Does your kitchen countertop need to be repaired or replaced? Or do you just want to give your kitchen a fresh new look? 

If either of these is true for you, concrete countertops can help. Concrete counters don’t just look nice; they’re durable, too.

And that’s not even the best part. The best part is that you don’t even have to hire a contractor to install them. You can make them yourself!

Now, obviously, this is easier said than done. Working with concrete is no novice task.

It’s messy and problematic. It can set wrong and/or crack. And while mistakes are easy to make with concrete, they’re difficult to fix.

But not to worry—that’s why we’re here. We’ll teach you the proper way to make a concrete countertop and how to avoid/correct mistakes.

Your DIY concrete countertop project starts now. Learn how to do it with this guide.

What you’ll need for a precast

First, let’s get the required tools and materials assembled.

Tools

You need the following tools.

• Protective gloves
• Sawhorses
• A table saw
• Coarse sandpaper
• A screwdriver
• A drill
• A concrete mixer or paddle attachment for your drill
• A framing square
• Bolt cutters or cutting snips
• A hand trowel
• A vacuum

Don’t start until you have all these tools ready.

Materials

Now, collect these materials.

• 1″-thick melamine-coated particleboard
• 2″ screws
• Galvanized wire mesh
• Plastic sheeting
• Concrete countertop mix
• Silicon caulk
• Sealer

You may need these optional, additional materials. You’ll need color pigment of some kind if you wish to color your countertop. To cut specific shapes out of your mold for sinks or cooktops, you’ll need a jigsaw.

Step-By-Step Instructions

You’re ready to start, almost. Read all these steps before you begin and follow them exactly. Don’t skip any steps.

Step 1: Practice

If you’ve never worked with concrete before, do a smaller “sample” project before creating your countertop. This gives you a feel for the concrete—how it pours, how it spreads, how it dries, etc.

Step 2: Measure

To get the measurements for your mold, measure the base cabinets and add 3/4″ for overhang.

Step 3: Make Your Mold

Cut and build the mold from the particleboard. Ensure the melamine-coated sides are facing inward. Check angles with the framing square.

You will be making your counter upside down on the melamine board to minimize the polishing work after it cures.

Assemble your mold with the screws. Pre-drill pilot holes for your screws in the walls of your mold every 6 inches. This keeps the mold from splitting when the concrete dries.

Measure exactly and mark all necessary cutouts for cooktops or sinks. Cut these out with the jigsaw.

Finally, apply caulk to all joints and smooth it out with a wet fingertip. This prevents concrete leaks and rounds the edges. Vacuum any sawdust/debris out of the mold so it won’t dry into your countertop.

Using bolt cutters or wire snips, shape the wire mesh to fit just inside the edges of the mold. Set the mesh aside.

Arrange some 2 x 4s on the sawhorses to make a “table” to set your mold on. It should be a larger area than your mold. Place your mold here for pouring.

Step 4: Mix the Concrete

Using the concrete mixer or drill (with paddle attachment), concrete countertop mix, and optional pigment mix the concrete. Just follow the labeled instructions on your concrete mix/color. Either get a bag mix of 5000 PSI or make your own mix.

You want a creamy mix for the first part on the melamine, then followed by a dryer mix.

Step 5: Pour the Concrete

Fill the mold half full and tamp evenly with the hand trowel. Make sure you press the mix fully into the corners when tamping.

Lightly compress the wire mesh into the surface of your wet concrete. Level the surface by scraping a 2 x 4 across the length of it. Do this several times in both directions.

Tap (gently, carefully) with a rubber mallet to remove air bubbles. Relevel the concrete.

Finally, cover the concrete with plastic sheeting and let dry. 

Step 6: Finish and Seal the Countertop

Smooth out imperfections with sandpaper, starting at 100-grit, ending in 220-grit. Fill cracks, bubbles, or divots with unsanded tile grout and sand smooth with 220-grit paper.

Wipe the surface with a damp cloth and let dry. Wait 28 days for the concrete to cure completely. Apply a sealer, according to the product’s labeled instructions.

Step 7: Install Your Countertop

First, sand, clean and dry the counter base in preparation. 

Disassemble and remove the mold from the countertop. Apply a thick line of caulk along the base cabinet’s edges and any walls the countertop touches.

Flip the countertop and press it slowly into the caulk. Smooth out any caulk wherever the countertop meets the walls.

DIY Concrete Countertops

Remember, things could go very wrong here. And when they do, they’re very difficult to fix. So follow these instructions exactly when making DIY concrete countertops.

Did you enjoy this tutorial? Let us know in the comments below.

For more tips, read How Much Concrete Do I Need for My Project?

The post How Are Concrete Countertops Made? appeared first on Concrete Index.

Your home’s concrete floors are your pride and joy: After all, they are easy to maintain and should stand the test of time.

There’s just one problem: They look like — well, concrete. It’d be nice to make your floors a little warmer and more inviting. Whether your interior concrete floor is a garage floor, basement floor, or a showroom floor applying the stain is the same.

The good news? This is more than possible with concrete floor stains. If you’re serious about livening up your concrete floors, here’s a rundown on how to choose the best stain for staining concrete floors. Before you grab your plastic sheeting and clean the floor take at least 24 hours to learn about staining.

Let’s get started!

Acid Stains

An acid stain offers depth and natural color to a concrete floor. If you’re like many other homeowners, you’ll be drawn to the variegated and transparent finish associated with this type of stain. 

Another benefit of this type of stain is that it is long-lasting, which makes it perfect for areas that experience high traffic. In addition, it will not chip, peel, or fade.

