Concrete is one of the most prevalent materials used in construction all over the world. It is an incredibly common building material which is used for constructing all kinds of infrastructure, right from roads and footpaths to dams and high-rise buildings. Concrete is also the top choice for making strong, smooth floors.
Generally, concrete is made of cement, sand, water, and a mix of several aggregates, such as rock, gravel, and several other additives. When these are mixed in the right proportions, they create a thick paste which is what we call ‘concrete’. In this state, concrete can be easily spread on flat surfaces, or poured into molds to give it different kinds of shapes. After this, the natural drying process turns the concrete hard.
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For optimal results, construction experts recommend adding concrete floor hardeners after the pouring process.
In this blog, we will discover the ultimate benefits of using concrete floor hardeners and other important points you need to know about hardeners for concrete floors.
What are Concrete Floor Hardeners?
Concrete floor hardeners are also called floor densifiers. These construction compounds are added to finished concrete floors to prevent cracking and chipping. Once applied correctly, the hardener protects the floor from physical damage. The hardener makes the concrete floor stronger and more durable through an effective sealing and curing process.
Floor hardeners are transparent and permanently seal the concrete from stains, such as from oil, grease, salt, water, chemicals, and other contaminants. Besides this, adding floor hardeners to concrete surfaces also makes the surface ready for different types of floor coverings, such as adhesives, epoxy, and paint.
It is recommended to add floor hardener to freshly poured concrete to make it highly resistant to warping, deterioration and curling. You can also apply floor hardeners to existing concrete surfaces after properly preparing them.
What are the Different Types of Concrete Floor Hardeners?
Concrete hardeners are available in various types, where each has specific purposes and properties. Below are the most popular concrete floor hardeners by leading manufacturers Sakshi Chem Sciences –
Non-Metallic Floor Hardener
Addage Floor Hardtop (Non-Metallic) is a monolithic abrasive surface hardening chemical that comes in a powder form. When mixed with concrete for floors, it offers an incredibly abrasion-resistant surface which is highly beneficial for areas that witness heavy foot traffic, and for industrial floors. It also works to bind the concrete surface strongly with the base concrete.
Floor Hardtop (Non-Metallic) is resistant to stain and rust too. It also makes the concrete floor significantly harder at a lower cost than most hardening solutions available on the market currently. This product contains specially crafted non-metallic quartz aggregates that are hard-wearing and renowned for their fine size, abrasiveness, and durability.
It produces a dense concrete surface which is non-porous and highly resistant to abrasion, which prevents several common problems, such as cracking, shrinkage, etc. It only contains non-metallic components and gives a non-slip surface which resists rust and deterioration for a longer time.
Addage non-metallic floor hardener is recommended for use on –
- Loading bays
- Car parks
- Trucking lanes
- Machine shops
- Workshops
- Ramps
- Spillways
- Heavy traffic areas
Metallic Floor Hardener
Addage Floor Hardtop (Metallic) by Sakshi Chem Sciences is designed to produce extremely durable and tough industrial-grade concrete floors and surfaces. It is a high-quality non-oxidizing, heavy-duty floor hardener with metallic components which is useful in multiple applications. It is popularly used to make plain cured concrete surface highly resistant to abrasion and to prevent slipping.
It is available as an easy-to-mix product that reduces porosity and minimizes dust generation on floors and surfaces that witness heavy traffic. This product fulfills all international quality standards and is in high demand globally by various industries. It is available as a dry-shake solution which is ready to use on-site.
Floor Hardtop metallic concrete floor hardener is extremely useful for concrete loading and unloading decks, dry processing plants, workshops, and other such commercial and industrial locations. It successfully increases the impact resistance and abrasion of concrete floors and flat surfaces, thanks to its special metallic components. It also effectively protects the concrete surfaces against stains from oil and grease, thus lowering the overall maintenance costs.
Addage Floor Hardtop (Metallic) is mostly used in the following applications –
- Factory floors
- Airline hangars
- Warehouses
- Industrial areas
- Load-bearing surfaces
How do Concrete Floor Hardeners Work
When liquid floor hardeners are correctly applied, they penetrate deep into the floor’s pores and create a specific chemical reaction.
Below is the simple explanation of how concrete hardeners work on floors –
- Concrete contains lime (calcium carbonate) which prevents the concrete from achieving optimal hardness and durability. The reason is that the chemical reaction that makes concrete hard after drying does not occur deep within the surface. This often causes the concrete to remain soft, which makes it prone to chipping, cracking, and developing flakes.
