Glossary of Terms

The concrete flooring industry uses a lot of terms that may not be familiar to you. Below are some commonly used terms and frequently asked questions that may help you to understand what it is that we do.

Common Concrete Seal and Coating Terminology

A

• Abrasion Resistance: How well a concrete surface or decorative coating resists being worn away by friction or rubbing.
• Abrasive Blasting: Propelling an abrasive medium (such as sand or steel shot) at high velocity against concrete to roughen, clean, or profile the surface in preparation for decorative coatings or overlays. Methods include sandblasting, shot-blasting, bead blasting, and sand brushing.
• Acetone: A common solvent often used as a carrier for solvent based sealers. Considered an exempt solvent from VOC regulations.
• Acid Etching: The application of muriatic or phosphoric acid to clean or profile a concrete surface. Used as an alternative to abrasive blasting for surface preparation but NOT recommended to prep concrete for coating. (Also see neutralize)
• Acid Staining: A stain containing inorganic salts dissolved in an acidic, water-based solution that reacts chemically with the minerals in hardened concrete to produce permanent, transparent color that will not peel or flake. Gives concrete an attractive variegated or marbleized appearance. Colors tend to be earth tones, such as tans, browns, reddish browns, and greens.
• Aggregate: A granular material such as sand, rock, crushed stone, gravel, or other particles added to concrete to improve its structural performance. (See Exposed Aggregate)
• Alligatoring: Surface imperfections in a coating resulting in a wrinkled appearance. Usually caused by incompatibility of a newly applied coating with an existing surface coating or sealer. Also know as orange peel or fish eyeing.

B

• Bleed Through: Color change caused by the diffusion of color from an underlying surface.
• Blistering:‚ The formation of blisters in toppings or coatings and the loss of adhesion with the underlying substrate. On concrete surfaces, this is often caused by moisture or moisture vapor transmission problems.
• Bond: The degree of adhesion or grip of a material (such as coatings, toppings, repair mortars, or sealers) to an existing surface.
• Bonding Agent: An adhesive agent used to increase the adherence of coatings or toppings to the existing surface. Also known as a primer.
• Bond Breaker: A material that prevents adhesion of materials to a concrete substrate.
• Broadcast: To hand toss a dry-shake color hardener, decorative aggregate, or other dry material in a uniform layer over fresh concrete, overlays, or coatings to add color or traction. (Also see seeding)
• Build: The wet or dry thickness of a coating or topping. (Also see high-build coating)
  

C

• Calcium chloride vapor-emission test: An ASTM test used to measure the volume of moisture vapor released from a concrete substrate over time (typically 24 hours). Too much moisture emitted from a slab can affect the performance and bonding of overlays, coatings, and sealers. Moisture vapor test kits are available that include small containers of pre weighed, un-hydrated calcium chloride.
• Cementitious: A material containing portland cement as one of its components or having cement-like properties.
• Chalking:‚ Loose, powdery substance caused by deterioration of a concrete surface or degradation of a coating or overlay.
• Coating system: A complete system requiring a number of coats of material to be applied separately in a predetermined order and at prescribed intervals to allow for sufficient drying and curing. May include a primer, one or more intermediate coats, and a topcoat.
• Compressive strength: The maximum compressive stress concrete or cementitious overlay materials are capable of sustaining, expressed as pounds per square inch (psi).
• Color chips: Plastic chips, available in various colors and sizes, for broadcasting onto freshly placed epoxy resin flooring systems, such as epoxy terrazzo, to produce multicolored effects.
• Concrete surface profile (CSP): The degree of roughness of a concrete surface achievable with various surface preparation methods. The International Concrete Repair Institute has identified nine distinct roughness profiles considered to be suitable for the application of sealers, coatings, and polymer-modified overlays.
• Control (or contraction) joint: Sawed or tooled groove in a concrete slab used to regulate the location of cracking.
• Coverage rate: The area that a specified volume of coating will cover to a specified thickness upon drying.
• Crack chasing: Routing out cracks in concrete with a saw or angle grinder before filling with a repair material.
• Cracks, moving: Cracks in concrete that are still moving, or active. Often they are structural in nature and continue through the entire depth of the concrete.
• Cracks, static: Random, non-moving hairline cracks that only affect the concrete surface.
• Cracks, shrinkage: A decrease in the volume of concrete as it dries, due to loss of moisture causing cracking.
• Curing: Action taken to maintain favorable moisture and temperature conditions of freshly placed concrete or cementitious materials during a defined period of time following placement. Helps to ensure adequate hydration and proper hardening.
• Curing compound: A liquid that, when applied to the surface of newly placed concrete, forms a membrane on the concrete or penetrates the concrete to retard the evaporation of water.
  