Note, though, that acid stains are typically available in earthy tones — for example, a soft blue-green, terra cotta, brown, or tan. Also, once you apply this type of stain, you’ll have to remove residual acid from the surface.

Acid staining is a bit unpredictable or risky as the color derived from an Acid-based stain is based on a chemical reaction based on the chemistry of your existing slab.

Selecting Water-Based Stains

A water-based stain offers the benefit of coming in many more hues when compared with acid stains. For instance, you can get these stains in orange, vivid yellow, black, and white. 

On top of this, a water-based stain won’t interact with concrete. So, you can rest assured that the stain will remain consistent.

The challenge with this type of stain is that many are not even stains. They are in the paint family and they are more of a coat of stain. We don’t recommend these types of stains which are found at home depot and applied with a paint roller. For this reason, correcting a mistake can be more challenging.

The durability is mostly dependant on the concrete sealer chosen.

Choosing Hues

As a general rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to choose a stain that works well with your living space’s existing color scheme. 

Of course, this may make it harder to sell the home or redecorate it later. In light of this, it might be better to choose a color that is more neutral, like a tan or brown. 

Brown is especially popular because it works well with all types of furniture. This is the same reason why the majority of wooden floors are brown.

Also, keep in mind that a darker hue won’t have to be cleaned as often compared with a lighter, as darker colors are better at hiding dirt.

You could also utilize several colors on one floor to produce a design or pattern. This can have a dramatic impact on your living space.

Dyes

Concrete dyes are the most predictive and durable solution for coloring concrete. They have a fast dry time and work with polishing systems or one or two coats of sealer.

These can be mixed with water or solvent in a specialized pump sprayer in a circular motion. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SPRAY SOLVENTS WITHOUT A PROFESSIONAL. YOU CAN KILL YOURSELF WITH A FLASH FIRE. IT HAPPENS. PLEASE CONSULT.

How We Can Help with Staining Concrete Floors

Did you enjoy our tutorial on staining concrete floors? Our goal in putting together this guide was to help you to make a stain selection that you won’t end up regretting months or years from now.

However, in addition to providing tips on staining concrete floors, we can help you to find a reputable concrete contractor near you.

Contact us to learn more about how you can make the most of your next concrete project, and feel free to also share this tutorial with family and friends!

The post Staining Concrete Floors appeared first on Concrete Index.

The complete estimator cost guide for concrete  

You’re about to begin a new project, and concrete plays a major role in it.  

Yet, before you begin pouring and mixing, you’ll need to measure out your materials.  

While this should be a simple step, there are special elements of concrete composition that make it a little more challenging to measure.  

Are you wondering, “How much concrete do I need?”   

If so, you’ve come to the right place. We’re dedicated to helping our customers navigate the tricky and technical details of concrete so they can get to work quicker.   

Today, we’re sharing a quick guide to help you measure your concrete the right way, every time.  

Ready to get started? Let’s dive in! These are basic volume measurements.  

Materials to Gather  

Before you begin this tutorial, it helps to have all of your materials in place and ready to go.   

The materials that go into creating a batch of concrete include:  

• CementAggregate (washed and crushed rock)SandWaterBucket  

Most contractors stick to a simple four-two-one ratio when mixing their concrete. This means they’ll pour in four parts aggregate, two parts sand, one part cement.   

While these variables are relatively predictable, water proportions can fluctuate some. A few of the factors that help determine how much water your batch needs include:  

• The outdoor air temperature, humidity level, the amount of direct sunlight, the concrete mix ratio  

As you add more water, remember that you’re weakening the concrete’s cured tensile strength. This means it’s more susceptible to breaking under tension.   

Projecting Concrete Measurements and Costs  

There are a few steps to follow to help you determine the amount of concrete you’ll need to mix for your projects.   

Step 1: Determine Concrete Thickness  

Before you get too far into the process, how thick do you want your concrete to be?  

Different applications will require different measurements, so consider how you plan to use the surface after the concrete hardens.  

Let’s review a few common concrete slabs scenarios to keep in mind.  

Standard Concrete Sidewalks  

Pour these around four inches thick. If the sidewalk crosses a driveway, make it eight inches thick. The same measurements apply if service vehicles will use the sidewalk.  

Residential Driveways  

As long as they’re only intended for average vehicles, pour these at least six inches thick.  

Commercial Driveway Aprons  

Pour these at least eight inches thick. Ideally, try to make them around 10 inches, as this will allow trash trucks and other utility vehicles to use the surface without damaging it.  

Dumpster Pads and Concrete Loading Docks  

Pour these at least 10 inches thick, increasing it to 12 inches where you anticipate heavy loads.   

Concrete Footing and Foundations  

Measures beam volume then slab area  

Step 2: Measure Your Surface Area  

Once you know how thick you need your concrete to be, you can go ahead and measure the area you’ll need to cover.   

Take the length and width measurements and write them down.  

Step 3: Calculate the Square Footage  

With your measurements in hand, multiply the length by the width. This will provide you with your total square footage.  

For example:  

10 feet x 10 feet = 100 square feet  

Step 4: Convert Your Thickness Metric  

Remember Step 1 above? By now, you should know how many inches thick you’ll need your concrete to be. Use an online calculator such as this one to convert that number into feet, instead.  

Here are a few examples:  

• Four inches=0.33 feet  
• Six inches = 0.5 feet  
• Eight inches = 0.66 feet
•  10 inches = 0.83 feet
• 12 inches = 1 foot 

Step 5: Calculate Cubic Feet (total volume of concrete)  

Now that you’ve converted your desired thickness from inches to feet, take this measurement and multiply it by your total square footage determined in Step 3 above.  

