CONCORD FLOORS
Quotes for floor concrete polishing, grinding, sealing and levelling please call 0412 740 200 FROM 9.00am- 8.00pm
floor levelling, self leveling concrete, grinding, polishing in Caroline Springs, Derrimut
The importance of floor levelling a floor prior to installation of flooring cannot be overstated. Prior to installation of a new flooring system except, in most cases for carpet, will require floor preparation.
With floors that aren't level, bending and buckling of flooring materials that are top of the subfloor, is more likely to occur. Many people who install new flooring in their home or commercial buildings neglect to
inspect the levelling of their concrete subfloor as they don't appreciate its importance, and this in most cases has their concrete slab with uneveness. Prior to a new flooring system installation, always insist
that correct floor preparation is undertaken whatever the floorcovering. A level floor being the foundation of the flooring, will cause less stress on the materials in use above it and prevent any damage to it.
In addition, the flooring may squeak or bounce when it's being walked on. It is precisely this bouncing and squeaking of floorboards that has put of a lot of people off buying laminate or timber laminate, engineered
flooring. And yet the solution to this problem is found in the floor levelling.
With hybrid floating floors, floorlevelling is especially important. If the floor is uneven the locking system that holds the boards together can fail and thereby ruin the whole floor.
subfloor
In order to arrive to a level substrate floor for the base of the floor covering for the best support, one must firstly inspect the subfloor. Subfloors onto which floorcoverings are to be installed are of various types and are as follows.
Timber boards or particle boards. They can be dried-out and uneven, having being down for a long time.
Timber boards or particle boards with another layer of masonite or plywood on top with either vinyl or ceramic tiles on top.
Bare concrete slab with a smooth level surface.
Bare concrete slab with a rough level surface or pitted surface or pitted and wet and damp surface.
levelling a timber or particle board subfloor floor
particle board flooring in which the cupping joint edges have been sanded flat to make an even flooring. A straight edge is being used to check the floor levellness.
an edge sander, the machine for sanding off particle board cupping edges. It is standard practice by good builders to routinely sand the edges of particle boards
to make the floor more even and if carpet is being installed afterwoods to avoid seeing lines in the carpet.
a room and its floor where the whole room's floor has been sanded to flatten the cupping particle board edges. This is preparation for the floor to receive
laminate flooring on top of it. The house is in Werribee and the preparation work was done by Concord Floors.
rooms where the left side of the floor is higher than the right side and to make it level packing has been used as ramping to bridge the height
between the two levels and then the floor was sanded. The house is in Werribee and the preparation work was done by Concord Floors.
a room with a difference in floor levels in the same room. A floor levelling compound has been used to bridge the differnce. The building is a medical clinic in Broadmedows and
the work was done by Concord Floors.
the floor has then been sheeted over with plywood underlay to make it level for the vinyl planks which were installed. The building is a medical clinic in Broadmeadows and
the work was done by Concord Floors.
the installation of vinyl plank flooring follows the levelling process. The building is a medical clinic in Broadmeadows and the preparation work and vinyl installation
was done by Concord Floors.
the whole floor floor must be levelled. The building is a medical clinic in Broadmeadows and the work was done by Concord Floors.
self leveling concrete
The majority of people when it comes to flooring installation in their home or commercial building omit to do an analysis of the levelling requirements of their concrete subfloor which is the foundation of their flooring project.
So flooring materials are installed on an uneven subfloor which almost always has errors and comprising of dips and high spots or crowns. It is sensible practise before installing your new flooring system, to make the floor even and smooth
by taking out these dips and crowns. Your new flooring system needs a clean, smooth, and porous slab to bond to. Any glue or cement residue or any minor bumps in the slab left between the concrete will affect the quality and durability
of the new floor covering which is being installed and may result in the flooring system that you are installing failing.
It is unreasonable to expect floor installers to deliver to you a proper job on which they can give you a warranty or even for them to do your project if you have not had the concrete ground down. Concrete grinding is an eessential part of the project
to remove any glue residue, paint, and to even up your floor so that you don't have trip hazards in the finished floor and to enable a clean installation of your new flooring system. It is mandatory if the floors are going to be polished,
or have vinyl installed on top of it. Polishing exposes the concrete subfloor and you will lose some of the concrete's beauty if the floor is not properly prepared.
Concrete grinding the floors prior to the application of all flooring materials, is the single biggest way to ensure the longevity of the floors as well as to ensure that you get your warranty from the contractor that you chose
to install your flooring system. Prior residues on a concrete slab especially must be removed as levelling compounds will fail to bond correctly with your concrete slab. So it is essential to not skip Concrete Grinding.
Where you choose to omit the concrete diamond grinding pocedure you can't count on and contractors' warranties on their workmanship. So refunds, free repairs or replacements are out of the question for you.
Concord Floors are experts in floor preparation. We provide for you people who who know their job at removing floor coverings, adhesives, and compounds that make the surface uneven and difficult to reinstall a new underlay or flooring system too.
Our service is designed to provide a completely smooth and clean surface for our customers to do what they want. Our friendly team of experts is ready to assess your situation and consult with you on the best way to proceed with your Concrete Grinding project.
Floor Levelling may not seem like an important step when putting in new flooring. However, the concrete that acts as a base for your flooring can often have high or low points which means your concrete is not completely smooth.