- Concrete floors also have tiny pores because of water evaporating from the top of the surface. This evaporation causes open pitting and creates microscopic holes which makes the concrete surface weaker and allows it to absorb oil and other liquid which ultimately damage and deteriorate the concrete floor.
- Some chemicals, when dissolved in water, react with the calcium carbonate (lime) in concrete to form C-S-H gel which contains silicate ions. This is the catalyst that prompts the chemical reaction and starts the hardening process deep within the concrete.
- The C-S-H gel completely fills the tiny pores on the concrete surface which leaves a hard shell behind, making the concrete strong and durable, and able to resist wear and tear.
Concrete is naturally porous because water evaporation during the curing and drying process forms tiny holes on the surface. This prevents the surface from achieving complete uniformity and vulnerable to stain and soiling. By adding a concrete hardener, you can plug the pores on the surface and prevent oil and chemicals from entering below the concrete surface.
You can add concrete hardener within 2 hours of the cement getting hard as the complete hardening process takes around 2 days, depending on the ambient temperature and size of the floor. Once hardener is applied, the chemical reaction with free calcium carbonate will continue to work on the concrete’s surface for up to 2 months.
Where are Concrete Floor Hardeners Used?
Numerous industries and businesses use hardeners for concrete floors, where they are used in varying combinations according to individual needs.
Below is the list of industries and businesses where concrete hardeners for floors are most used –
- Retail stores
- Car dealerships
- Automotive plants
- Warehouses
- Food processing units
- Sports stadiums
- Tool and Die shops
- Breweries
- Heavy manufacturing
- Production floors
- Restaurants and Bars
- Cafeterias
- Hospitals and Clinics
- Hotels
- Veterinary Clinics
- Animal Shelters
- Police Stations
- Fire Stations
- Schools
- Government buildings/offices
Floor hardeners form a barrier that protects the concrete floors from stains, chipping, cracking, corrosion, erosion, and freeze-thaw damage. The hardener effectively fills the tiny pores by forming a thin but continuous layer that prevents the surface from absorbing liquids.
This way, concrete hardeners for floors help to keep the floor surfaces clean, more sanitary and reduce overall maintenance costs. You can easily clear any superficial stains or dust from such concrete surfaces with mild soap and water hose.
Who needs Concrete Floor Hardeners?
There are several things you should consider before deciding to use hardeners on concrete floors.
For instance, you should consider if you need a floor hardener for an industrial structure with heavy machinery or a warehouse with forklifts. Or, if your restaurant kitchen witnesses frequent food and drink spills, or if your retail store experiences heavy foot traffic.
It is crucial to know how a concrete floor is being used regularly to decide the type of floor hardener which is best suited for your purpose. Any concrete floor which has constant foot traffic, frequent risk of liquid spills, and needs to support heavy machinery is at a high risk of cracking, chipping and deterioration. Floors usually tend to suffer damage from abrasion and chemical spills which can be effectively avoided by applying concrete floor hardeners.
Besides this, there are situations where the floor needs to adhere to industrial quality standards, such as being resistant to slipping and is deemed to be overall safe for employees and customers to use. There are different types of floor hardeners that fulfill the varied needs of industrial safety codes. The safety of employees is the main concern for every office, industry, and manufacturing unit. This is also necessary to make stores and factories safe for customers and workers alike, as well as to save time, effort, and money on maintenance.
Businesses can benefit greatly by adding concrete hardeners to new or existing floors, which ensures safety and enhances aesthetics too. Besides this, adding hardeners to concrete floors also prevents deterioration and eliminates dust formation, which can otherwise cause watery eyes, sneezing and allergic symptoms.
Conclusion
Floor hardeners are a long-term solution to protect concrete floors from physical and chemical damage. There are numerous benefits of using concrete floor hardeners. It helps to keep the concrete floor durable and dust-free. This chemical compound accelerates strength development, improves density, and increases the rate of hardening for concrete floors and surfaces. It also reduces the time it takes for concrete to harden completely besides making it easier to lay concrete floors in cold temperatures.
All in all, concrete floor hardeners by renowned manufacturers Sakshi Chem Sciences Pvt Ltd are highly recommended to ensure strong, durable, and safe floors in offices, industries, and manufacturing units.