Using the example above, your calculation might look like this:   

100 x 0.5 = 50 cubic feet  

Step 6: Convert Cubic Feet to Yards  

There are 27 Cubic feet in a yard. You can get 10 yards in a ready-mixed concrete truck  

With your total cubic feet measurement in hand, you’ll need to convert this measurement to cubic yards.   

To do so, multiply the measurement by .037.  

Once you know the total yards of concrete you need, you can use this number to gauge how many raw ingredients or pre-mixed bags you’ll need to complete the project.  

Continuing the example, your calculation becomes  

50 x .037 = 1.85 cubic yards of concrete required.   

Step 7: Measure How Many Bags of concrete You Need (estimate the amounts) 

If you’re using pre-mixed bags, you’ll notice that each bag has a distinct yield. The most common types are 40 pounds, 60 pounds, and 80 pounds.   

Here are the average yields for each size:  

• 40-pound bag: .011 cubic yards 
• 60-pound bag: .017 cubic yards
• 80-pound bag: .022 cubic yards  

Knowing this, you can take the total number of cubic yards you need for your project (Step 6 above) and divide it by the average yield size to see how many bags you need for your project.   

In our example, we calculated that we’d need 1.85 cubic yards of concrete.  

Remember any time you order less than a full truck there are short load fees  

If you buy a 40-pound bag, it will take around 167 bags to fulfill our needs.

If we buy a 60-pound bag, it will take 111 bags.

For an 80-pound bags, we will only need around 84 bags.   

If you are a concrete contractor and hire a ready-mix truck then be aware that you should account for about 10% waste rate. Once you figure out your yardage remember there are 10 yards in a truck and add the waste factor.  

Concrete pumper

Do you need a pumper or are you going to wheelbarrow the concrete? Most ready-mix drivers may give you 2 minutes per yard to unload the truck. Depending on your wheelbarrow size it could take 9-14 wheelbarrow loads per yard.   

So you better have 4-5 guys with wheelbarrows. If you can shoot it off the truck great. Keep in mind the weight of an existing concrete truck will break most concrete surfaces it will drive on.  

I good driver will not drive through the dirt as the probability of getting stuck is high, especially after rains.  

So it’s a good idea to hire a pump truck too($1000 and up) to pour large foundations or someone with an inline pump ($600-875) for smaller projects)  

There’s either the expense of using a pump or the labor of offloading by hand. My recommendation is to get a pump, Do you want to waste time while the clock is ticking and you are justing going to wear out your team right before you need them most. It’s risky doing it any other way.  

Calculator estimates 

Rather than buying some concrete calculator and worrying about the setting’s concrete functions, just use our online tool.  

“How Much Concrete Do I Need?” Now You Know!  

Undertaking a concrete project can be a challenge. You shouldn’t have to spin your wheels and dwindle your resources by asking, “How much concrete do I need?”  

Though the process can be laborious, taking the time to figure out your exact needs beforehand can save you from costly and time-consuming errors down the road.  

Consider your required thickness, measure your square footage, and perform the necessary calculations to get the metrics right the first time.   

Does all of this sound like a chore? It is. And very risky the more you have to pour.  

Why not hire a professional contractor to take care of the legwork for you? This way, you can make sure the finished product is top quality.  

When you’re ready to take this next step, we’d love to help. We have a vast network of contractors ready to tackle your next concrete project, from countertops to stamped sidewalks. Contact us today to get in touch with an expert you can trust! 

The post How Much Concrete Do I Need for My Project? appeared first on Concrete Index.

For big home projects, you’re likely to need to know how to hire the services of a concrete contractor. Concrete is the most used material for home projects like a concrete patio, retaining walls or decorative concrete, and it serves as the foundation of your home. It’s critical that whomever you choose is up to the task.

You need to know how to properly evaluate and pick the right concrete contractor for your project whether commercial or residential. Otherwise, your project can be more expensive and take longer.

Are you ready to find out what you need to look for and ask before you sign a residential concrete contract?

Keep reading to find out.

Research Contractors

Hiring a contractor starts with high-quality research. You’ll want to do some research to find a few contractors to contact. Ask your neighbors, friends, and colleagues to start with.

You can also check out your local chamber of commerce or look online at the Better Business Bureau, too.

Once you have a few names, take a look at the websites of each potential contractor. The first thing you want to check is the years of experience. A quality concrete contractor will have many years of experience and a great reputation in your city and surrounding areas. 

Take a look at the types of projects they’ve worked on before. You want to know that they have the experience to match your needs, whether that for a concrete foundation or a concrete driveway. 

For a home-related project that can boost your curb appeal, you want to work with a residential project. For commercial projects like parking lots or a large concrete construction project, a commercial contractor would be used. Some contractors are able to do both. 

Concrete contractors should have a portfolio of good work. You want to make sure they do quality work and have high levels of customer satisfaction. 

Check for Licenses

A local concrete contractor needs to be licensed and insured by their state(if applicable) contracting board in order to work on a job as a contractor. These contractors have to go through strict licensing requirements and if they don’t do a good job, you have some recourse.

You can file a complaint with the contracting board. Concrete contractors know this and want to avoid any negative marks on their license. They have expertise in their field, and they’ll do a better job.

Most will have their license information listed on their websites. You can then do an online search with the contractor’s board to verify that it’s active and in good standing.

You can also check to see if they are members of any industry or community associations.

If you are in a state like Texas or contractors serving the greater Houston area General Contractor Licenses are not required or even available. So in the example of using concrete contractors in Houston, you will have to rely on services like the BBB and google reviews, yelp reviews and even contacting the directories they are listed in.

