When relocating Laurie’s Hair & Spa, the owner wanted to refurbish the existing floor before move-in. She looked at various durable, low maintenance, yet high-end options. The decision to install a polished concrete floor was based on how appealing the floor could look, while meeting the owner’s maintenance requirements.
When work began, the existing floor covering was removed from the 27-yearold floor. The floor below had no joints and was severely cracked and spalled. Time was of the essence – the grand opening date had already been set and there was no time to remove, re-pour and polish a new slab. To solve this within the time frame, it was necessary to stabilize the existing subgrade by repairing the cracks and adding new relief joints. Using an STI 30/30 with STI 10 segment metal bond diamond tooling, the existing slab was prepped and leveled. A new surface was poured using CTS Cement’s Rapid Set TRU® Self Leveling, a self-leveling cement for high-performance floor topping, underlayment and resurfacing projects.
Then it was seeded with mirrors, as well as amber, red and yellow aggregates.
The next day, decorative saw cuts were scored, and the honing and polishing process began. Ameripolish OS Dye and RetroPlate 99 Densifier were used in the process, along with STl’s FL-07 Series diamond tooling. The owner then requested a decorative design be added to the floor surface.
In the spirit of the approaching Mother’s Day, and because the owner is a mother of five, the chosen design was an 11-foot display of Mother’s Day roses with angel wings embracing the long stems. The mural was scored into the floor and the 3-D effect was brought to life with varying dyes and pigments.
Harry Gressette of Ardor Solutions was awarded a 2012 Polished Concrete Award from the International Concrete Polishing & Staining Conference and Concrete Surfaces magazine for the floor at Laurie’s Hair & Spa. Gressette has a CPAA Master Craftsman certification, which supplied him with the knowledge and expertise to tackle the difficult flooring surprises in the project. while still meeting the grand opening deadline. The resulting design was not compromised either – the award bestowed on Gressette also signifies the beauty and artistic quality obtained. In addition to being a Master Craftsman, Gressette is a founding member of the Concrete Polishing Association of America.
Written by: Kari Moosmann. Kari Moosmann is senior editor of Polishing Inc and AEC manager of Constructive Communication Inc. She can be reached at kmoosmann@ constructivecommunication. com.
CTS Cement Manufacturing Corp. is the leading manufacturer of advanced calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement technology in the United States. Our Komponent® and Rapid Set® product lines are renowned for proven performance, high quality, and exceptional service life. Contact CTS Cement for support on your next project.
Call 1-800-929-3030
Original publication: Moosmann K. (2013, Spring). Difficult Floor Renovation Comes Up Roses. Concrete Polishing Association, 27-28.
