The most common problem that requires Terrazzo Repair is holes or spaces.  Usually, there is a hole or space that needs to be filled; of course, it must match the existing Terrazzo flooring.  More often than not, these holes or spaces are made by carpet tack strips.  A good Terrazzo Repair contractor would not only properly fill the hole or space, but also deal with the carpet tack strips without causing more damage to the floor.

However, Travertine being calcareous in nature, is very susceptible to acid or alkaline etching. It is also highly porous, so a penetrating sealer is necessary to be applied on the stone’s surface after installation.

If staining occurs, the best way to ‘cure’ the damages is to apply grout and cement-based filler for the Traventine. Cement-based fillers are virtually stain resistant. Unfortunately, refinishing cannot be done by the ordinary homeowner, so professional help is definitely a must. (For professional help in the Florida area, visit www.colonialfloorandstonecare.com.)

Unfortunate still, etching of Travertine cannot be prevented by any sealer or filler. So a homeowner must be vigilant in cleaning acids and strong alkali from Travertine to prevent unpleasant etching.

Marble Travertine

Travertine Stone

The biggest concern of homeowners about undermount sinks is if the sink can even support its own weight – plus additional weight from water, and the disposer (if the sink is in the kitchen).

Gravity and leaks are not problematic issues with undermount sinks if the sink is installed correctly. The best method to attach an undermounted sink to a solid countertop is by using high-strength epoxies and silicone caulk to fasten the sink in place. But before even installing the sink, one must make sure the underside of the stone countertop is dust-free. Dust and other foreign material can cause the epoxy to fail and eventually ruin your sink installation.

Granite Countertop Sink

Black Granite Countertop

Unlike any other kind of granite or other natural stones, Absolute Black Granite is non-porous; which means it cannot be treated with any kind of sealer because it is too dense. It has an absorbency rate of 0.0-0.15% – almost as ‘absorbent’ as glass.

Even impregnating sealers (or sealers which seep in through the stone to seal it) cannot permeate the dense composition of Absolute Black Granite. It would basically be a waste of money to seal Absolute Black Granite, and in addition, it could cause probable damage to the stone. It’s best to leave the Absolute Black Granite unsealed, and clean and maintain the surface with water and mild soap.

Black Water Stains

water stains

Black Granite

The reason people prefer concrete staining to using the original stone itself is that this process costs less than the stones. Buying marble and tiles in large quantities might not be economical for some people, and concrete staining is a wonderful solution for them. It gives the exact feel of the original stone at a lower price. In fact, depending on the type of stain used and the technique used, one can imitate different types of natural stone.

Concrete stamping is among the most popular forms of concrete art these days. With the use of micro topping the original concrete prior to the stamping. This procedure makes the cement look like a natural product. The required dyes need whisking into the product, which are then in use like normal cement mixtures. This wet material then receives patterns that the workers stamp onto them. The result is a beautiful pattern.

Concrete coating is possible in numerous other ways. The main advantage it holds over natural stone is that more people can afford to have decorative concrete in their homes. Thus, as more people learn about concrete coating and its applications, there is sure to be a boom in the demand for this form of ornamentation.

Concrete is well known for its strength and durability. It is mainly used for functional purposes. However, concrete can also be used for decorative purposes to give a good aesthetic feel and good-looking structures. For such purposes, decorative concrete is used. It can be used to give a decorative finish for floors, walls and counter tops. The finish is similar to that of polished stone and is less expensive.

The different techniques of concrete decoration are concrete staining and polishing.