The key is finding a good contractor with a good reputation that cares about their good reputation for service. Reliable Contractors with good visibility have skin in the game to keep a good online reputation and do not want negative reviews out there. For example, Houston tx recently had a record high cases of home remodeling rip-off after Harvey flooding.

What you are looking for is contractors that value 3rd party endorsements or associations that will hold their members accountable to you. Many associations or even directories have ethical guidelines and will boot contractors after unresolved complaints.

Evaluate Their Presentations

You want to get at least three proposals from different concrete contractors. Most concrete contractors offer a free estimate, but you want to verify this before you schedule the appointment. 

The contractors you invite to make a proposal are going to leave an impression.

You want to evaluate the entire interaction and the proposal. It’s like the saying goes, “how you do anything is how you do everything.”

• Are the company representatives professionally dressed? Did they act in a professional manner? Were they clear about the pricing of the concrete project? Did they mention similar projects that they worked on?

If a presentation came across as indifferent, you can bet that the customer service will be too. 

You’ll also want to look through the proposals and compare the scope of work, pricing and payment schedule. You want to make sure that everything is covered (material and labor costs) in the proposal before you move forward to sign a contract.

Ready to Hire a Concrete Contractor?

Just about every project starts with concrete. It’s used to build concrete driveways, sidewalks, foundations, walls, and counters.

No matter what your project is, you need to hire a concrete contractor that will pour with precision to ensure the best results. Otherwise, your project will be vulnerable to more damage.

When you hire a concrete contractor, do your research, ensure they’re licensed or have a good reputation and references if not applicable in your state, and get several quotes to compare.

Are you ready to hire a concrete contractor for your next project? It’s a good idea to search our directory to find one near you. Make sure you vet them good. Also, read 10 tips for hiring a contractor and learn what should be included in a proposal.

The post How to Hire a Concrete Contractor appeared first on Concrete Index.

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Udemy

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As a business owner, in the last decade or so I may have spent a half-million on SEO for my service business. Today I have the SEO tools that now save me tens of thousands and offer me better control and management of my online presence. 

SEO for small businesses may seem intimidating to learn about but it’s not so bad if you have trustworthy sources of info and professional tools. 

Like all advertising, some things have worked, and some things have just been expensive digital marketing lessons. 

The truth is, as a small to mid-sized business we can’t expect to get the value out of this cookie-cutter service for Contractors websites.  

Do we really expect a young college graduate that spends his days cold calling small businesses from some marketing agency will have the silver bullet to internet traffic and conversion?  

Do we think they even understand what it is we do? We are not general contractors.  

How to write about it on our website? No. We are the subject content experts when it comes to concrete. 

WTF do they know. Nothing. They do know how to say you need to work on your local search strategy, or “you need to boost your online presence with Local SEO. 

They may suggest blog posts or say social media will help your bottom line. Maybe they will say pages for mobile devices need to be optimized. 

At this point for my company a local business, I must get 5 calls a day from some guy from India that thinks he has all the internet marketing answers.  

Outside of all the SEO scams and half-ass SEO agencies, we should never hire a real SEO guy for one reason. We can’t afford it and you can’t trust these people. 

The amount of work that needs to be done to our sites is a big and critical job. If you were able to find a real SEO guy (0.05% chance) could you afford to pay him for the results you expect? Probably not. 

Did you ever notice SEO reporting from agencies always paints an amazing picture of their work? It’s very easy to manipulate data.  

Or half of the time they come up with stupid goals that they know they can accomplish but offer no value.  

Occasionally, I’ll talk to these guys, sometimes even get a proposal from them. I remember I had an SEO guy tell me that he could get me some certain five keywords to the top five.  

As I looked at the words, I quickly realized that they were very low volume words that had zero PPC value. These were not words that convert. His efforts would have offered me zero value. 

Poor guy was just a salesman that didn’t have the tools or information I have. 

So, if you don’t fire your SEO guy you should at least have the tools necessary to understand what changes are occurring, what goals should be set, and a diagnostic tool to understand and manage your SEO agent. 

Be your own SEO GUY, bring this in house

Obviously, a guy from the Philippines can’t write the content you need to rank and even a real page SEO guy doesn’t have your knowledge. 

So let me real clear. You wouldn’t leave your kids with some yahoo that doesn’t care about them. Why entrust your website or web development, the greatest opportunity for lead generation to someone that holds no stake? They don’t care if they screw up your traffic. 

What I am saying is that you need to learn everything there is about SEO pronto and dedicate a part of your day working on SEO and learning about your website visitors.  

In order to start learning about SEO you will need to start learning about: 

The website

A WordPress based website. This is the only format you should be using. Learning basic web design is critical. Read this article too 

Host 

Learn General SEO Practices and trends. 

SEO Tools for small business owners

SEO companies will use tools to diagnose your site. They don’t know anything about SEO, but their tools do. Get their tools and get out of your $500-2500 monthly agreement.  

For like a hundred a month(no-contract) I was able to have the data I needed to understand whether my SEO guy was doing anything relevant for the outrageous fee I was paying.  

Understanding search results is the start.  

You will learn these Seo strategies, 

Learning the basics of SEO like meta descriptions, title tags, anchor text, internal links, site links, or keyword researching for your product or service is important. Understanding Google analytics google search results will help. 

Learning about local area business SEO. These strategies focus on google my business page and local directory citations. 

Content Marketing is very important today. You are a subject matter expert, so you could write about what you know better than someone in a 3rd world country that gets paid 1 cent a word to write content for SEO firms.  

Google tends to be rewarding pieces of content that fulfill the user experience or user intent. It’s not just about building links anymore. Ranking factors have become more complex these days. Google and other search engines want to see high-quality web pages. 

