Concrete Slab Quality Requirements
Who Controls Concrete Quality Polishing contractors have to perform work on a concrete floor slab in which they had no control over design and placement quality Design professionals have to be proactive and see that certain requirements are included in concrete specification
Pre-Concreting Meeting Polishing contractor should participate in the meeting
Flat Subgrade Should be uniformly graded flat and level Subgrade rises and depressions can cause variations in concrete slab thickness thus causing color differences because of differential curing and drying
Vapor Retarder Product should comply with ASTM E 745 and have permeance of 0.01 perms after conditioning according to ASTM E 154 Section 7.1 Installation should comply with ASTM E 1643
Concrete Mix Design Consistent source for materials W/C of ,500 psi Normal weight aggregates Not air-entrained No replacements for portland cement
Construction Joints and Patches Strategically locate construction joints to avoid mismatching segments Patch finish will not match surrounding surfaces
Steel Column Baseplates Be aware of design of concrete at steel column baseplates
Placing Comply with ACI standards End of chute or tremie not more than 6 ft above point of placement Monitor and control: -Concrete temperature -Water added at site
Flatness and Levelness Specified Overall Value Minimum Local Value F F Floor Flatness5035 F L Floor Levelness3020
Finishing Specific procedures recommended Steel trowel surface in three passes without burning surface Do not dust surface with dry portland cement or sand to accelerate curing and drying
Curing and Drying Evaporation control Wet-curing method
Environmental Benefits
Environmental Benefits Polished concrete does not have to be removed or replaced; it can be “forever” Light reflective Durable Flooring covering products not needed Low maintenance requirements
WALTER SCARBOROUGH CSI CCS CCCA SCIP AIA D+D Specifiers Series Sponsored by Questions