1. Concrete staining:

• Acid staining: Acid staining involves a chemical reaction unlike dyeing which is a pigment-based staining system. In acid staining, a mixture of certain salts, acids and water is first applied on the surface of concrete. This is then neutralized using a basic chemical- a solution of water and ammonia. The chemical reaction that takes place with the minerals existing in the concrete, mainly lime, gives new colors to the surface. Use of acid staining gives a unique finish to each slab by creating a mottled or variegated appearance. The color change may vary anywhere between 1/16^’’ to 1/32’’. Interior surfaces stain better than exterior surfaces because the latter has been exposed to the environment as a result of which the mineral content gets percolated or leeched. The chemicals that are generally used for acid staining are sodium bicarbonate, iron chloride and Hydrochloric acid.
• Concrete dyes: Concrete dyes are of different compositions and forms. These are used for both, commercial and residential applications of concrete that include floors, walls, countertops, bridges, retaining walls, etc.
• Water-based staining: These stains are similar to acid stains. While some of these give a translucent finish (like acid stains), some give an opaque finish. Water-based staining is different from acid staining as it is a mere coat on the surface of the concrete while acid staining involves a chemical reaction between the minerals of the concrete and the acids. Water based stains come in numerous variations that maybe epoxy, acrylic or polymer based and have wide residential and commercial application

2. Concrete Polishing:

• Polishing of concrete floors is one of the most inexpensive solutions for providing clean floors. The dull grey concrete surfaces, once polished, can look really bright and shiny. Concrete polishing gives various advantages like increased durability, reflectivity and low maintenance. The process involves using concrete densifiers and mechanical grinding tools that have increasing grit sizes of diamond-polishing pads and cup wheels. The process makes the concrete floor harder and denser and this in turn makes the floor more spill and stain resistant. There is no requirement of any additional sealers or coatings. It doesn’t even require any other flooring materials to be used.
• At Colonial Floor and Stone Care, we undertand the new uses for decorative concrete and would like to help you plan the right type of staining for your individual needs.. For Miami/Dade call us for a free estimate and consulatation by our experience technician at 305-731-2242. In Palm Beach county 561-337-1408, Broward county 954-566-4555 and Tamp/St. Petersburg 818-527-9797 and let us come out and discuss your individual needs for your decorative concrete.

For More Details:

Concrete Staining Miami

Concrete Floor Staining Miami

Concrete Floor Staining

Concrete Staining Miami

Here in South Florida, where we all know the severity of Hurricanes and severe weather can bring, many of the homes are made with this durable material. Concrete block on concrete flooring, are the norm here. Build on a study concrete foundation floor, if you have an older home, you may have Historical Terrazzo, another flooring material using Portland Cemenent and marble, shells, and other chips. If you only have a concrete foundation floor and would like to have a unique look, let Colonial Floor and Stone Care help you decide how you can get a beuatiful and durable designed and color with acid stain or color micro top by coming and letting our professional staff show you the newest and trend setting design concept for the next decade!

No longer do you need to put in expensive marble or granite tiles, or high priced Terrazzof (up to $30.00 a square ft). For that “high end” look of those floorings. Do what those “high End” retail and malls do, use their concrete and make it shine and look like marble or granite. Or do what trendy shops and homes do, go for a “loft look”, using you individual concrete’s own unique chemical composition to acquire a varigated, sueadue look. Designing your concrete is one of our company’s many care of natural stone, which concrete is considered because of all the natural stone materials used.

If you would like to see what can be done with your concrete, whether it be your floor, garage floor or patio, give us a call. We will show you all your options to make you drab, dull gray concrete into a great durable design element in your home. Call us at 305-731-2242 for Miami/Dade County, 954-566-4555 for Ft Lauderdale/Broward county or 561-337-1408 Now serving the west coast area Tampa and St. Petersburg, call 813-527-9797.

]]> http://www.concretestained.net/blog/2010/06/concretes-unique-repairablity/feed/ 0 http://www.concretestained.net/blog/2010/05/using-concrete-for-decorative-flare-in-ft-lauderdale-condo/ http://www.concretestained.net/blog/2010/05/using-concrete-for-decorative-flare-in-ft-lauderdale-condo/#comments Tue, 18 May 2010 13:01:27 +0000 admin http://www.concretestained.net/blog/?p=27 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBRLsTJ2RSQ

What could be better than living in a condo, on the sunny shores of Southern Florida in Ft. Lauderdale?

The glorious view from the balcony, seeing the large cruise ships sailing by, watching the blue waters every day with the many ships, of different sizes out your windows. Bliss! Until you finally look down to your floor and see old dirty carpet, old parque flooring, both of which are high maintanence and just out dated and need replacing.