D

• Decorative Aggregate: Richly colored natural stones, such as basalts, granite, quartz, or limestone, used to create decorative coatings with slip resistant texture.
• Degreaser: A chemical solution for removing grease, oils, and other contaminants from concrete surfaces.
• De-lamination:‚ A separation of a coating or topping from a substrate or the layers of a coating from each other due to poor adhesion.
• Densifier: A penetrating liquid chemical hardener applied to concrete to help solidify and densify the surface and provide extra protection from water penetration and staining. Often recommended for polished concrete, because hard concrete produces a better polish.
• Diamond grinding: A single or multistep grinding procedure for removing coatings or producing polished concrete surfaces depending on the type of bits/blades used.
• Dry polishing: The method most commonly used for polished concrete. Contractors use a floor polisher/diamond grinder equipped with diamond-segmented abrasives, progressing from coarser to finer grits until the desired level of sheen is achieved. The floor polisher is hooked up to a dust-containment system that vacuums up the dust from diamond grinding of the surface.
• Dyes: Translucent color solutions containing very fine pigments that penetrate into the concrete surface. Will not chemically react with concrete (like acid stains will). Both water-and solvent-based dyes are available, with colors ranging from soft pastels to bolder hues such as red, blue, and orange.
  

E

• Efflorescence: A crystalline deposit of salts (usually white in color) that forms on the concrete surface when soluble calcium hydroxides leach from the concrete and combine with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. On colored concrete, especially darker tones, these white deposits can be particularly unsightly.
• Epoxy injection: A method for sealing or repairing cracks in concrete by low-pressure injection of an epoxy adhesive.
• Epoxy resins: Organic chemical bonding systems used in the preparation of protective and decorative coatings for concrete, adhesives for injection of cracked concrete, or as binders in epoxy mortars.
• Epoxy slurry: A multi-component, 100% solids epoxy floor coating blended with slurry powder or graded silica which provides a high build, (self priming) system that is tough , chemical resistant, low odor, and durable. Used as a quartz broadcast system, Epoxy slurry is used to create seamless floors in manufacturing plants, mechanical rooms, warehouses, commercial kitchens, restaurants, garages, and service areas.
• Epoxy terrazzo: A poured-in-place topping for concrete substrates that goes on at a thickness of 1/4 to 3/8 inch. The epoxy resin matrix can be pigmented to achieve an unlimited spectrum of colors and is often seeded while still wet with decorative aggregates or color chips.
• Exposed aggregate: A decorative surface formed by removing the surface mortar from a concrete slab (either by scrubbing, pressure washing, or abrasive blasting) to expose the underlying aggregates. (Also see surface retarder.)

F

• Feather edge: To smoothly, seamlessly blend the edge of a topping or repair material into the existing concrete.
• Fibers: Tiny filaments made of polypropylene, polyolefin, nylon, polyethylene, polyester, or acrylic used alone or in conjunction with rebar or welded wire mesh to reinforce concrete.
• Finishing: Leveling, smoothing, compacting, and otherwise treating the surface of newly placed concrete overlays to produce the desired appearance and service properties.
• Film thickness: The depth of the film when wet (wet film thickness) and the final depth when dry (dry film thickness).
• Flexural strength: The ability of hardened concrete or an overlay to resist failure in bending.

