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Concrete Garage Acid Staining
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009Concrete- A Great Choice for the Environment
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009We are Colonial Floor Care!
Concrete began being used by humans in ancient Rome. It has continued to be an important construction material through today -- owing its current popularity to its positive environmental properties such as saving energy, using readily available, non-toxic components, and its durability.
Here are some of the environmental benefits of concrete:
1) Natural and recycled materials are used to make concrete. Concrete is made from three abundantly available ingredients- water, aggregate(stone, sand and gravel), and Portland cement (gypsum and calcium sulfate).
2) Durability- Concrete is strong, adaptable and resistant to fire, water and weather. It has a longer service life than wood, steel, asphalt and other construction products. Concrete’s durability conserves resources by reducing maintenance and the need for reconstruction. When concrete has ended its service life, it can be crushed and reused as aggregate for new concrete.
3) Energy Efficiency -- Concrete’s thermal mass saves energy throughout the seasons because it reduces temperature swings. During hot weather, concrete will require cooling mainly at night when electric companies can produce power more efficiently and preserve fossil fuels. During the cold months, concrete buildings cost less to heat.
One of the chief challenges of the use of concrete in home interiors- such as in floors and countertops, has been its aesthetic value- not so high for interior use! however, all that has changed. Today, acid staining and polishing provide almost endless possibilities for interior designs. Call Colonial Floor Care today to learn more about how concrete the concrete in your home can be transformed into a beautiful design element! Don’t replace, cover or paint your concrete- all Colonial Floor Care!
Why Concrete Acid Staining and Polishing?
Monday, October 26th, 2009We are Colonial Floor Care!
Modern technology provides us with two common procedures for treating, coloring and sealing concrete floor, countertops, patios etc. They are Concrete Acid Staining and Concrete Polishing.
Why Acid Staining? Before this process was developed, concrete dyes were commonly used. Early concrete dyes consisted of generic printing inks that were dissolved in mild solutions of alcohol and applied to concrete surfaces to add color to grey concrete. There were problems with these earlier dyes. When alcohol-based dyes are exposed to sunlight, the color either lightens or fades completely.
Manufacturers moved beyond these alcohol based dyes because of the fading problems. They began dissolving these same printing inks in different carriers such as acetone, lacquer thinner and other solvents. UV inhibiting agents were added to new dyes to help with UV instability issues. While the results were improved color maintenance, there was still substantial fading when exposed to sunlight.
Acid staining was developed to address the fading concerns, but also the toxicity concerns. Acid staining does not entail dyeing or pigment coloring systems, but rather, it is a chemical reaction. the non-toxic chemicals used in concrete acid staining bond with the compounds in the concrete and change the chemical composition of the concrete surface, creating a permanent, non-fading, durable surface.
Concrete polishing allows the use of multiple grain level polishing heads to achieve a high shine, durable, non porous surface that is a chemical free sealer and shining process. We’ve come a long way in terms of concrete. This is important because concrete is an inexpensive, plentiful and environmentally safe construction material that because of its malleability, has endless application possibilities.
Colonial Floor Care has developed an expertise in these methods because of their many benefits to the consumer and the environment. Our processes make housecleaning easy!