Our work below which show some of the principles levelling, grinding and sealing a concrete floor.
upon close examination Concord Floors came to the conclusion the floor required no levelling as the floor was level enough and as carpet tiles were installed on top of the concrete slab.
The building is in central bussiness district of Melbourne and the preparation work and the tile installation was done by Concord Floors.
this floor needed to have big holes in the concrete filled (black marks at the edge of the rooms) and simply vaccuumed. No further preparation work was needed
as the floor was level enough and as carpet tiles were installed on top of the concrete slab. This building is in Laverton North and the preparation work and the tile installation was done by Concord Floors.
this floor needed diamond grinding as the old vinyl had water seeping underneath it. The old glue needed to be removed. The job was in a church in Hoppers Crossing and preparation
work and the vinyl installation was done by Concord Floors.
the floor was ground down flat, the old vinyl glue removed, and room corners prepared for coving fillets. The job was in a church in Hoppers Crossing and preparation
work and the vinyl installation was done by Concord Floors.
the moisture barrier is being applied. This will stop any moisture coming up from the concrete and forming bubbles under the new vinyl installation. The job was in a church in Hoppers
Crossing and preparation work and the vinyl installation was done by Concord Floors.
the primer is being applied prior to the floor leveller. The job was in a church in Hoppers Crossing and preparation
work and the vinyl installation was done by Concord Floors.
the floor leveller is being applied after the primer has been applied and has dried. The job was in a church in Hoppers Crossing and preparation
work and the vinyl installation was done by Concord Floors.
the levelling compound has being fully spread across the entire room making the floor flat and level. The job was in a church in Hoppers Crossing and preparation
work and the vinyl installation was done by Concord Floors.
the primer compounds. The job was in a church in Hoppers Crossing and preparation
work and the vinyl installation was done by Concord Floors.
coving fillets are being installed. The job was in a church in Hoppers Crossing and preparation
work and the vinyl installation was done by Concord Floors.
vinyl is being coved up the wall. The job was in a church in Hoppers Crossing and preparation
work and the vinyl installation was done by Concord Floors.
the finished job with the vinyl fully installed. The job was in a church in Hoppers Crossing and preparation
work and the vinyl installation was done by Concord Floors.
self leveling compound
If it is a concrete floor the after a good scrub or grinding and clean, most of the time a concrete primer is applied to seal the concrete and be a base onto which the self leveling compound can adhere to.
When a primer is applied the bond between the self leveling compound and the concrete is many times stronger than without it. There are many choices on offer in the market for these primers. Consult with the seller
which ones are compatible with the self leveling compound that will be going on top of it. Once you have applied a coat of primer onto the concrete floor it will take about 5 hours to dry befor you can apply
a coat of self leveling compound.
After the primer has dried apply the self leveling compound. The self leveling compound is in powder form, mix it with water pour it onto the concrete and let it run on its own.
Below are pictures of some primers and self leveling compounds.
a tub of primer made by ardex.
a tub of primer made by mapei.
a bag of self leveling compound made by ardex.
a bag of self leveling compound made by sika.
floor concrete polishing
There are occuptional health and safety (OHS) issues involved in this excercise of floor concrete polishing. The ISSUES are: the protection of your lungs from dust (you must wear a mask), eyes
(you must wear eye protection) and hands (you must wear a gloves).
The machinery and equipment profile: metal bond tools and resin bond tools, the vaccuum system (the vaccuum itself, the wand and the hose), the concrete grinder, concrete hardness scratch testers
To keep the dust down to a minimum while sanding the grinder has a dust skirt that attaches to the vaccuum system. This skirt is adjusted to be as close to the floor as possible while the grinding
and polishing processes are taking place.
floor concrete polishing procedure
The hardness of the concrete surface is to be measured with a scratch test using a small steel pick manufactured for this purpose. On the results of this test the rating of the metal bond tool to be applied
is to be selected. The appropriate metal bond tool is then fitted to the grinder and the dust shirt is attached to the vaccuum hose and the grinding first pass is done. To keep the dust level down
and to stop the grinder from leaving dust on the ground frequently check on the filters of the vaccuum cleaner.
After the first pass or cut with an on average 30/40 grit tool the floor will look good. A second cut is done with a finer tool, 70/80 grit. At this stage concrete cracks might appear. These cracks can be
filled and subsequently filled with a concrete repair filler. These repairs are then sanded back.
The second cut with the 70/80 tool will leave behind scratch marks which need to be removed. A third pass is then made with a finer transition tool of grading 100 grit.
The floor now looks perfect and as the top of the surface of the concrete slab has been ground off this surface is now soft and porous and it needs to be hardened. This is done with liquid lithium silica densifiers.
The densifier is sprayed onto the concrete and spread with a microfibre applicator. The amount used should be enough until the concrete rejects any more at the 20 to 30 minute time from time of first application.
A fourth pass is now done using a 200/400/800 grit tool. This will buff the floor and give it your desired sheen from dull with 200 grit to gloss with 800 grit.
The final step is the add the floor protection liquid sealer. the process here is the same as with the densifier. Two light coats are all that is needed and care must be exercised not to use exesive amounts.
Allowe 3 days for the sealer to cure before using the floor.
firstly the concrete floor is ground with a diamond concrete grinder
sanding the dry and cured densifier with a 88 grit tool
completed job with a high sheen and an application of sealer.
on decorative concrete completed polishing job with a high sheen and an application of sealer