G

• Gauge rake: A tool with an adjustable depth gauge designed for application of high-build coatings or cementitious toppings at a preset, uniform thickness.
• Grinding: A mechanical surface preparation method using rotating abrasive stones or discs to remove thin coatings and mastics or slight flaws and protrusions.
• Grout: A mixture of cementitious materials and water, with or without aggregate, proportioned to produce a creamy consistency. Can be purchased pre-blended in a multitude of colors to define joints and saw-cuts in decorative concrete slabs or walls, especially those with stone, brick, or tile patterns.
  

H

• Hard-troweled finish: Surface finish obtained by using a trowel with a steel blade for final finishing of concrete overlayments. Often used where a smooth, hard, flat surface is desired.
• High-build coating: A protective or decorative coating that produces a thick dry film (usually greater than 10 mils) in a single coat.
• High-pressure water blasting: A process for cleaning or roughening concrete surfaces using a stream of water delivered at high pressure.
• HoverTrowel: A patented lightweight power trowel developed specifically for precision finishing of epoxy, polymer modified, and cementitious overlay systems.

J

• Joint (control, expansion, or isolation): Formed, sawed, or tooled groove in a concrete slab used to regulate the location of cracking (control joint) or to allow expansion or movement of adjoining structures. In decorative concrete, joints can also double as delineating design elements in a pattern.
• Joint filler: A compressible material used to fill a joint to prevent the infiltration of debris.
  

K

• Knock-down finish: Achieved by applying a decorative topping and then using a trowel to (knock-down) the material to produce a smooth or lightly textured surface.
  

L

• Laitance: A thin layer of fine, loosely bonded particles on the surface of fresh concrete, caused by the upward movement of water. Laitance must be removed before application of a decorative coating or topping.

M

• Masking: Covering select areas of a concrete surface with an adhesive stencil, tape, or other medium before applying a decorative treatment that will affect only the exposed areas.
• Material safety data sheet (MSDS): Information sheets containing pertinent chemical ingredients, product handling and safety guidelines.
• Membrane: Formed over a concrete surface to provide protection and enhance color. Typically clear plastic like acrylic, polyurethane or epoxy.
• Mil: A measurement equal to 1/1,000 (0.001) inch. Commonly used to denote coating thickness.
• Mixing station: A designated work area outfitted with all the equipment and supplies needed to mix materials properly and efficiently.
• Moisture vapor transmission: The migration of moisture vapor to the surface of a concrete slab, caused by vapor pressure differentials in the concrete and the surrounding atmosphere. Can contribute to the failure of impermeable coatings or other floor toppings that do not permit moisture to escape. (Also see calcium chloride vapor-emission test.)
  

N

• Neutralize: To return concrete to the proper pH after acid etching, generally by washing the surface with a mixture of water and ammonia or sodium carbonate. Ideal pH is 7.0 (neutral), but a pH range of 6.0-9.0 is acceptable for most coatings. ASTM D 4262, "Standard Test Method for pH of Chemically Cleaned or Etched Concrete Surfaces," covers the procedure for determining the acidity or alkalinity of concrete surfaces prepared by chemical cleaning or etching prior to coating application. See pH test.
• Notched-squeegee: A rubber squeegee with notches or serrations on one or both edges. Used for smooth and consistent spreading of epoxy resin products or other low-viscosity coatings.
  

O

• Overlay: A bonded layer of material, ranging from 1/4 to 1 inch or more in thickness, placed on existing concrete surfaces to beautify, level, or restore.
  

