The idea of demolition work excites many of us, and your experienced polished concrete contractor is no exception. Demolishing something that someone else painstakingly created gives us a good bit of glee, even if we don’t have the satisfaction of swinging a sledgehammer. We mostly use ride-on machines for the demolition work. The bigger the project, the bigger the ride-on machines we use. You can admit that you’re a little jealous – and you should be. Demolition days are fun.
But on the other hand, demolition is dirty but necessary work. In order to uncover your concrete slab and polish it to perfection, all the layers of old flooring, adhesives, and paint have to be torn away first. You never really know what you’re going to find underneath that first layer, so each project is different and interesting. If you are still feeling jealous and want to know more, here are four tips and tricks an experienced polished concrete contractor might tell you about demolition:
Floor adhesives are also referred to as mastic.
Black cutback adhesive was used prior to 1984, and it often contained asbestos. Therefore, removing this type of mastic should never be a DIY project. Special equipment and protective gear needs to be used, and the clean-up process is different than for other adhesive types.
Some adhesives are so stuck on, that it might seem impossible to remove it from the concrete.
The good news is that any adhesive can be wiped away. Titus uses a wet grinding method to remove adhesives. This is safer than dry grinding, which puts a lot of dangerous dust into the air. It’s also safer than using chemical strippers, which release toxic gas into the air. Wet grinding – it’s the safest way to go.
Epoxy is a popular concrete floor covering, but it does deteriorate over time.
Removing epoxy paint can be done using wet grinding in some cases, but other situations call for shotblasting. A shotblasting machine rapidly shoots steel balls against the concrete. The high velocity and volume of the steel balls rapping against the floor pulls the epoxy right off the concrete. Yes, a shotblasting machine is just as cool as it sounds.
Our ride-on scraper can obliterate tile, carpeting, mastic, epoxy, paint, and pretty much anything else that’s stuck to a concrete slab.
It’s like a little snowplow truck that we drive back and forth across the floor, ripping up every piece of glue and linoleum in its way. If you are restoring a large concrete floor, this is the machine you want to use for your prep work.
If you’re in the market for a new polished concrete floor, but you don’t have access to a grinder, a shotblaster, and a ride-on scraper, well, that’s a bummer. Because these things are fun to use! Titus Restoration has good news though – we have all of this demolition equipment and so much more. For an experienced polished concrete contractor you can trust, call Titus toll-free at 888-569-3914.