Lately, structured data has been a ranking factor. Schema language can be applied on pages on your site to boost traffic to your website. 

With the proper tools, search engine optimization SEO you can fix technical issues that affect performance. 

If none of this makes sense, this tool will guide you to what needs to be learned and done. 

There are a few but if you are new to this use this GOOD Organic SEO Tool: 

TOOL LINK 

Pay Per Click for google and Facebook and Bing Tool 

For PPC (pay per click) you should use this tool. This tool is not cheap ~$299mo, but it saved me so much more then it costs. I’ve been doing PPC since 2005 and wish I had this tool.  

I would have about $200,000 in the bank if I had this tool to diagnose past SEO campaigns. If you are spending $500 and up on PPC a month doesn’t go without this. We waste so much on bad PPC practices mostly because it takes a goddamn robot at this point to figure out and keep track of what is working and what is not.  

PPC TOOL LINK

If you would like a free SEO audit of your page we can work on one to see how your site is performing.

The post How to Learn SEO for contractors and small business appeared first on Concrete Index.

This article is for consumers and contractors to assist them in Identifying a good improvement contract. A well-written contract is one of the best tools to facilitate communication regarding the terms of an agreement.

In a home improvement project, this helps the contractor and homeowner lay out the terms and expectations for creating accountability. But a good agreement contract is helpful for commercial construction as well.

Having a good contract doesn’t guarantee results but it sure is a good outline for communication.

Many states have different requirements for home improvement contracts depending on whether there are license requirements or Licensing boards.

Some states have different requirements for font sizes or disclosures. Whether required or not, It makes sense to lay out the terms to make sure the parties involved are on the same page.

In my opinion, if these items are not present, the contractor should be disqualified from winning the bid as it introduces unnecessary risk, poor communication and a sign of bad organization.

• Contractor Contact Information & Lic Number (if required) at Top.
• Purchaser Information
• Property or real estate Address of Project.
• Description of service

For homeowners or other consumers, you want descriptions laying out the details of the project.

• Description of materials and equipment used

Was there a promise to use a certain type of material or can the contractor use any grade of material?

• Contract Price
• Progress payment schedule with payments equally spread for work done.

High down payments are a red flag for the purchaser. In some states, it’s illegal to ask for more than 10% down. Lopsided progress payments where contractors are getting the lion share upfront can be a red flag.

In some cases that involve customer materials, its common for contractors to ask for special material deposits. Progress payment schedules should be fair to both parties. Giving too much upfront puts purchasers in a position on weakness.

On the other side, contractors should be quickly compensated at predetermined competition points to enable them to push forward.

Generally, you can get better terms from more established companies then smaller operations. Larger Contractors may have better terms with their vendors to front materials. More established contractors are more aware of their rights and are less paranoid or desperate regarding payments.

Choosing the best price from a less experienced contractor usually comes with added nonsense with regards to payment terms.

• Work schedule: Approximate start date and completion date and Access to project
• Purchasers acceptance and Signature agreement section.
• Lien notifications and other required disclosures. (check if you have state contractors licensing board requirement)
• In many cases, a contract may have a shop drawing or other supporting illustrations to communicate details.

In Conclusion, a detailed agreement is a cornerstone for communicating expectations of a project. It doesn’t mean that a contractor presenting a thorough agreement is grounds for hiring them, but if they don’t have one its definite grounds for not hiring them.

The post What should a concrete contract and proposal look like? appeared first on Concrete Index.

By Steven L. Williamson

Cement Shine

Houston, Texas

Updated August 03, 2019

As an epoxy floor installer with a few million square feet under my belt, I can tell you I am sick of hearing statements like:

• “We have the best, premier epoxy around”
• “the most durable epoxy around”
• “This stuff will stick to anything”
• “It’s virtually bulletproof”
• “it’s military-grade”
• “it’s chemically resistant to everything”
• “it’s 100% solids resin so it is the best”
• “it’s UV resistant”
• “it’s harder so it’s better”
• “it’s a moisture-resistant”
• “low VOC’s it’s earth-friendly”

If you can Imagine I use A LOT of epoxies so I’ve heard everything from some of the most uninformed epoxy salespeople around looking to land a high-volume client. The statements above are so general and so misleading it’s time to have a ‘Come to Jesus meeting” on this topic.

How do you make any sense of these statements especially if you are in the business of installing epoxy flooring and have the task of ensuring the epoxy you install over time will be the best overall product for the long term of your customers’ floor? Working with substandard materials can quickly end your epoxy installing aspirations.

How to get the Best Epoxy for Floors?

To start, let’s take the first statement. “We have the best epoxy around”

Compared to what? Exactly. How do we compare epoxies or benchmark them to others?

If you were looking at comparing stocks because your stock-broker told you “This is the best choice” what would you do? You would grab a prospectus on the company and benchmark it against other stocks in the same industry.

If you were buying a car you would analyze the specs on the cars, comparing it to other cars in its class to make sure you bought the best value with the best specs for the type of car you want. Why don’t we do this with epoxy coatings? Well, I have to, because when you spend millions on epoxy, you tend to learn a bit about epoxy quality, desirable and undesirable characteristics to find the best epoxy and value.

While some characteristics of epoxies are only learned from using the products you can learn a lot one important way.

You can determine this by looking at the product datasheets for the epoxy coatings you are comparing. They are the spec sheets or the prospectus of the epoxy product. You can learn a lot about a product by reading this document.

On the product datasheet, you should find standardized laboratory coating testing hopefully done by a 3rd party laboratory. If the manufacturer doesn’t disclose these standardized test results by a third party then you can safely disqualify this epoxy coating as a candidate for your flooring.