P

• Penetrating sealer: A sealer with the ability to penetrate into the concrete surface to increase water repellency and resist stains. Often used on decorative concrete to provide invisible protection without changing the surface appearance.
• Permeability: The degree to which a membrane or coating will allow the passage or penetration of a liquid or gas.
• pH Test: A test performed on the concrete surface to determine the level of acidity or alkalinity. Typically performed prior to applying sealers or coatings.
• Ppigment: A finely ground natural or synthetic particle adding color and opacity to a coating or topping.
• Pin holing: A defect in a coating characterized by pinhead-sized holes that expose the underlying substrate.
• Polished concrete: A high-gloss finish attained by using special floor polishers fitted with diamond-impregnated abrasive disks (similar to sandpaper) to grind down surfaces to the desired degree of shine and smoothness. The resulting surface is very low-maintenance and can be stained to replicate the look of polished stone.
• Polymer-modified overlay:‚ A cement-based overlay with polymer resins added to improve performance, wear resistance, and aesthetic qualities. Overlay manufacturers use different types of polymer resins, often blending them to produce proprietary products with unique characteristics. Many of today’s decorative overlays use acrylics or vinyl blends because these resins provide excellent bond strength and UV resistance.
• Polymer stain: An acrylic-urethane based stain available in a broader palette of colors than acid stains. Very low in volatile organic compounds, with workability characteristics similar to latex paint. Can be applied to concrete surfaces by brush, roller, sponge, cloth, or commercial sprayer.
• Polyurethane Flooring: polyurethane resins, commonly referred to as urethane, are thermosetting or thermoplastic resins and demonstrate moderate chemical resistance and good resistance to diluted acids and alkali. Polyurethane resins generally offer moderate adhesion, but good resistance to shrinkage and excellent flexibility.
• Pop out: A pit or crater in the concrete surface, ranging in size from 1/4 inch to several inches in diameter, that results from the fracturing of unsound aggregate particles due to expansion pressure. Usually caused by porous aggregate having a high rate of absorption.
• Pot life: The length of time a material is useful after its original package is opened or a catalyst is added.
• Profile: The act of preparing a concrete surface to achieve the necessary degree of roughness (also see concrete surface profile).
• Primer: The first coat of material applied to a concrete surface to improve bonding or adherence of subsequent coats. See also bond coat.
  

R

• Reflection cracking: The occurrence of cracks in overlays and toppings that coincide with the location of existing cracks in the substrate.
• Reinforced concrete: Concrete construction that has steel rebar or welded wire mesh embedded in it to provide greater tolerance to tension and flexural stress.
  

