Watch the video of machine in action (same window)

The epoxy rubber floor had become a mess after only a year of use. Right from the start, the coating on the floor failed to perform. Some months after the original installation it started to retain dirt and ammonia odor. After trying numerous cleaners and cleaning processes, the floor was still dirty. This film build system was promised to not retain odor and wear “like iron.”

The Solution: This costly floor had become a thorn in the side of the owners, employees and the dogs. After exhausting research, the owner decided on a system that works from the concrete surface down (a dye and seal floor) and not a film build solution – which sticks to the top of the concrete and works up.

The first challenge: remove the epoxy rubber floor, and see what we have. Concrete Surface Techs did just that. We removed the rubber coating with our aggressive grinding equipment and experience. We quickly revealed the floor to find more challenges.

The concrete was poorly finished. The original installation contractor  for the concrete had left the surface rough and full of low and high areas. Large waves of raised concrete started to show themselves (and multiple truck loads of different add mixtures and different water ratios). Truly a hodge-podge of surfaces – which required considerable surface grinding to bring the floor to a monolific smooth surface ready for the new dye and seal system.

Customer Comments: “Now that’s a smooth floor!! ” – Owner
“The smell is gone, you removed 100′s of gallons of grinding dust.” – Owner
“Ruff ruff!! I see we have a new floor!” – Mikey (dog)

Mikey the Dog

This Minneapolis restaurant, at one time, had a unique floor surface with reflective glass inlays – an architectural feat and truly a “one of a kind.” After the original tenant had left, the new owners wanted a change –  a more modern look. The new tenants wanted to update the floor and remove what once was a very unique floor – this would require removing the inlays and repairing the floor.

The Solution: Concrete Surface Techs, equipped with jackhammers, spawling hammers and our quick-set patch material, made short order of this project. We removed the inlays and began to patch the areas. Once our patch material had cured, we removed the filling, and ground it smooth. At the end of the project, we delivered a smooth, monolithic floor.

Comments
New bar owner – “I can’t tell where you repaired the floor, but I can see a slight color difference. That is smooth.”

Watch the video of machine in action (same window)

With only a few years of normal wear and tear, this rubber floor had failed miserably as a waterproofing system. Originally, the home owner had trouble with water penetrating the spancrete, thus damaging the space below. Rubber seals are a common fix for this type of problem. Unfortunately, the rubber seal failed within a few years and allowed a significant amount of water to pass through the garage floor and end up in the bedrooms below – ruining everything – carpet, fixtures, walls and furniture.

The Solution: Grind it off. Concrete Surface Techs was hired to remove this rubbery failed material and the epoxy primer below. Next, Concrete Surface Techs would apply a permanent solution coating -  an elastomeric polyurea full-chip decorative coating system. This solution would be a permanent fix to water penetrating the surface.

Comments
Homeowner – “I’m so glad you got rid of that rubber floor, it only lasted a couple years, and I simply couldn’t get it clean. Nice job.”

After removing numerous floor finishes, the general contractor found several repairs, multiple levels of thin-set grouting and failing concrete patches. The contractor specifications were to set a new VC tile 12″ X 12″ on a level smooth concrete surface. After hours, jack hammering, hand-scraping and pounding with no results – the general contractor explored new options. Gypcrete overlays were priced out at many of thousands of dollars and days of the labor. The general contractor also looked into thin-setting the whole floor – but found that both options were not economocially viable.

The Solution: Concrete Surface Techs had a different option – grind off the bad material down to a smooth monolific ready for the new flooring system – all done in one day and virtually dust free and a fraction of the cost of other options.

Comments
Superintendent - “You saved us thousands and days on our already tight schedule, thanks for the quick response and the help.”

After the fixture demo was completed, the owners found a poorly finished light weight concrete floor that looked like the waves on Mille Lacs lake on a windy day. The owner’s specifications was to install a wood engineered glue direct pre-finish oak floor system. The installer required a smooth level surface to glue his material directly to. All the unlevel surfaces to be ground smooth – ready for his installation.

