If you equip a concrete floor using technology, it will be distinguished by durability and reliability. This base is a practical floor covering and can itself act as an exploited surface.
Dust removal
In the process of using the concrete floor, you can notice one drawback, which is expressed in the formation of a large amount of dust. In industrial premises, it can become a serious problem, expressed in explosion hazard.
Any person who has had at least a little experience in construction and repair work can independently de-dust the concrete floor . To do this, there are many techniques that can be used in combination or separately.
Causes of dust during the operation of concrete floors
Before dusting a concrete floor, you can get acquainted with the characteristics of such a foundation, which lead to negative consequences. The reasons lie in the structural structure of the hardened concrete. This conglomerate mixture contains various materials that differ in size and chemical composition. The crystalline silicate lattice formed during the maturation of cement stone is intersected by coarse fragments of insoluble gravel and sand filler.
If you look at a section of concrete under a microscope, you can see pronounced porosity - from microscopic to large pores that are filled with a gel cement substance, water and air. They have many chemically active, unrelated substances that are unnecessary ballast and cause erosion processes, which is especially true for the upper layers, which are characterized by low strength. If you study the characteristics of concrete in more detail, you will be able to understand that in the process of maturing the composition, cement milk comes to the surface, which, when solidified, forms an unstable layer, which is the main source of dust formation.
Solution
In order to exclude these processes, the surface can be strengthened or the top unstable layer can be removed. Sometimes it is associated with additional crystalline formations or a polymer structure. This leads to three approaches to solving the described problem: surface hardening using topping application technology, treatment with impregnation or grinding. In order to achieve the most positive result, quite often technologies are used comprehensively.
Topping
Dust removal of concrete floors can be done by topping, which is very similar to ironing. The last of these technologies involves rubbing dry cement into uncured concrete. The essence of topping is almost the same, but instead of cement, a multicomponent mixture is used, acting as a hardener. Among the ingredients can be identified high-quality Portland cement, fine-grained filler and chemical additives. The surface layer after completion of such work is more durable. If dusting the concrete floor is carried out using the topping method, you can change the color of the surface to make it yellow, gray, blue, black, brown, red or green.
The choice of material for topping
Depending on the fillers, the compositions for topping are divided into several groups: metallized, corundum and quartz. The latter variety is inexpensive and the most common. These mixtures include fillers in the form of silica sand, well cleaned during production. Additionally, decorative elements painted with colored pigments can be used. Quartz topping increases the strength of the surface by 1.5 times, this is enough for the long-term operation of floors exposed to medium stress.
By visiting the building materials store, you will realize that quartz topping is universal. It is universally used in warehouses, educational institutions, workshops, hotel halls and shopping centers. If we are talking about living space, then quartz topping is perfect for conditions with high humidity and heavy load. Corundum hardeners are more effective, which increase the floor resistance to mechanical loads by 1.8 times, and by 2 times to abrasion. The composition contains a filler in the form of corundum chips, which is resistant to abrasion and abrasion. It gives the surface a matte sheen.
Topping technology
If you decide to dust the concrete using the topping method, you should be aware that the technology is complex and requires experience. In the event of errors, cracking, abrasion of the upper layer and peeling of the crust can be observed. This technique can be applied only on high-quality reinforced concrete floors poured with M-300 grade. The mixture of the rough base should set, but not have time to harden. As a rule, such work begins 8 hours after completion of installation. Imprints should be left on the base of the floor, the depth of which does not exceed 5 millimeters.
Methodology
The hardener crumbles over the surface, which should be 65% of the total volume. It should be distributed manually or using a loose trolley. When the mixture is saturated with moisture, the concrete surface must be treated with a trowel. The composition is rubbed into the base until completely absorbed. Then you can start applying to the surface the remaining part of the topping in the amount of 35%. These manipulations should be carried out slowly, so that moisture still remains.
The next step will be grouting the surface, and after 2 hours it will be necessary to grind the machines. This will form a matte gloss on the surface. Together with topping, a coating for concrete is used in the form of a special impregnation - curing. In order to exclude the formation of cracks during the drying process, the surface must be covered with plastic wrap. After 24 hours, when the concrete hardens, you need to make seams using a carver or a grinder with a diamond disk. As a rule, they have the appearance of a square with a side of 6 meters and a depth of 1/3 of the thickness of the plate. The width should be about 15 millimeters. After 28 days, the joints should be filled with polyurethane sealant.
Dust removal of a floor by quick-hardening structure
When consumers visit a building materials store with the goal of purchasing floor dedusting products, they often pay attention to bulk floors. If you also decided to use this technique, then you should become more familiar with the technology. It provides preliminary priming, which will prevent air from entering the bulk floor and prevent the formation of bubbles. The application of this composition is carried out on a clean surface using a roller, and in order to improve adhesion to the self-leveling floor, fine-grained clean sand should be poured onto the still-not-dried soil.
At the next stage, you can fill in a quick-hardening self-leveling floor, which consists of the base and finish layers. In the first case, the thickness should be a limit of two to three millimeters. Application should be started 12 hours after priming. This is true for polyurethane floors. If you have chosen an epoxy floor, then you need to wait 17 hours. A day after applying the base, you can begin to fill the finish layer, its thickness will vary from 1 to 2 millimeters. In order for the quick-hardening bulk floor to have a shine, it is recommended to complete the installation with a thin layer of polyurethane varnish.
The use of impregnation
The concrete characteristics described above allow the foreman to understand even before the arrangement of such a floor that during operation it will be a source of dust formation. That is why technology should be chosen to prevent this nuisance. As an alternative solution, you can use the impregnation, which are applied to a durable and prepared floor. To do this, the surface is repaired with epoxy putty, and is also freed from exfoliating elements and debris. To fight dust, you can use a construction vacuum cleaner, only after that it is recommended to start applying the impregnating composition. Deep impregnation for concrete is applied in strips, leveled with brushes or squeegees.