“Concrete Resurfacing” or a “Concrete Overlay”, is a very durable, versatile and hard-wearing product used to resurface concrete for both interior and exterior applications. It is made up of high strength cement, selected sands and top quality polymer resins and is a permanent surface. Unlike other topical coatings which can flake and wear off in a short space of time. There are many brands on the market under different labels, but they all do pretty much the same thing. At OSM Concrete we are experienced in most of the brands available.
With Concrete Resurfacing, the design possibilities are HUGE.
THE PROCESS
As the products are applied as a liquid, we can manipulate them to mimic a lot of other traditional and higher-end finishes. Architects and designers are now turning their attention to concrete resurfacing as an alternative to surfaces such as segmental paving, natural stone, exposed aggregate, tiles, other decorative concrete finishes. With an array of vivid colour options designed by the suppliers to match what is used with other product lines such as roofing, garage doors, aluminium and paint finishes, you can design your concrete to really blend with what you have already used on your project.
CRACKS CAN BE FIXED CAN'T THEY???
YES AND NO... IT'S A BIT COMPLICATED
Cracks in concrete can be caused by many reasons including:- Lack of expansion joints installed at the time of placing Ground settlement and movement from underneath the slab. This could be from numerous causes including tree roots, broken pipes and tremors from traffic just to name a few. Drying shrinkage Thermal expansion / contraction Lack of reinforcement or adequate grade concrete strength When concrete cracks structurally, it is essentially broken in two along the crack. Once it has opened, there is no cost-effective or full-proof system that has been developed that can join and hold slabs together
LOOK AT IT LIKE THIS...
If you have half a slab that weighs up to several tonnes on either side of a crack, would super glue (that's basically what an epoxy is) be able to hold it together if they pulled apart? Highly unlikely!
Cracks can be filled using high strength epoxy resins and other systems available, and in many cases, the filled cracks will never re-appear. Unfortunately, we can't give any sort of guarantee that the cracks will not re-appear. Please, take a wander around your street. How many driveways can you see without cracks??? But there is hope... See our random flagstone design below.
DESIGN OPTIONS
Resurfacing products can be coloured to suit your needs and because they are applied as a liquid, can be manipulated to create different textures and looks. Patterns can be added to the surface and secondary colouring techniques can even be added to give an antiqued look. There are endless possibilities that can be achieved with the right tools and experience that we at OSM Concrete bring to the table.
TILED AND BRICK PATTERNS - CUSTOM MOTIFS & LOGOS - SLATE AND WOOD GRAIN TEXTURES THEY CAN ALL BE ACHIEVED USING CONCRETE RESURFACING
PREPARATION AND SUBSTRATE
Although we can resurface most concrete surfaces, they still have to be sound enough for the product to adhere to. Some surfaces will be too damaged for the product to be a viable option while others will need a lot of preparation work in order to have the surface to an adequate profile for permanent adhesion. There is no point in applying your new surface just to have it come off because of inadequate inspection and preparation prior to application! The preparation of the existing concrete will vary depending on the existing finish that is there. These will vary in the amount of time and equipment that needs to be used, which ultimately affects the cost of the project. - With flat surfaces that are not sealed and do not have heavy oil and contaminants, a pressure clean and etching will do. - With sealed surfaces, typically they will be ground mechanically.
- For heavily textured surfaces that have been sealed (such as stamped and some stencilled concrete) it will need to be sandblasted to remove the sealer,
With a site visit, we can determine which option will be needed. Rest assured, we will look for the most cost-effective and fastest one available.
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