Epoxy Coatings tests and what to look for on Product data sheets

First off you will need to look at what the product is recommended for. If you are using this epoxy for something it wasn’t designed for then you need to know.

Solids Content

It may say 100% solids resin, it could say 95% or 65%. What does this mean? In short, in the coatings world, it means how much of this product will be present when the epoxy flooring cures or “dries.”

Does this mean that 100% is better than 95%? Not necessarily. It just means the product doesn’t evaporate and lose build. When looking for a primer, you might want a product that is 95% solids and 5% solvent.

Solvents are carriers that carry products. The solvent may carry the epoxy into the concrete substrate much more effectively than a 100% product. And on a 2nd coat do you think something with solvent will better re-emulsify the base to create chemical adhesion.

Maybe. The point is epoxies are formulated for different purposes and drawing a quick conclusion based on a products’ solids content is elementary.

EPOXY VOC Content

If you are in the coatings world I don’t have to tell you that in the US the EPA in recent years been increasingly focused on lowering the Volatile Organic Compounds.  I can’t say that low VOC’s have anything to do with quality as many 100% solids epoxies have zero.

You also couldn’t say that a product with low VOC’s is safe as there are many toxic obscure solvents not regulated by the EPA or affected by VOC laws.

So low VOC’ does not necessarily mean a product is safer or “earth-friendly” or less toxic as I can think of a number of resins that would put you on your knees, fumes that debilitate you, because your respirator is useless as the fumes absorb into your skin and eyes.

These are ‘low VOC’ products so don’t confuse it with not being toxic or earth-friendly. It did take some time for manufacturers to reformulate their products after the stricter laws passed.

Recommended Epoxy Thickness and coverage Mils

Obviously applying an epoxy floor coating thicker than recommended would not be advisable. But when comparing apples to apples you may find that the coverage is lower or higher than the other.

Higher coverage is influenced by product viscosity and sometimes solids content. You could see how coverage and MIL thickness would have an inverse relationship. The thinner you spread it the epoxy the further the coverage. Is thicker always better?

It depends on the coating and what it’s designed for. Some polyureas or polyspartics you wouldn’t want to think because they would be too rubbery. Some primers go down thinner and some moisture barrier primers have to be a certain thickness or MILS to work properly so just follow the recommendations and realize this is one of many factors of your comparison.

How do you measure Epoxy Abrasive Resistance?

How do we compare epoxies’ abrasive resistance among each other? A Taber abrasor CS-17 calibrase wheel with 1000 gram total load and 500 cycles. The Taber resistance test is essentially a piece of testing equipment that is basically two sanding wheels that are applied to a coating product at 500 cycles to determine product loss. 1000 mg of the coating is placed below the sanding wheels and sanded 500 rotations.

The sample is removed, cleaned, then weighed. The results are recorded in mg loss.

A product with 16 mg loss would be called more abrasive resistant than one with a 44 mg loss. But one thing to keep in mind polyspartic coatings may react much differently than a “normal” epoxy.

Do you need high abrasion resistance in a body coat or primer? Abrasion resistance is most important for Topcoats, and I don’t many people using normally epoxies as topcoats as these days there are many better options. Looking at this data and knowing how not to interpret it is just as important as knowing how.

Epoxy Floor Abrasive Resistance testing equipment

HOW DO YOU MEASURE EPOXY ADHESION?

420 psi @ elcometer (concrete failure, no delamination)

A pull test following the guidelines of test standard ASTMD 4541 is the standard for testing adhesion in coatings. A floor usually fails somewhere between 400 psi and 500 psi. What we want to see here is a concrete failure, meaning

the concrete comes up with the coating. Generally, a cylinder is placed on the floor and through suction, it is pulled. If there is a concrete failure that’s at 400 psi it doesn’t mean failure at 500 psi dictates more adhesion it may just mean the strength of the concrete at the field test was stronger.

Do we judge urethane’s to the same standard of adhesion when we know that they generally have worse adhesion direct to concrete? We don’t typically use urethane’s as primers so generally adhesion tests are going to be most important with primers or epoxies we are applying directly to concrete. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRZ2aRCFoVg

Epoxy Coating Pull Test

DIFFERENT EPOXY COATING STRENGTH & DURABILITY MEASUREMENTS

WHAT IS EPOXY FLEXURAL STRENGTH?

9,700 psi @ ASTM D790

According to the American Society for Testing and Materials,

“These test methods are used to determine the flexural properties of un-reinforced and reinforced plastics, including high modulus composites and electrical insulating materials utilizing a three-point loading system to apply a load to a simply supported beam (specimen). The method is generally applicable to both rigid and semi-rigid materials, but flexural strength cannot be determined for those materials that do not break or yield in the outer surface of the test specimen within the 5.0 % strain limit.”(ASTM*)

Epoxy Flexual Strength results

In general, the flexual test is bending the product at three points to determine at which PSI it fails. The higher the number the better the flexural strength. But humor me for a minute. Do you think if a 4000 PSI slab with 400 PSI flexural strength cracks that a 9700PSI flexural strength coating is going to hold the substrate together with vertical separation? I’m not an engineer but have probably seen more of this first hand.

* https://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/resolver.cgi?D790-17

https://www.astm.org/Standards/D790.htm

WHAT IS EPOXY COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH?

7,400 psi @ ASTM D695

Compressive strength is measured by crushing the epoxy in a press and measuring at what PSI the product fails. What if your 6 inch slab is 2000 PSI. Is a 12 Mil epoxy coating with 10,000 PSI going to strengthen the concrete floor? Probably doesn’t hurt, but you see what I am saying. There are certain coatings or resins that are strong but perform much differently to compression so assuming that high PSI failure is best for every situation would be a generalization.

