Putting a new face on some old concrete

In the last blog post we saw the results of some new concrete being poured for a small patio by the basement door and for two concrete aprons: one in front of the garage door and one between the end of the driveway and Three Oaks Drive. This time we look closer at the problem of the garage floor and its many scratches, gouges, and pits -  the result of damage caused by a powerful demolishing machine striking and scraping concrete seriously weakened by high temperature from the fire, especially under our burning car.

We also needed to refinish in some fashion the basement floor of the workshop. The answer was to grind down and smooth out the concrete, in preparation for filling in the pits and painting the new surface. The first two pictures show the grinding process in the garage.

Attached to the green grinder on the right is a large shop-vac that collects the resulting dust. In the next picture another workman uses a smaller vacuum and hand-operated grinder to work in smaller areas, such as the garage's two closets.

After preparing the surface, blue-gray epoxy paint is rolled onto the surface, and then black chips are immediately  broadcast onto the sticky surface. The picture below shows the process, and the tossed chips can be seen in front of the worker's hand and above the light switch.

This method has been found to provide an even distribution, as can be seen in the the resulting surface.

The picture below shows how the three men worked together, spreading the paint by roller and brush, and sowing the black flecks over it. The paint is made by mixing two components together, which form a hard chemical bond in a matter of two hours or so. Thus, it has to be used up and the chips applied without wasting any time.

After drying overnight, two coats of clear finish are rolled and painted over the flecked surface, and the result is allowed to cure 3-5 days before venturing on it by foot or by vehicle.

Finally, this outside shot, taking after four days, shows the final result, and tomorrow (Tuesday) we'll be ready to park our cars inside.

In the meantime, a great deal has happened in the landscaping department. We'll have extensive coverage in the next post. Till then . . .  --oc