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Super-thin concrete overlay gives you a fresh start.
Old, worn concrete floors can look smooth and new again with less time and effort than you might think. The key is to choose a concrete resurfacer that does its job with just a one-coat application, saving you both time and money.
Ed Grace and Rebecca Fuscardo of Peerless Concrete in West Virginia have been creating residential and commercial decorative flooring installations for 20 years. On a recent job, they applied H&C® Micro-Topping Concrete Resurfacer to an existing floor. "I wanted a product that would give us a smooth surface for the designs we were going to create," Grace says. "The H&C Micro-Topping is extremely smooth and tight."
Quick Facts: H&C® Micro-Topping
This thin cementitious topping for interior applications is a durable, cost-effective alternative to replacing old, worn concrete.
Patty Ramey, product expert with H&C Decorative Concrete Products, offers these insights for using the micro-topping:
Mix it easily and quickly by simply adding potable water — all other H&C Micro-Topping components are pre-blended in the bag.
Apply it in a single coat, as opposed to other thin overlays that are applied in two or three coats.
Use a trowel or squeegee to spread it over your floor.
When dry, the micro-topping will be smooth and white.
Apply a second coat, if necessary, after the first coat sets.
After the micro-topping dries, you can color it with H&C® Semi-Transparent Decorative Concrete Stain, H&C® Infusion Acid Stain or H&C® Acetone Dye Stain.
Once the colored surface is dry, add an H&C® Clear Sealer to create the look you want.
1. Repair and smooth old surface. The first step was to sand down any small bumps on the substrate so they wouldn't show through after the micro-topping went down. In this case, no more aggressive repairs to the existing slab were needed, but this would be the time to repair any cracks, spalling, holes and voids, and sand those areas as well.
2. Clean, clean, clean. Next, cleaning the floor thoroughly is critical to a successful project. "The substrate must be very clean," Grace says. "I used a 3:1 muriatic rinse to clean and neutralize the concrete." H&C® Concrete Etching Solution is also an effective choice.
3. Apply with ease. When he was certain the floor was smooth and clean, Grace and Fuscardo teamed up to lay down the micro-topping. "It goes down smooth and fast because of the thinness, so it helps to work with another person," Grace says. "However, it's very user-friendly and easy to move around, so you actually get a good amount of working time. It trowels nicely and the adhesion is fantastic. I found it's difficult to see where one bucket stops and another starts, which is especially nice if you're not putting colors over it or if you're using light colors."
4. Color and seal. Adding color, of course, is often the point of using a micro-topping. Grace says, "The H&C Micro-Topping accepts stains well. We waited 24 hours before we put on the stain, then let that set for two days to avoid any possibility of moisture problems before sealing."
For more details on the smooth, fresh looks you can achieve with H&C Micro-Topping, talk with your H&C sales rep or a sales person at your local Sherwin-Williams store. Find the most convenient location with our store locator.