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Concrete - one of the most versatile products ever created & utilised
heavily as both a primary floor surface and also as the main substrate for the application
of flooring compounds.
In all cases, the quality of the finished surface is directly related to the
quality of the concrete preparation techniques used. In the case of
newly laid concrete, a mechanically weak surface layer with high water content
forms during the drying out period (known as laitance) which must be removed prior
to polishing the concrete or applying a surface coating. For existing concrete,
any failed coating or contaminants (e.g. greases, oils, and other solids) should
also be removed prior to the application of a new coating.
Roads, bridges & walkways are also places where concrete
is found as a primary surface. Rough, uneven surfaces can be dangerous, leading
to trips & falls. Concrete preparation techniques can also be applied here to
provide a smooth, safe environment to pedestrians.
SPE Contracting Ltd has the skills and a vast expanse of knowledge
in concrete surface preparation and can tackle almost any project
for our clients.
Concrete Shot Blasting
SPE Contracting have a large array of Autoblast Shot Blasting
Machines at their disposal. From the smallest SPE 9ES with a 9"
profile width up to the Super 20ES with a wide 20" profile
designed for the most demanding and toughest jobs.
Shot blasting is the preferred method of preparing large area floor surfaces and
those where the finish of the floor surface must be cleaned and textured to establish
the best adhesive properties; blasting also has the advantage of re-texturing any
existing profile.
The actual process of blast cleaning involves tiny steel balls (shot) being thrown
at the surface to be cleaned via a high velocity rotating blast wheel. By varying
the speed of the blasting machine, the rate of flow of shot & the size of the
shot, differing surface textures can be achieved. This process conditions the floor
surface, leaving a profile that allows coatings to gain both physical and chemical
adhesion.
All of our shot blasting machines utilise dust free technology, where both spent
abrasive and contaminants are vacuumed up into a recovery unit; a totally enclosed
process which is environmentally friendly, efficient and also very cost effective.
Concrete Planing / Scarifying
Planer / Scarifier machines use steel or carbide tipped cutters
connected to a high speed rotating drum to fracture the old, contaminated floor
thus abrading the concrete surface. This abrasion leads to a rougher surface than
shot blasting, but through the use of varying cutters the smoothness of finish can
be controlled.
However, there are many instances where a scarified finish is prefered to that of
shot blasting. For instance, removal of rubber deposits from airport runways via
scarification leaves a cleaned surface with anti-skid properties. Further for thick,
tough, durable surface coatings, a scarified finish provides a greater surface area
for surface adhesion. Scarifying is also preferred over shot blasting when removing
rubbery or sticky surfaces.
Planing / Scarifying is also the preferred method when the surface that needs to
be removed is quite thick. SPE Contracting also have W350D
diesel & W350E Electric Cold Milling machines at their disposal,
capable of removing up to 30mm depth of concrete in a single pass.
Similarly to our Autoblast Shot Blasting machines, our planer / scarifiers can be
utilised with vacuums to remove contaminants & debris in a totally enclosed,
environmentally friendly process.
Concrete Grinding
Concrete grinding is a surface preparation technique that is sometimes
overlooked, many contractors concentrating on grinding as a polishing process. Whilst
polishing is an important process, grinding as a surface preparation technique has
a wide and versatile application.
SPE Contracting use many types of grinding machines - from small
to the large SPE DFG 700 Triple Head Planetary Floor Grinder depending
upon the task in hand. As well as grinding the surface, the DFG equipment range
can be quickly fitted with various tools for removing, for example, waterproof membranes,
elastomeric coatings and heavily built up adhesives. Diamond grinding plates are
easily fitted for the light preparation of surfaces for thin coating applications
and are available for both hard and soft surfaces. Specialist PCD tools can be used
for the rapid removal of adhesive, coatings and failed latex from a hard substrate.
Concrete grinders are also the ideal choice for repairing imperfections in concrete
floors, slabs and walkways; gently evening out any imperfections to leave a smooth
finish.
Grinding concrete surfaces may be a slower process than shot blasting or scarifying
techniques, but is the only option when either a polished finish or a micro-fine
substrate is required for a surface coating.
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