So what do you do when you find under the carpet just plain foundation concrete? You call Colonial Floor and Stone Care, and have a discussion on Decorative concrete! Todays concrete doesn’t have to look gray and ugly any longer! With the new techniques that are available today, microtopping can give the home owner a new canvass to create color and design on old concrete. Or you can choose to have the “loft look” when your origninal foundation concrete is ground down to the freshest level, using heavy grinding machines, which will smooth the floor, but also will leave some character by leaving some imprefections for the acid stain to work on the individual concrete’s unique combination of materials to make the color that will be variated, swede look.

At the end of the job, these home owners not only have a beautiful view out the windows, but have a beautiful, high shine, durable and low maintance floor that will not only be unique to their home but also Eco friendly.

Call Colonial Floor Care and Stone Care for all your decorative concrete and Stone care needs. We have been servicing the Palm Beach county at 561-337-1408, Broward county at 954-566-4555 and Dade county at 305-731-2242 for over 20 years. We take pride in all of your and treat your floor like it was our own. Call for us for a Free Estimate or use our convenient online Estimate request form.

found no specific time or company that “coined” the phrase. But I did find that it has been used since the 1930′s. And use extensively from the 1980′s when deparment stores became popular. Today it seems there are specialty stores or businesses using that phrase for their specific services or sales, although we at Colonial Floor and Stone Care have not, we can certainly be considered the “one stop shopping” for our specialty: all aspects of natural Stone Care.

Concrete, usually not seen as a natural stone, is really comprised of all natural materials, including stone as aggregate to increase strength. Portland cement, which is like the glue to hold the mixture together and harden into a formative material and surface that has been used in building for centuries. Now, as techniques and decorative design elements are being developed and used with concrete, Colonial Floor and Stone Care continues to follow and not only repair and clean and polish concrete we are all use to in our garages and patios, but also to do decorative elements. Today, with acid staining, staining, stamping and dry cutting plain gray concrete can be transformed into a beautiful durable floor. We are proud that Colonial Floor and Stone Care can change your plain concrete foundation floor into a beautiful, durable and eco friendly flooring. That decorative concretecan be a easy transition to other stone flooring such as marble or granite tile and Terrazzo.

The other thing in common we have with the whole sale and retail stores is that most of those stores use decorative concrete to mimic high end stores with a marble tile look, to the rustic loft look of aged and stained stone.

So if you need help with any Natural Stone, be it concrete, Terrazzo, Marble, Granite or Mexican and Cuban tiles floors, Colonial Floor and Stone Care can meet all your needs. We have been in business for over 20 years, and take pride of all our work. Call us at 305-731-2242 for Miami/Dade, Broward/ Ft Lauderdale 954-566-4555 and Palm Beach County 561-357-1408 we would like to be your “one stop shopping” for all your Natural Stone Care needs.

To understand why I know so much about this is to know that a good friend of mine owns a company that does restoration work with Terrazzo, another beautiful flooring service along with other natural stone such as marble,granite and even the new design trend concrete!. The company actually does all types of cleaning, polishing on natural stones, such as marble tile or slab, granite, and repairs and acid stains and colors concrete. So I took some pictures and preceeded to go to visit my family and friends.

Just happens I am so excited about my vacation and what I saw on some of the airports floors I am showing off the pictures at the party that night and my friend told me he had a property he was selling and pulled up the carpets. I told him to look into concrete acid staining. I showed him the airport pictures, but also show him some of my friends company’s pictures of Acid staining concrete foundation floors, and depending upon the look you wanted to achieve, color and texture could be placed on his concrete, or just repairing and adding a densifier and sealer with polishing could be done. Acid stain reacts to the concrete’s specific make up and creates a unique finish to the floor. I couldn’t recommend Colonial Floor Care, as they only service Palm Beach, Broward and Miami/Dade County. However, I would highly recommend them to anyone who would like to discuss and look into the possibilities of turning that usual concrete we see every day, and transform it to the color and design of your choosing. Call Colonial Floor Care to day for all your concrete and natural stone needs. 954-566-4555