S

• Sacrificial coating: A final floor finish or wax designed to protect the sealer or topcoat from wear. Usually applied by mop or floor buffer in several coats to act as a shock absorber to scuffs, scratches, and grime.
• Sample (or sample board): A small (generally 2x2-foot) representation of a decorative concrete installation, used as a selling tool or to experiment with various decorative treatments and techniques for applying materials.
• Sandblast stenciling: A technique for patterning existing concrete surfaces by applying resilient adhesive stencils followed by sandblasting to lightly remove concrete in only the exposed areas. (Also see stenciled concrete.)
• Sandblasting: A method of abrading or profiling a surface with a stream of sand ejected from a nozzle at high speed by compressed air. (Also see abrasive blasting.)
• Sawcutting: Using a concrete saw with abrasive blades or disks to cut joints or score patterns into hardened concrete.
• Scaling: The flaking or breaking away of a hardened concrete surface, often due to exposure to freezing and thawing.
• Scarifier: Milling equipment used to clean and profile concrete surfaces or to remove existing coatings. Uses rotary impact cutters held at a right angle to the surface.
• Sealer: Solvent- or liquid-based material used to protect and enhance the appearance of decorative concrete. (Also see film-forming sealer and penetrating sealer.)
• Seeding: Broadcasting decorative aggregates on the surface of freshly placed concrete or toppings.
• Self-leveling overlay: A flowable, polymer-modified cementitious topping with the ability to self level without troweling. Used to smooth and level existing concrete surfaces. Can also be enhanced by staining, dying, or sawcutting.
• Scratch coat: A base coat used to improve the rigidity and/or bonding of subsequent topcoats. A scratch coat is often required for vertical stamped concrete.
• Screed box: A walk-behind applicator designed to put down a dryer, trowel applied epoxy resurfacer at a specific depth.
• Shotblasting: An abrasive blasting method using round iron shot to clean and create a profile on concrete surfaces.
• Skim coat: An overlay layer applied very thinly with a squeegee.
  Solvent ‚ Liquid typically used as a carrier for sealers and curing compounds
• Spalling: A breaking away of concrete at joints in floors or slabs. Typically occurs at joints that are installed improperly or don’t adequately support the loads applied to them. (Also see raveling.)
• Spiked roller: A cylindrical tool similar in appearance to a paint roller, but with rows of polypropylene spikes. Used to roll across the surface of freshly applied epoxy coatings to release trapped gas bubbles and to assist in leveling.
• Stamped concrete: Concrete flatwork that is patterned with platform tools, stamping mats, or seamless texturing skins to resemble materials such as brick, slate, stone, tile, and wood planking. (Also see vertical stamped concrete.)
• Stamped overlay: Similar to conventional stamped concrete, but can be applied to existing concrete. A cementitious topping is applied at a thickness of 1/4 to 3/4 inch and then stamped to mimic brick, slate, and natural stone. Color options include dry-shake color hardeners, colored liquid or powdered release agents, acid stains, dyes, and tinted sealers.
  static cracks ‚ Random, non-moving hairline cracks that only affect the concrete surface.
  stenciled concrete ‚ A decorative surface treatment using heavy-duty paper stencils with stone, tile, or brick patterns that are lightly pressed into fresh concrete, followed by the application of dry-shake color hardeners. When the stencils are removed, the uncolored concrete mimics mortar joints. Another technique, for use on existing concrete, is to apply adhesive stencils and then color, etch, or sandblast the surface. (Also see sandblast stenciling.)
  substrate ‚ An existing concrete surface that receives an overlay, decorative or protective coating, repair procedure, or other resurfacing treatment.
  surface preparation ‚ Preparing concrete surfaces prior to resurfacing or application of a decorative coating to remove contaminants and minor defects or to obtain the necessary degree of roughness for adequate bonding. (Also see abrasive blasting, acid etching, and grinding.)
  

T

• Tack, The stickiness or adhesiveness of a material.
• Technical data sheet: Contains important specifications and manufacturer guidelines for product usage. Includes such data as coverage rates, recommended applications, product limitations, surface preparation guidelines, mix ratios and required mixing times, pot life, application procedures, cure times, performance data, and precautions.
• Texture roller: A cylindrical tool similar in appearance to a paint roller used to impart a stone like texture to stenciled concrete. It is rolled over the stencil and the fresh concrete to texture only the exposed surfaces.
• Texturing: Giving concrete overlay surfaces a texture without leaving deep pattern lines.
• Trowel finish: The smooth or lightly textured surface finish obtained by troweling.
• Translucent: A type of finish were the coating has some level of transparency.

V

• Vapor barrier: A moisture-impervious material, such as plastic sheeting, placed on the subbase under a concrete slab to help prevent moisture vapor transmission.
• Viscosity: A measure of the fluidity of a liquid material. The more viscosity a material such as a sealer or coating has, the less it flows.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): Organic chemicals that readily vaporize at normal room temperatures. Concrete coatings, sealers, or cleaning materials that are solvent-based generally have higher VOC contents than water-based materials. Some VOCs can be hazardous when inhaled.
  

W

• Wet polishing: A method for polished concrete that uses water to cool the diamond abrasives and eliminate grinding dust. Not as commonly used as dry polishing, because the process creates a tremendous amount of slurry (a soupy mixture of water and cement dust) that must be collected and disposed of.
• Working time: The amount of time available for placing and finishing a cement-based material before it begins to set. Often depends on the ambient temperature and substrate temperature.
  

X

• Xylene: A common solvent. Used as a carrier for solvent based sealers. High in odor and flammability.
  

OUR SERVICE AREA

Creative Maintenance Solutions is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We provide quality concrete flooring solutions primarily to businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa.