How can I repair this concrete floor?
Asked by
andrew (
16562
)
January 12th, 2009
I have this 3 inch thick concrete flooring in my kitchen and bathrooms, which is finished with some sort of tinted gloss (so it’s smooth with variations of color).
I have a patch that I had removed to get repaired, and I have a few cracks and things I’d like to gloss over. I don’t need a perfect color match, I’d just like to ideally match the smoothness factor.
Who could I talk to to even begin this?
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6 Answers
This is probably an epoxy finish. Clear epoxy resins (like these) can be tinted with artists’ oil colors.
You would brush the resin onto the repair, allow it to harden (at least 48 hours), then use progressively finer sandpapers and a sanding block to level the patch (using water as a lubricant). You will end up at something like a 1200 grit paper, which will leave the finish smooth, but cloudy. To restore the gloss, you hand rub with rubbing compound.
@Harp So I can mix oil colors into it just like I did in color theory? Would the epoxy disguise some darker concrete used in a previous patch, or is it translucent?
If I had further questions, what kind of company/store would do this sort of thing?
I think you can get answers to this question here. Serious classy concrete work.
@andrew Yes, the tinting should be pretty intuitive, but keep in mind that the resin is already slightly amber colored. The resin itself is transparent; the pigments from the oil colors might diminish that slightly, but would not make it opaque. Does the surrounding finish appear opaque?
I’m afraid I don’t know where to send you for more info, but here’s @susanc ‘s link fixed.
Additional thought: For your darker patch, you might want to consider painting it with acrylic paints to match the shade of the surrounding concrete (remembering that most paints “dry down” to a slightly darker tone) before applying the epoxy.
Not sure about the acrylic paint thing….I’d probably go for a concrete stain if the pigment tinting thing isn’t a go, but even so it would probably not be good in the long run to have one section of concrete stained and the rest not…
You want a concrete sealer (which as has been said is often epoxy based, but not necessarily so) and yes you can add pigment to epoxy. For more info on products (there are lots to choose from) and procedure, you should talk to a concrete mason or a concrete product supplier (someone who sells cementitious materials, aggregate, admixtures, sealers, pigments, stains…).
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