General Contractors
It is very important that a General Contractor understand and work to fulfill the needs of a concrete polisher if they want to save themselves and the owner time and money. Open communication between a GC and a polisher is very important to reach a satisfactory end result. While the polisher is not on site, they rely heavily on the GC to ensure that the slab quality meets requirements specified, and that the slab is continually moistened to ensure proper wet cure. It is also very important that the polished slab is well protected from other trades.
Sequencing
The project sequencing must be communicated so crews are not sitting around with down time in hotel rooms or returning home only to be remobilized in a few weeks. This can get very costly.
Floors before walls! Polished concrete should be coordinated between the pour and the framing of new construction jobs and then must remain protected throughout the remainder of the project.
The ideal time for a polishing job to begin is 7-10 days after the placement of a slab and before the framing starts and any walls go up. If there are no walls polishers have an open floor plan to work with and may be faster and more efficient; thus saving you money. Hand grinding is an expensive and time consuming task. Polishers must spend hours grinding and blending edges along walls and under cabinets or any other covered area with a hand held grinder, so if a polisher is not allowed to do their grind before the walls, you will pay by the linear foot for this service!
Slab Protection
Once the slab is ground and densified, the polisher may do one of two things: choose to come back after construction is complete to finish the polish; or finish polishing the floor and come back for touch ups. It is vitally important to protect the slab during construction whether the slab is brand new, has just been ground or has been polished to a final sheen level. Since the polisher will not be on sight for the remainder of the project, it is up to the GC to ensure that all trades are taking proper precautions to protect the integrity of the ground or polished slab.
These are just a few of many ways to properly care for your slab whether it is green, ground or finished!
The following items will stain, damage and/or discolor a concrete slab.
Do NOT write on the slab with:
- Red Chalk (Orange and Blue are Ok)
- Markers/Permanent Ink
- Wax Pencils
Do NOT use on slab:
- Tape/Glue
- Non-Breathing Plastics
- Liquid Nail
- Solvents
- Varnishes
- Nails
- Silicone
- Plastics
Do NOT allow to sit/spill on slab:
- Food
- Beverages
- Metal
- Plywood
- Lumber
- Pressboard
- Insulation Boards
- Primers
- Paint
- Caulk
- Oil
- Glass
- Grease
Caring for a New Slab:
- Use permeable blankets/keep slab wet
- No wood skids sitting on slab
- Diapers on all equipment
- Screws instead of nails if temporary supports are needed
- No block, wood, steel frame, pallets, drywall, pressboard, lumber, etc to be left on slab
Caring for Slab after Grind:
- Cover slab with plastic/cover plastic with wood
- Heavy traffic areas
- Loading/Unloading areas
- Areas masonry is being used
- Where adjacent slabs are being poured
- Put plastic down if cutting pipes, etc
- Diapers on all equipment
- Screws instead of nails if temporary supports are needed
- No block, wood, steel frame, pallets, drywall, pressboard, lumber, etc to be left on slab
Caring for Slab After Polish:
- Cover slab with plastic/cover plastic with wood
- White/non-marking tires on all lifts and equipment
- Be sure all ladders/heavy furniture etc have caps on feet
- Protective papers can be used (must be taped down at seams and edges)
- No oil cutting
- Diapers on all equipment
- No block, wood, steel frame, pallets, drywall, pressboard, lumber, etc to be left on slab
