INTRO THE KEY TO INCREASING PROFITS IS THROUGH HIGH QUALITY WORK. What is Polished Concrete?

Transcription

1

2 INTRO We all know what polished concrete is even if we are not in the concrete industry. Many big box stores that we walk into have their floor polished rather than putting flooring or a coating down. There are many advantages to polished concrete as a flooring solution. One of the main advantages is the different type of looks you can create. As the industry for polished concrete has grown globally, more and more contractors are offering this as an option to their customers. As more customers see the potential of this flooring solution, the more competition will come into the market in order to get those jobs. So, how do you make your floors stand out? We will highlight 5 tips to help you increase profits through improving the quality of your floors, maximizing your tooling life, inspecting your slab and other key tips. THE KEY TO INCREASING PROFITS IS THROUGH HIGH QUALITY WORK What is Polished Concrete? Polished concrete is a process that involved using diamond tooling to polish an existing or new slab of concrete. The process is very similar to sand paper on wood. You use different grit levels that get finer as you move from step to step. This leaves a polished finish on the concrete that is then treated with chemicals to protect the polish. To get this effect, you need a planetary concrete grinder, diamond tooling and chemicals.

3 INSPECT THE SLAB BEFORE STARTING When polishing concrete, there are many variables that come into play. The best way to make sure that the final product is what you and the customer are looking for, you must understand what kind of slab you are working with. If you fail to do this, there is a chance that the final product will not look like you promised, resulting in unsatisfied customers and potentially more work for you. If you avoid doing work twice, you can increase your profits dramatically. What do you need to inspect? Hardness of the concrete Checking the PSI of the concrete will help you determine what kind of bond you need to use. If the slab is hard, you would need to use a soft bond so that the diamond is exposed quickly to open up the concrete. There are two main ways to check how hard the concrete it. The first is something called a scratch test. This is a kit that can be purchased which contains different tools used to create a faint scratch in the concrete. Depending on which tool shows a scratch determines how hard the concrete it. (This is the most economical option) Another popular way to test the hardness of a slab is by using a Rebound Hammer. This tool propels a rod against the concrete. This action reveals an R-number, which refers to the PSI of the slab. The higher R-number shown, the harder it is. Is there a coating that needs to be removed? This should be fairly obvious to spot but depending on the type of coating, your plan of attack needs to be well thought out. For example, if you have a very thick coating, you may need to remove it with PCD s. The issue with this is that the scratch pattern left by these tools can be difficult to remove in the polishing process because of the deep scratches it leaves. You may need to Shotblast the coating off first, then begin to polish. Grinding is not the only method of coating removal or surface prep. Depending on your situation, the method may change. Is the slab able to become what your customer is looking for? There is nothing worse than getting sold something that is not possible and finding it out when it is finished. Depending on the condition of the slab you re working on, some finishes may not be possible. If your customer is looking for a perfect polish, with evenly dispersed aggregate, but the slab is old, damaged and uneven, there is very little chance you can produce that without pouring an overlayment. Make sure that you really understand what end product your customer is looking for and be honest about what they can expect with the slab they have, or propose other options. Don't commit to something without really assessing what kind of concrete you are working with. YOU MUST UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF SLAB YOU ARE WORKING WITH.

4 CHOOSE THE RIGHT TOOLING This may seem like an obvious thing to pay attention to, but you would be surprised at how many people use the wrong tooling. If you have inspected your slab and understand all of the aspects we just talked about, you are well on your way to selecting the most effective tooling. What factors play into the type of tooling needed? Bond When grinding concrete, there are different types of bonds that are used, depending on the hardness or PSI of the slab. The bond is what wears away to expose the diamond to open up the concrete. After you have identified how hard or soft the concrete is, you will be able to select the appropriate bond. The part that confuses most people is the terminology around soft, medium, and hard bonds vs. soft, medium, or hard concrete. If your slab is hard, you would use a soft bond diamond. Confusing right? Well, not really. If the concrete is hard, it means that you want the diamonds in the metal bond to be exposed quickly so that it opens to concrete effectively. So a softer bond, exposes the diamond pieces in the metal bond quicker. The same concept works for soft concrete. You would use a hard bond on a soft slab so that you don't wear through your tooling so fast. The soft concrete doesn t need as much diamond exposure to open it up. If you choose the incorect bond, you can waste money and lose all of your profits on a job easily. To expose or not to expose Depending on the end product your customer is looking for determines what kind of tooling you need to use. If they are looking for the aggregate to be exposed, you will need to use metal bonds to make the aggregate visible, then use resins to polish. In other applications, like warehouses where they most likely won t need or want exposed aggregate because of the cost, you may be able to open up the floor with a transitional diamond instead. Coating If there is a coating down, you may need to add another removal step to begin the process of polishing the floor. There are different types of tooling for coating removal, such as PCD s and TCD s. Remember, as we stated above, these tools usually leave scratches in the concrete that are difficult to remove in the polishing process. If you are pouring an overlayment, this will not be an issue. Again, there are other ways than grinding to remove coating that do not leave scratches in the floor. Talk with the Bartell Global team if you have any questions about surface prep. THE RIGHT TOOLING CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OK & GREAT

