What Flooring Contractors Need to Know About Concrete Surface Profiles
Learn how to work with the concrete you have.
Concrete comes in a variety of different conditions. Whether it's freshly poured, or chipped and cracked after years of exposure, it's important to know what to look for before starting any work. CSP (Concrete Surface Profile) is a measurement tool flooring contractors need to learn to work with concrete better. From installing epoxy, to polishing and more, understanding CSP is an essential skill.
Observing the condition of your concrete can make the difference between a successful installation, and a failed system. It will help you decide whether you need patch & repair, what kind of sealer you need, and more.
Measuring Concrete Surface Profiles
No matter how you choose to measure the surface profile of your concrete, it needs to be thorough enough to guarantee your installation's success. There's a few different ways of measuring concrete's condition, so here's a few methods:
The most common way that contractors will measure their concrete is simple visual observation and inspection. With the help of diagrams like the provided one here is easy and free. Observation alone can help you diagnose possible major problems with your concrete, but it isn't as accurate as more exhaustive testing methods.
If you feel unsure about your observation alone, or just want a more accurate measurement before dedicating resources and labor, a profilometer is for you. A profilometer is a sensor-based device that scans the surface irregularities of concrete and measures them. There are also laser-based scanners that will create a three-dimensional image of the surface, allowing for more thorough and accurate measurements.
Patch & Repair for Damaged Concrete
Concrete that's heavily damaged most likely will result in the failure of any installation, whether that's polish, or epoxy, or any other solution. For cases like this, patch & repair will help you bridge the gap.
Patch & repair is an essential skill for concrete contractors to learn. Not every concrete surface you work with will be pristine & freshly poured. Luckily for you, it's a fairly simple process, but don't let that fool you. If you're careless during the installation, or use low-quality products, you can end up back where you began.
We recommend using Thixofix concrete repairing solution or Fast Cure epoxy concrete repair for your patch & repair services. Between their highly durable finish and efficiency, they're perfect solutions for on-the-job repairs of concrete. If the concrete is too extremely damaged, it may even be necessary to grind it. For smaller to medium jobs, the Concrete Genie line of grinders is perfect.
Learn Essential Concrete Contracting Skills
Understanding concrete surface profiles helps you pre-installation, but that's only one of the first steps in the process of working with concrete. Contractors often have to learn their skills through direct experience, but that's not the only way. Our Polished Concrete University program connects you directly with experienced professionals for hands-on experience with various concrete working skills. Our 5-day program will help you with learning:
- Patching & repairing concrete
- How to use a concrete grinder
- Installing a polishing system to concrete
Learn from the best & sign up today!
Conclusion
Concrete surface profiles is a measurement system built by concrete experts to help you and your installations be more efficient. Taking the time before any installation to inspect the condition of your concrete guarantees you'll be better prepared to work on it! Help yourself install epoxy, polished concrete and more like a true professional!
If you're a concrete contractor with any questions about the condition of your concrete, or any other questions, call our technicians at (954) 228-8856. Our EpoxyETC store carries every resource you might need on the job at competitive prices.
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