INSTALLATION PROCESS
One day installation completed by certified technicians.
Substrate Preparation
The installation process starts with determining the type of concrete you have depending on its hardness, moisture content, and structural condition. Each of these variables contributes to how we approach the next and most important step—concrete preparation.
Our main form of preparation is through mechanical profiling which extends the life of your floor by giving you the greatest adhesion possible. Lavina propane grinders use coarse grit diamonds or polycrystalline diamonds to help us achieve the required profile. This will remove contaminants, sealers, and existing coatings and open the pores of the concrete. This method is the number one form of preparation used in the coatings industry today.
Concrete Repair and Restoration
In the case of many floors in Minnesota, we have to use special menders and fillers in order to fix any pits, cracks, and/or spalls that are present in the existing concrete floor.
Cracks
First, we use a diamond grinder with a V-blade to open up and abrade both sides of the crack. By doing this, we gain additional surface area for better product adhesion. Next, we mix our mender material and overfill the crack.
When the material is fully cured (typically 10-15 minutes) we grind the overfilled material flush with the concrete surface. This provides the smoothest substrate possible.
Pits and Spalling
We prepare all spalled and pitted areas by removing the deteriorated concrete and overfilling it with our mender material. When our material is fully cured we grind the overfilled material flush with the concrete surface. We feel that it is best to leave all control joints open to allow for the movement of the concrete and relieve the stress. Although, control joints can be filled if specified. The repair process is followed by vacuuming the floor and using a leaf blower to flush out any remaining debris.
Floor Coating Installation
Typically in garage floor applications, we will apply a polyurea full-chip coating system.
Prior to coating the floor, we will start by coating all vertical surfaces, including the concrete or block stem walls, steps, and walls as defined in the scope of the project.
Coating the Floor (Basecoat)
We mix and apply our base coat, a 100% solids self-priming pure polyurea, to the floor. The high solids content provides the strongest and most densely cross-linked product ensuring strength, durability, and longevity of the floor coating. Our installers take pride in their work and carefully cut in with a brush around the edges and roll the main area of the floor.
Broadcasting the Color Flake
Once the base coat is applied, your choice of polymer flake is broadcast onto the floor, covering it fully and completely to the point of rejection. By using mass quantities of flakes, we ensure that the floor is completely covered, leaving it uniform in color and texture.
The drying period on our basecoat is typically a 60-90 minute cure time depending on the temperature and humidity the day of the install.
Texture of the Floor
Once our basecoat is fully cured, we scrape the floor to remove any loose or vertically standing flakes. In most applications, we scrape the floor from front to back and side-to-side to ensure we have hit all the chip angles. This results in the floor having a nice even texture. We then vacuum to recover any loose chips left behind on the floor.
Clear Coat Application
The final step is the application of the clear topcoat. We start with the vertical surfaces, followed by the edges and main floor area. The topcoat is applied with a squeegee and then back and cross-rolled to eliminate lines and leave a nice and even clear coat over the entire floor. Texture can be added to the topcoat for added slip-resistance. Talk with your consultant to see if this would apply to your project.
Enjoy Your Floor!
At this point, we clean up and leave the floor to dry. After 6-8 hours, you can confidently walk on your new coating, and after 24-hours, you can park and drive on the coating. We hope you fully enjoy your new floor!