The Solution:  Concrete Surface Techs was called in on short notice to fix the floor so the wood engineered floor could be installed on-time. After just one day, we delivered a smooth, monolific surface – including all repairs, ready for an early morning installation the next day.

Comment
Wood floor installers – “Now that’s flat! How did you repair those big holes and get it so flat? This saves us countless hours on installation.”

Watch the video of machine in action (same window)

After removing all the existing interior walls, and re-configuring it for ADA requirements, this floor had been re-done 3 or 4 times past, without removing the previous tile mastic. The goal was to smooth the surface, so it would be ready for a quarry tile application.

The Solution: Concrete Surface Techs, equipped with our state of the art concrete grinding equipment, vacs and tooling, and a lot of experience with removal of this type of thin-set started the job. These floors are known to be extremely hard, rough and stubborn for removal. This particular one had numerous adhesives and the notched trawl used on the last application was a 1/4″ deep. After one day, CST had removed 4 layers of tile mastic to expose the raw concrete below. The next day, the general contractor tiled the floor.

Comments
Tile installer – “Now that you ground that smooth, my tiles can be set level, that saves me a tremendous amount of time and material, and gives it a professional look. Can you do this every time?” – Yes.

The floor was a newly placed concrete floor. The customer wanted a polished concrete specification to expose the aggregate of the concrete floor. Here’s how you expose aggregate:  first you mill off 3/16″ with a self propelled milling machine. Next, you have to cut what the machine leaves – which we call “quarter-roy.”  The challenge becomes: how do you get these tailings removed?

The Solution: After days of frustration with little results by the general contractor trying to remove the tailings, we got a call at Concrete Surface Techs. With our advanced Prep Perfect System, vacs and tooling removed the quarter-roy at a blistering pace providing a perfectly finished exposed aggregate floor.

Comments
Concrete Polisher and crew – “You saved us 3 agonizing days of labor. We can now deliver on-time. Thank you.”

Watch the video of machine in action (same window)

After removing the old and outdated carpet the general contractor found this heavy, dense, 1/4″ thick black carpet pad – which was glued down directly to the concrete below. After hours of hand scraping, pulling off small pieces, and a full day of labor cost – they simply gave up.

The required finish for this floor was a clear sealed warehouse-type low maintenance floor system and the general contractor was far from meeting this requirement.

The Solution: Concrete Surface Techs with the right equipment, tooling, and experience was able to meet these expectations. The rubber pad was removed in a matter of minutes, vac’d up and scooped up and sent to the dumpster. Now the surface was ready for additional grinding and prep.

Comments
Lead Carpenter/ Superintendant – “That was the toughest stuff I’ve ever seen. We fought that floor for a whole day, and you did it in 10 minutes.”

After demolition from an unknown number of tenants and owners, the mess of the floor was found -100′s of holes, large tool joints, spawled out areas, random cracks, dirt and grime. The goal: This area was to be a production work area. The owner’s specifications – smooth, no holes, easy broom-clean and no trip hazards for a safe work environment.

The Solution: Concrete Surface Techs partnered with the general contractor, set forth a plan to remove enough surface to satisfy the owner’s requirements. This integral red colored concrete was poured in the mid-70′s and something clearly went wrong. All the joints and repairs were grouted in and ground smooth and clear sealer was applied.

Comments
Superintendent -  ”I’m amazed at how much material you took off the floor to get level.  It looks consistent and ready for service.”

The new tenant’s specifications were “Clear coat, warehouse work surface.” After considerable construction delays, the general contractor used an off-road lift to install the steel ceiling inside the building – leaving the floor, littered with black tire marks from the lift. The owner took posession of the building and found the disaster.

After trying, buffers, chemicals, detergents, harsh solvents, and two days of work – the tire marks remained.

The Solution: Topical grind and reseal. Concrete Surface Techs was contracted to remove the tire marks and restore the surface to a “Like-New” concrete finish and seal with clear coats.

Comments
Owner – “I couldn’t get the marks off, and now the floor looks brand-new.”
Tenant – “It looks like how it should, before the tire damage.”