By doing so we are opening up the capillaries of the concrete. This allows the material that is being installed to wick into the pours of the slab allowing it to establish a mechanical bond.
There are three main surface preparation methods: grinding, shot blasting and scarifying. These three techniques require dust collectors equipped with endless bagging systems in order to protect operators from hazardous dust. Blastrac, as a specialist of surface preparation equipment, offers a wide range of shot blasters, single disc and triple disc grinders and scarifiers for the surface preparation industry.
Grinding: The profile left behind is the depth of the grit size diamond used to grind that slab.
Shot Blasting: The profile left behind depends on the size of the steel shot, the speed of the machine and the amount of steel shots you throw on the surface. Multiple sizes of abrasive can be used to clean and profile in one step.
Scarifying: The profile left behind depends on the type of tools (cutters or milling cutters) and the machine you use. By selecting the correct type of cutter, a wide range of applications can be carried out with guaranteed success.
CONCRETE SURFACE PROFILES (CSP)
There is a governing body called the icri (international concrete restoration institute) that set surface profile standards over the industry. They created concrete surface profile or CSP samples using different preparation methods. These methods were then given a rating system from 1 to 10. Some technologies can achieve multiple profiles while others can only produce 1.
Depending on the coating to be applied, the manufacturer of that product will specify a desired concrete surface profile (CSP) which has to be adhered to. Every manufacturer in this industry has tied a CSP profile to all of their products. This ensures each system has the correct level of profile to ensure proper adhesion to the slab. If the surface preparation has been carried out properly, the manufacturer will provide a warranty with that product.