** http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/resolver.cgi?D695

WHAT IS EPOXY TENSILE STRENGTH?

6,100 psi @ ASTM D638

Tensile strength in epoxy flooring is the resistance of a material to breaking under tension. This is also communicated in terms of failure at a given pounds per square inch(PSI).

WHAT IS A GARDNER VARIABLE IMPACTOR TEST?

50-inch pounds direct – passed

Falling Dart Impact (Gardner Impact) ASTM D4226 & ASTM D5420 is defined by Intertek Group as,

“Falling dart impact…. is a traditional method for evaluating the impact strength or toughness of a plastic material……The test sample rests on a base plate over an opening of specified diameter. An “impactor” sits on top of the test sample with a nose of specified radius in contact with the center of the test sample. A weight is raised inside a guide tube to a predetermined height, then released to drop onto the top of the impactor, forcing the nose through the test sample. “(Intertek***)

While there isn’t a flooring epoxy that I know of that is bulletproof. With the garner variable impactor test, you are looking for a pass with the same procedures when comparing coating results. *** http://www.intertek.com/polymers/testlopedia/gardner-impact/

What is EPOXY SHORE HARDNESS?

Many are Shore D= 86 and better.

Shore hardness is communicated in terms of a scale from 0-100 with 100 being the hardest measurement. The test used is called a Durometer. The test involves a spring-loaded indenter. The depth of the indenter penetration

determines the measured hardness. According to Dr. Dmitri Kopeliovich, Founder of SubsTech, a leading professional on Materials Science and Engineering,

“Hardness of hard elastomers and polymer materials… is measured by Shore D scale. Two different indenter shapes (see the picture below) and two different spring loads are used for two

Shore scales (A and D). The loading forces of Shore A: 1.812 lb (822 g), Shore D: 10 lb (4536 g).” *,**

Hardness Testing Epoxy Flooring

Shore Hardness chart to compare Epoxy

* https://www.teknorapex.com/thermoplastic-elastomers-and-measuring-shore-hardness-chart **https://www.substech.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=shore_durometer_hardness_test

How to determine EPOXY FLOORING CHEMICAL RESISTANCE?

Chemical resistant charts are also featured on most product datasheets. Some epoxies have higher chemical resistance or different thresholds to different chemicals. The key is finding a coating that works best for the facilities’ needs.

Chemical Product Epoxy Resistance to Chemical Product

Acetic Acid (20%) Excellent

Acetone Not Recommended

Acetylene Excellent

Alcohol – Ethyl Excellent (temperature < 120oF, 50oC)

Alcohol – Isopropyl Excellent

Alcohol – Methyl Good (temperature < 72oF, 22oC)

Aluminum Chloride Excellent (temperature < 72oF, 22oC)

Aluminum Fluoride Good (temperature < 72oF, 22oC)

Aluminum Hydroxide Good (temperature < 72oF, 22oC)

Aluminum Sulfate Excellent (temperature < 72oF, 22oC)

Amines Excellent (temperature < 72oF, 22oC)

Ammonia – Liquid Excellent (temperature < 72oF, 22oC)

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/chemical-resistance-epoxy-d_786.html

Conclusion for Best Epoxy Flooring Selection

In Conclusion,

the best epoxy, most durable epoxy, or most adhesive epoxy are just statements. These statements can be verified by interpreting testing results. In my opinion, epoxy flooring material should be chosen with floor use in mind.

Traffic type whether foot, vehicular, or airplane should be considered. You don’t want to over-engineer an Epoxy Flooring system as you wouldn’t want to under engineer one either.

Finding the best quality and value for your specific epoxy flooring needs should be determined by someone that has experience and understanding for interpreting these standard epoxy test results.

So the next epoxy salesperson that to says to you, “We have the Hardest epoxy ever made!” I expect you to retort with, “What were the results of its shore hardness test?”

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A guide for hiring epoxy coating contractors, a standard for service

Hiring an epoxy flooring contractor can be a daunting task. Many people have the same type of concerns when searching for the right contractor.

• How do I find a company that uses quality and commercial grade epoxy resins?
• How do I know if they know how to properly install these products?
• How do I not get scammed?
• How do I get the best value and price for an epoxy floor?

All these questions are answered in our ‘Buyers guide for choosing the right epoxy flooring contractor’.

One unique thing about epoxy flooring contractors is that there are very little barriers to entry. Virtually anyone can run an ad online or in a directory as an epoxy flooring contractor, pick up some DIY ‘epoxy” locally and incorrectly install it.

This leads to many headaches for the owner of the project. Many times, the failure of these floors happen when the contractor is long gone.

What sets apart a professional from someone that decided yesterday to become an epoxy flooring contractor?

• Does the contractor have online reviews?
• Is there a disproportionate amount of negative reviews?
• Is the contractor a member of the BBB?
• Is the contractor a member of industry groups?
• Will the contractor provide customer references?
• Is the contractor a manufacture approved installer?
• Does the contractor hold a 2-million-dollar General liability policy and workers compensation?
• Does the contractor specialize on concrete flooring finishes or are they a bag of unrelated construction services?

The key to finding the right installer is finding someone that has a history or record of accountability to their customers.

Ultimately you risk putting yourself in the position of paying twice for your floor. Once after it fails or the unaccountable takes off and then twice to fix it.

I see it every week and am not thrilled to see people get taken advantage of.

To illustrate my point here’s two fictional story’s that are based on real life.

Bob and Johnny are neighbors. Both spend a lot of time in their garage watching football and generally avoiding their wives constant honey-do lists.

