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Coating Concrete Floors Saves You Money from FLOORChef

A one-minute guide to why coating concrete floors will save you money #Dust-proofing

We follow up our first article on one of the more obvious reasons why coating concrete floors will save money (#Protection) with one of the least recognised - dust-proofing. It mightn't sound like a big deal, but I guarantee those with an uncovered concrete floor would attest otherwise!

It's on for young and old

The reasons why concrete floors dust vary with age. For new concrete, the biggest source is a fine, loose by-product of the hardening process called laitance; for older slabs, abrasive traffic is the main problem, especially on rain-affected or poorly applied floors that are typically more fragile.

Why all the fuss?

The problem with concrete dust is how fine it is and, therefore, its uncanny ability to get EVERYWHERE! It can contaminate and damage a whole host of valuable things; food, stock, electrical gear, processing systems... the list goes on. It's also quite tricky to clean up and very abrasive, which may cause trouble in other sensitive areas, including human lungs for example.

With consequences like these you can see why not dust-proofing can quickly become very costly. So, what's the best way to avoid a dust storm on your concrete floor?

What are your dust-proofing options?

A popular choice is the specialist penetrating "densifiers" that promote the dual action of sealing the surface and strengthening the slab below. These can work, however their effectiveness is hard to gauge and some are based on compounds that can hamper future coating efforts.

Another method is to seal off the surface with a low-viscosity coating, e.g. an epoxy. This type of product will penetrate into the slab and help stabilise weak or porous concrete flooring as well, however it won't throw a spanner in the works should further coating be needed (although it will make the slab darker to the eye, so keep that in mind if colour is critical).

If you have any questions about dust-proofing of concrete floors, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Keep Smiling,

Jack Josephsen
Head FLOORChef

For more articles on concrete flooring, visit the YESChef! Blog

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