5 CHOOSE THE RIGHT SPEED You should be using a variable speed planetary grinder / polisher when polishing concrete for the best results. Some people like to turn everything full speed because they believe it will result in higher production. This is just not true. Here is what speeds you should be running at and why. Grinding When you are grinding with metal bonds, PCD s or TCD s, you should be operating the machine around rpm. On the Innovatech Predator series, you should run it around the 4-6 speed setting. When you run the grinder too fast, you reduce your torque, and tend to not dig into the slab as effectively and can create more work for yourself. If you are glazing over the surface, you will need to go over the same spot more times to get an even scratch pattern. Polishing When you are using resins you should be running your machine a around rpm. On the Innovatech Predator series, you should run it around the 8-10 speed setting. This will help to really bring out the shine in the floor. You need the increased rpm in the polishing stages for the resins to preform at their best. FASTER IS NOT ALWAYS THE MOST EFFECTIVE OR PRODUCTIVE

6 POLISH DRY Not to say that polishing wet is worse or not an option, but we believe polishing dry is better in most situations for two main reasons. The first is that you are able to inspect the scratch pattern much easier. Think of it like this. When you go outside and spray water on your deck or patio, it looks spectacular. After you come back a few hours later and the water has dried up, you begin to see the imperfection much more clearly. The same applies to concrete. When the slab is wet, it is easy to miss scratch pattern imperfections because of the water masking it. When you a looking at a dry surface, it is easy to see the scratch pattern truthfully. The other reason we recommend dry polishing is because when water and concrete dust react, it create a product called slurry. Slurry is considered hazardous waste and needs to be disposed of properly. With a dust collector, concrete dust is captured and easily disposed of. This saves time and money in the long run. A good inspection of your slab before hand will allow you to identify which strategy is best for you. When working in some conditions or with certain materials, using water in your polishing process may be the correct option. THE MAIN POINTS BETTER VIEW OF THE SCRATCH PATTERNS DON T NEED TO DEAL WITH SLURRY INSPECT YOUR SCRATCH PATTERN When polishing, the different stages work similar to sand paper on wood. Each finer grit is used to take out the scratches of the previous step. It is important that you have an even scratch pattern before moving onto the next step so that your polish turns out evenly. If your scratch pattern is not even, you may need to go back over the entire area again.

7 WHO WE ARE The Bartell Family of Companies is a leading manufacturer of surface preparation equipment for the concrete industry. We specialize in manufacturing concrete grinders, shotblasters, scarifiers and floor strippers. Our equipment is designed to address the needs of professional contractors and the wide range of projects they work on. We design our machines for both small projects that require easy transportation and extreme maneuverability to larger machines that provide extremely high productivity output. Our equipment is designed to help the contractor get the job done quickly and efficiently. Design-Driven Machines Focused on the Contractor The Bartell Family of Companies has over 30 years experience in manufacturing contractor-focused equipment. Today thousands of concrete contractors over the world rely on their SPE equipment to get their job done right, done to spec, and done quickly. We Manufacture Equipment for: Floor Demolition Equipment We manufacturer both walk-behind and ride-on floor removal equipment for the professional contractor. Whether it is the removal of commercial VCT, carpet, ceramic tile or hardwood floor. Our machines are designed to be rugged, compact and highly maneuverable in tight quarters. Concrete Preparation Equipment We manufactures both high performance shotblasting equipment and planetary grinders that can not only remove epoxy coatings and concrete toppings but they can provide the right profile to provide the necessary bond for new applications. For concrete profile reduction projects like trip hazards, or concrete pours that need leveling our line of scarifiers provide the power and brawn needed to make light work of tough jobs. Concrete Polishing Equipment Concrete polishing requires equipment that can provide weight and variable head-speed to meet the various levels of finish that may be required for commercial floor finishing. We manufacture both 3 headed and 4-headed planetary grinders that provide professionals with the flexibility and weight and power they need to achieve amazing results. SEE NEXT PAGE FOR CONTACT DETAILS

8 MISSISSAUGA, ON LINCOLN, U.K. EVERETT, WA FREEHOLD, NJ EUROPE +44 (0) CANADA USA