Bob and Johnny were talking one night after watching the game that getting an epoxy floor coating system would be nice.

The next day both went looking to find some pricing and invited some epoxy flooring contractors over for some bids.

Johnny used the ‘buyers guide for hiring an epoxy flooring contractor’ and settled on a company that met all the criteria in the guide.

Bob a retired engineer just used his own judgment and figured he could figure out if someone knew if they knew what they were doing.

Bobby was determined to get the absolute best price. Bobby settled on a team known as the Nantucket Bros.

Nantucket Bros Epoxy experience:

The Nantucket Bros sold themselves as general contractors that have business cards that say “we-do-it-all” surely an epoxy floor on a small garage was no match for them.

And the price was $300 less than Johnny’s contractor. They didn’t bother to do any paperwork as a handshake seemed genuine.

The next day Bobby gets a call from Richie Nantucket.

“Hey Bobby, Richie Nantucket here, hey I need to pick up some cash, I need to go pick up the material, so we can start.”

“Sure Richie, how much do you need?” said Bobby.

“I need 75% of the amount,” said Richie.

“Wow, that sounds like a large deposit Richie” “well ok Richie, I trust you” exclaimed Bobby.

Richie shows up with a $150 an epoxy kit he got at a big box store. Bobby questions him but Richie explains he’s done this before and it will be fine. Bobby wonders why he needed so much money.

Richie also picked up some pool acid for $7 and mixes it with water and mops it on the concrete floor. It fizzes, and Richie explains he is prepping the surface.

Richie brings the hose in the garage and squirts the floor clean. During the process, Richie accidentally hoses the drywall pretty good.

Bobby is getting increasingly concerned but doesn’t want to cause a scene so doesn’t say anything. In the meantime, Bobby goes online and checks out the product and learns that the surface should be dry for application.

He also learns that it’s closer to being a paint than epoxy resin. He tells Richie that the product cannot be applied wet and Richie goes home and agrees to apply it tomorrow.

The next day Bobby waits around wondering when Richie will be back to apply the “epoxy” on his floor. Finally, at 1 pm Bobby calls Richie.

Richie is just waking up after a hard night of celebrating with the other Nantucket brothers.

Richie tells bobby he will be there in twenty minutes. Two hours later Richie shows up (bloodshot eyes)

Richie realizes he doesn’t have everything he needs to install the product. He leaves and returns an hour later. Richie starts to mix the product on the driveway and spills it on the driveway.

Richie grabs some acetone out of Bobby garage and pours it on the driveway and wipes it up with a rag. Oh no, Richie just de-glossed and removed the stain from Bobby’s beautiful driveway.

Hopefully, Bobby doesn’t notice.

Richie pours the product on the floor and starts to roll it. (why is it so sticky, why are the hairs of the roller sticking to the surface) Richie wonders why he can’t get the coverage to finish the floor.

Richie stops and tells Bobby he needs to go get another kit of the product. Richie tells Bobby he needs $400 more to get some more material.

Bobby asks him about what happened to all the money he gave him yesterday. Richie says it’s gone. Bobby figures well, I’m not giving him any more, this is it.

Richie gets another kit and finishes the rest of the floor. He throws a handful of flake over the surface. He cleans up and goes.

The next day Bobby starts researching epoxy and wonders why there wasn’t a top coat installed. He calls Richie at the Nantucket Bros. but no one will answer.

Three days later Bobby parks his car in the garage and realizes that where his tires sit the coating is starting to peel. He calls the Nantucket Bros and no answer.

Bobby must now hire someone to fix this and do it right.

Epoxy the right way

Johnny’s experience after using the ‘Buyers guide for choosing the right epoxy flooring contractor’.

After doing pre-research on the company, Johnny invites XYZ contractor to bid his project. The contractor provides Johnny with a written and detailed proposal.

It includes the square footage; the commercial flooring material being used, color, and flake broadcast coverage with a chemically resistant topcoat.

It lays out a clear progress payment schedule based on the progress of the small job. The estimator is dressed nice, has a nice truck and is knowledgeable about all questions asked.

The paperwork lays out the clear terms and conditions of the flooring system and products and service.

XYZ is an epoxy floor systems specialist that has a track record of reviews and happy clients. They only install epoxies and urethane cement coatings.

Johnny asks XYZ contractor to send over some references and product data sheets on the later. XYZ agrees and follows up.

Johnny asks for an insurance certificate to be emailed to him as well. XYZ complies.

The price of XYZ is a few hundred more than the next quote but everything feels right.

Johnny hires XYZ and finds a scheduled date with the estimator that is available. Johnny pays a reasonable deposit to cover some of the custom material order and to hold the place in the schedule for this busy company.

The crew shows up and mechanically grinds the concrete floor. 

They achieve a surface profile of a 3 which is recommended on the product data-sheet.

They are done with the prep very quickly as their machines were designed for this, and the crew does the same thing every day, and it shows.

They mix the material on the surface or a piece of cardboard to avoid spills. They squeegee the syrupy commercial grade epoxy resin then back roll it with a specialty roller made for industrial floors epoxy application. This product is chemically resistant epoxy and easy to clean.

They throw the flake and clean up are in their truck most before Johnny can get out the door. The crew tells Johnny they will be back to scrape the floor and apply a highly chemically resistant and slip resistant polyspartic in the morning.

The crew returns and finishes fast. Johnny is able to pay his invoice the next day online. Johnny loves the floor and expresses it to the estimator who calls him after the work is done to confirm everything is good.

Johnny thinks he could have done it himself because XYZ made it look so easy.

Don’t get stuck with the Nantucket Bros.   I hope this helps.

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