Decorative Treatments for Concrete Floors: A ... - PaintSquare

24Polished concrete floors provide amore sustainable built environment,produce a variety of aesthetic effects,and offer a low-cost maintenanceoption for flooring.Photos courtesy ofL&M Construction Chemicals.tensive use of water during the grinding process and multiple applications of a chemicaldensifier, and generate concrete slurry. This wet paste can present disposal issues andbring into play environmental-compliance requirements. Slurry cannot simply bewashed down a sanitary sewer; EPA regulations require the containment of concretewashout.In addition, the building team has to anticipate spending more time and money forwet-grind floor resurfacing and the accompanying waste disposal. This could become asignificant factor in delivering a project on time and within budget.A polished concrete floor system, when viewed as a whole, canhelp provide opportunities for increasing the energy efficiency withina building envelope. A polished concrete floor can also allow for a reductionin the use of interior lighting fixtures due to the floor’s highgloss and reflectivity. This reduces initial construction cost and lowerslong-term energy requirements. A shake-on pigment can be addedafter the slab pour and before the polished concrete floor is installedfor even higher reflectivity.Simply put, with more light reflected in the space, less artificiallighting is needed as the floor helps maximize existing light from fixturesand any natural daylight reaching the floor.Energy efficiency also is enhanced by the thermal mass of the concretefloor. In colder periods, the concrete absorbs daytime warmingand releases the heat during the cooler nighttime hours, lesseningheating requirements. The effect is reversed in warmer weather, asthe concrete absorbs nighttime cooling and generates a cooling effect as the air temperaturerises.The concrete slab in this type of flooring system also possesses LEED potential forreuse and for recycling interior concrete surface elements. And the coloring system offersthe potential for LEED points in the categories involving indoor air quality, due to the absenceof VOCs or harsh chemicals needed for maintenance. The only additional toolsand energy needed for the maintenance of a polished concrete floor system is a concreteconditioner, a wet mop, and some “elbow grease.” A concrete conditioner product is typicallya mild cleaner that contains a measured amount of concrete densifier, combinedwith emulsifying and wetting agents. The conditioner helps maintain the finish and canrestore slight microscopic wear, called micro-pitting, caused by normal floor use.Paul Nutcher of Green Apple Group, an industry consultant on the assessment of sustainablebuilding products, says polished concrete floors present great potential for inclusionin green-building projects.“Due to new advances in the installation of polished concrete, the patented ‘dry-grind’application method, and greater awareness in the marketplace about the sustainable benefitsof concrete surface treatments, polished concrete floors are a cost-effective alternativeto terrazzo, vinyl, carpet, tile and other floor surface finishes,” Nutcher says.Case study: Recreation centerA polished concrete floor was installed in various common areas of the Cardel Placerecreational center, the Canadian city of Calgary’s first project to achieve LEED Gold certification.The 195,000-square-foot facility houses three gyms, two regulation-size hockeyrinks, a sports clinic, a public library, and an array of public meeting rooms, food servicefacilities, and offices.