Basics of Concrete Surface Preparation
While concrete is the most widely used building material in the world today, making sure that is properly prepared before painting or applying Tuff Industrial coating products is the key to long-term success. Please make sure you understand the proper PPE (personal protective equipment) required with each of the following methods discussed.
CLEANING: The basics of surface prep is to make sure the concrete, or in some cases a concrete patch is clean. This means free from dirt, possible loose previously installed paints or coatings, and especially oily substances such as common motor oil or grease. These foreign contaminants will actually act as a “bond-breaker” and not allow proper penetration. Using Tuff Industrial products is much different than common latex paints. A general-purpose cleaner/degreaser should be ideal when these substances are present.
WIRE WHEEL: The use of a wire wheel or wire brush is a suitable method of “opening-up” an area of concrete or one of our patch kits for application of Tuff Industrial coatings. Smaller projects can be wire brushed in both directions to create an adhesion profile. A good field test is to apply a few drops of water to your project. If the water disappears (penetrates) this should be adequate for applying our products. Conversely, if the water stays in beads, this means that something is acting as a prohibitor and additional efforts are required. A wire wheel attached to a drill may help in making this process go quicker than a hand-held wire brush. Use a common shop vacuum to remove all loosened materials.
DIAMOND WHEEL: Using a grinding wheel that has tiny diamond fragments attached to the face is another ideal method of achieving a sufficient adhesion profile. The wheels typically are attached to a hand grinder. New technology such as “double-row” diamonds, like those sold by Tuff Industrial Products will provide a much high cutting surface than traditional diamond wheels purchased at hardware stores. When attached to a quality hand grinder, larger areas of a few hundred square feet can be easily profiled. As with the wire wheel, follow this procedure up by utilizing a vacuum to remove loosened materials or concrete dust.
DIAMOND GRINDERS: These are machines that have between 1-6 heads on the bottom. A diamond cup wheel as described above is attached. The weight of the machine provides a heavier down-force allowing larger areas to be adequately ground in just a few hours. While these machines are expensive, many rental outfits now carry these types of grinders, and in some cases will even deliver and pick them up upon completion.
In conclusion, it is the most important step for your repair projects is surface preparation. Statistics show that 3 out of 4 coating failures are due to inadequate surface preparation.