Repairing a Concrete Floor for a Comdominium Renovation

by Rebecca Wasieleski
Created: January 17, 2009

An 80-year-old concrete warehouse floor gets a new life thanks to a thorough repair and a decorative finish.

Instead of ripping out and replacing the 80-year-old concrete floor during the lobby renovation at the Opera Lofts condominiums, the general contractor chose a repair and wear topping system with a...
Instead of ripping out and replacing the 80-year-old concrete floor during the lobby renovation at the Opera Lofts condominiums, the general contractor chose a repair and wear topping system with a decorative finish.
Instead of ripping out and replacing the 80-year-old concrete floor during the lobby renovation at the Opera Lofts condominiums, the general contractor chose a repair and wear topping system with a...
Instead of ripping out and replacing the 80-year-old concrete floor during the lobby renovation at the Opera Lofts condominiums, the general contractor chose a repair and wear topping system with a decorative finish.
The specialty contractor who performed the repair and decorative work at the Opera Lofts used a shot blaster to prepare the 80-year-old concrete floor.
The specialty contractor who performed the repair and decorative work at the Opera Lofts used a shot blaster to prepare the 80-year-old concrete floor.
The specialty contractor who performed the repair and decorative work at the Opera Lofts used a shot blaster to prepare the 80-year-old concrete floor.
The specialty contractor who performed the repair and decorative work at the Opera Lofts used a shot blaster to prepare the 80-year-old concrete floor.
Level Set Primer is applied with a broom prior to the installation of the Level Set Wear Topping. Priming is required to ensure proper bond to the substrate.
Level Set Primer is applied with a broom prior to the installation of the Level Set Wear Topping. Priming is required to ensure proper bond to the substrate.

Repair, priming and wear topping application took place on Day 2. Wilson filled in the hairline static cracks and other floor imperfections with ProSpec's Feather Edge, a cement-based repair product with fine sands that has the consistency of peanut butter and dries within 30 minutes. Wilson then applied ProSpec's Level Set Primer. "The primer soaks into the concrete and gives the self-leveler something to bite on to so there's no delamination," Wilson explains.

"It's a latex concentrate, and because we had an open and porous substrate, the latex was the perfect product for that," Golter adds. "The primer is diluted 3 to 1 and used over the substrate for a tenacious bond."

After the primer dried, Wilson applied ProSpec's self-leveling Level Set Wear Topping, a product that can be used as either an overlayment or underlayment depending on the circumstances. He used a trailer-mounted mixer/pump which allowed him to open product bags and mix materials outside then pump the mixed material inside, avoiding dust and noise in the building.

Another gadget Wilson considers essential for a successful wear topping job is a simple laser that reads temperature. "I have a laser that takes the temperature of the material and floor. If you have a cold floor and warm material, you'll shock the floor. You want both the floor and material to be about the same temperature to avoid any delamination problems," he explains. Wilson suggests one way to keep your product from getting too hot is to keep bulk bags in the shade if you need to store them outside.

Wilson stained the floor on Day 3. He used a pump sprayer to apply the first coat of stain and a complimentary stain for the second coat to give the floor the look of aged leather. He allowed the acid stain to dry before he neutralized and washed the surface with baking soda, cold water and mops. He washed the area again, shop vacuumed it dry and allowed the floor to air dry overnight before sealing it.

On Day 4 Wilson applied the sealer and back rolled it assuring proper adhesion to the finish floor. He added a skid resistance product to the epoxy urethane coating. "Because of concern at the main entrance over rain and snow, we wanted to make sure we had a safe surface for residents and visitors," he says.

The four-day project was a success, offering a one-of-a-kind finish for a one-of-a-kind building and giving a historic slab of concrete a future to look forward to.