Types of Surface Hardeners
Liquid Hardeners (Chemical)
- Liquid hardeners are being used to seal, harden and dustproof concrete surfaces.
- By penetrating into the concrete a chemical reaction with the cement binder gets started to densify and thereby seal the concrete surface permanently.
- Over the first few months normal cleaning with a power scrubber produces a shiny appearance as the chemical reaction develops.
Dryshake Hardeners
Dry-shake hardeners help to improve the floor surface in some aspects as below:
- Increased abrasion resistance
- Increased durability
- Better aesthetics
- Less dust
- Lower whole life cost
Types of dry shake hardeners (Cement / Aggregate Mix):
- Metallic Type: Naturally sourced, crushed and graded metal alloy aggregates mixed with cement, pigments and additives
- Synhetic mineral Type: Graded aggregates of furnace slag mixed with cement, pigments and additives
- Natural Mineral Type: Quartz aggregates with well defined granular consistency, cement, pigments and additives
Application:
Dry shake floor hardeners should be applied once the surface bleed water has disappeared. It means when finger pressure is applied to the surface, the imprint that remains is no deeper than 3-5 mm. Dry shake floor hardeners can be manually sprinkled onto the concrete screed in two stages or mechanically spread by machine in one application. Once the concrete has hardened sufficiently, finishing can be carried out using a power float and/or manually using a metallic float to achieve a smooth and even finish.
Joint Cutting and Sealing
Dry cut the joints with a diamond disc cutter, during the first few hours after the concrete has been laid. The joint should be filled with a sealing material or mastic. Joint filling should commence no sooner than 28 days after concrete placement to avoid debonding of the filler materials due to continued drying shrinkage of the concrete.
