller for best results.
We would recommend that for best results that the air and slab temp be 70 degrees F or above. At that temp, we know the product will usually dry in the normal timeframes referenced on the tech data sheet. Temps below that like 60 degrees F for example can triple the dry times which is not advisable if it can be avoided. For best results, we would also recommend the applications being done the same day approximately 5 hours or so apart and once you have confirmed the previous application is dry to touch and tack free. If you feel that the 70 degrees F temp is not achievable or cannot be maintained for a period of time, we would highly recommend renting a space heater. People that do this generally keep the space heater going for 3 days....the day before, the day of, and the day after.
I hope this response answers all your questions and provides the necessary clarity you were looking for. I hope some of the additional detail I provided you on surface types is also helpful to you. I tried to be as detailed and thorough as possible. But, if you have any other questions, please let me know.
Cheers,
Christopher
