When Hardy World LLC developed two old buildings in downtown Pittsburgh into a single residential community, new tenants were allowed to choose from several finishing flooring. Four chose polished concrete. Instead of polishing portland cement concrete, Wexford Contracting installed fast-setting TRU® PC, an architectural topping with aggregate that looks like polished concrete but can be ground wet or dry and polished in 24 hours.
When renovating its Manhattan headquarters, the National Basketball Association sought an aesthetically pleasing and durable walking surface that would reflect its status as one of North America’s four major professional sports leagues. Rapid Set® TRU® PC’s outstanding clarity and gloss is reflecting well on the organization.
American fast casual restaurant committed to eco-friendly construction chooses eco-friendly TRU® PC polished concrete floor made with Rapid Set® calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement, which emits about a third less carbon dioxide during manufacturing than portland cement. Other Rapid Set® products used were Acrylic Primer, LevelFlor® and TXP™ epoxy primer.
An award-winning Chicago flooring contractor used TRU(R) PC self-leveling overlay to restore two of United Airline's 19 floors in North America's third-tallest building. The general contractor was so pleased with the result that Menconi won the contract for restoring the remaining 17 floors.
TRU PC and TXP Fast Epoxy Primer were used at American Eagle Outfitters' design center and retail location. The floors were polished to an 800-grit finish.
The showroom's aging floor needed a facelift. TRU PC provided high strength and durability, and achieved the desired glossy appearance. TXP Fast Epoxy Primer and TRU PC Spiked Roller were also used.
The crew was able to overlay an older floor to make it look like new with TXP Fast Epoxy Primer, TRU PC, and TRU PC Spiked Roller were used. The TRU PC overlay was polished in 1 day.
120,000 sq ft of polishable concrete overlay was installed in the Walmart Supercenter. TRU® PC Polished Concrete, TXP™ Fast Epoxy Primer, and TRU® PC Spike Roller were used.
The atrium floor is embellished with a large UC Bearcats logo. LevelFlor was used as the underlayment and TXP Fast Epoxy Primer, TRU PC, TRU Self-Leveling, and TRU PC Spiked Rollers were used to create the polished concrete overlay.
The floors of Gucci's offices and showroom were renovated by first leveling the surface, then installing a polished concrete overlay. Rapid Set® Acrylic Primer, Cement All®, LevelFlor®, TRU® PC Polished Concrete, and TRU® PC Spike Roller were used.
NASA wanted an easy to maintain floor that would withstand the test of time. Work was completed in 5,000 square foot sections to keep part of the cafeteria opened during the day. TXP Fast Epoxy Primer, TRU PC Polished Concrete and TRU PC Spiked Roller were used.
Nearly 54,000 sq ft of stained, polished concrete overlay was installed in two retail locations. Acrylic Primer and LevelFlor were used to level the substrate in one location. TXP Fast and TRU PC were used in both locations to create the polished concrete overlay. Grinding started the next day in both jobs.
This retail project called for 12,000 square feet of polished concrete flooring. After priming with TXP Fast, contractor CCI Flooring installed TRU PC at 1/2-inch thickness. Grinding was able to start the next day. The crew diamond-polished the floor to an 800-grit medium-sheen finish.
TXP Fast Epoxy Primer was used to prevent pinholes and create a strong adhesive grip for the overlay. Then Hippo Mixers were used to mix TRU PC with dye to match the company's branded color. The overlay was poured in 5,000 square-foot sections at 3/8 inch thick while the store remained open throughout the project.
The build-out of Amazon's new office space called for polished concrete floors on the fifth floor and the 22nd floor, for a total of 10,000 square feet. TXP Epoxy Primer was applied to the substrate first, followed by TRU PC. The TRU PC Spiked Roller was also used.
The University of Cincinnati renovated the 1819 Innovation Hub. LevelFlor, TRU PC, and TRU Self-Leveling were used to renovate the 40,000 sq ft floor.
Contractors often face challenges when asked to produce a uniform appearance in a polished concrete overlay. To achieve consistency in each project, here are the three necessary steps to take before grinding and polishing.
To ensure decorative overlayments achieve performance and aesthetic expectations, compressive, tensile and flexural strengths must be evaluated as a whole. Together, they provide a more comprehensive analysis of overall performance. This approach help architects and specifiers meet and exceed performance and aesthetic expectations in polished overlay designs.
The build-out of Michaels included replacing 18,900 sq ft of cracked, uneven flooring with polished concrete. It took two weeks to complete surface prep, the overlay application and polishing, which was almost three times faster than tearing out the floor and replacing it. Products used include TRU PC and TXP Fast Epoxy Primer.
Home Depot needed a showroom floor in a short amount of time. This fast-track project used fast-setting products to transform an old, wavy concrete slab into high-sheen flooring. The project team used a high performance cementitious topping that could be easily polished to a high sheen. Products used include TRU PC and TXP Epoxy Primer.
Thin coatings that can be polished work wonders on floors new and old. But applying them right takes know-how.
One of many reasons polished concrete toppings are popular as a finished floor system for both damaged floors and new construction is customers want polished concrete without all the flaws showing up in the finished floor. Placing and polishing a concrete overlay requires a great deal of attention and more coordination than polishing an existing slab. Here are a few tips when taking on an overlay-polishing job.
22,000 square feet of flooring at Lane Community College's Center for Learning and Student Success topped with Rapid Set TRU PC. Products used include TXP Epoxy Primer, LevelFlor, Acrylic Primer, and TRU PC. The finished building was built to LEED Silver certification standards.