Decorative concrete is the use of concrete as not only a utilitarian medium for construction but as an aesthetic enhancement of the structure, while still serving its function as an integral part of the building itself such as floors, walls, driveways, and terraces.
The transformation of concrete into decorative concrete is achieved through the use of various materials which can be applied during the casting process or after the concrete is healed, these materials and/or systems include but not limited to stamped concrete, acid staining, decorative overlay, polished concrete, concrete tables, vertical overlays, and more.
Video Decorative concrete
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Concrete sculptures are made by pouring concrete into latex molds. Often painted and sold for lawn decorations. The most popular designs are the bird baths and the gnome.
Maps Decorative concrete
Concrete plates
Stamped Concrete is the process of adding texture and color to the concrete to make it resemble rock, brick, slate, cobblestone and many other products found in nature including wood, fossils, shells and more. These unlimited possibilities combined with great endurance and lower cost than natural products make Stamped Concrete an easy choice for new construction and renovation projects.
The installation consists of pressing the mold onto the concrete while the concrete is still in a plastic state. Color is achieved by using dry shake, hardener, powder or liquid release, integral color, or acid stains. All of these products can be combined to create more complex designs.
Stamped concrete can be used in driveways, terraces, commercial roads and parking lots and even interior floors. Stamped concrete is the desired finishing to the concrete area, but with time and wear the dye dye fades and the surface looks patchy and not presented. There are many re-coloring options that can completely recover and rejuvenate the color and presentation of the faded concrete.
Concrete dye
Concrete dyes have many different shapes and compositions and can be used in residential and commercial concrete applications, including sound retaining walls/walls, bridges, tables, floors, etc.
Early concrete dyes consist of generic printing inks that are dissolved in a mild alcohol solution and applied to the surface of the concrete to add a variety of colors to plain gray concrete. When an alcohol-based dye is exposed to sunlight, its color brightens or fades completely. Therefore, alcohol-based dyes are more common in interior applications where direct sunlight or other forms of ultraviolet (UV) light are not present.
Manufacturers then start dissolving the same printing ink at different operators, such as acetone, thin lacquers and other solvents, hoping to achieve increased penetration rates. In addition, UV inhibitors are added to new dyes to help with UV instability. However, a slight fade (5-8% per year) still occurs when dye is exposed to direct sunlight.
Concrete colors can be obtained from many ready-made concrete companies and many have color charts available.
Acid Staining
Acid dyeing is not a dye or pigment-base coloring system, but a chemical reaction. A mixture of water, mineral salts and a little muriatic acid is applied to the surface of the concrete. Chemical reactions with existing minerals (especially lime) in concrete over a period of one to four hours create a new earth tone on the surface of the concrete. The surface of the concrete is then rubbed to remove the excess stain and neutralized with the basic ammonia and water solution or baking soda (less likely to cause later lime) to help raise the ph level back to normal levels. Due to inconsistencies at the level of concrete floor surfaces, acid staining creates a unique multiform or dappled appearance for each slab. Color penetration ranges from 1/16 to 1/32 inch. Older exterior concrete surfaces may have no color and interior surfaces because the environment has been washed or seeped out of the mineral content. In addition, all aggregates (rocks) exposed to the worn-out concrete will not receive staining.
Chemicals commonly used in acid staining include hydrochloric acid, iron chloride, and sodium bicarbonate.
Water-based dye
Water-based stains are similar to acid-based stains in the sense that one can still achieve a see-through look like acid; some stains can achieve opaque colors and/or translucent effects. The main difference is that the acid stains react to the concrete and change the physical arrangement of the concrete material, while the water-based stain is more of a "layer" that is bound to the concrete. There are many variations of water-based stains coming into the decorative concrete industry that appear in several different ways. Some are polymer based, acrylic and epoxy.
Overlaying
Concrete overlay dates to the 1960s when chemical engineers from some of the larger, famous chemical companies began experimenting with acrylic resin paints as modifiers for cement and sand mixtures. The result is a thin cement topping material that will adhere to the surface of the concrete and provide a new layer that reappears to restore a worn surface. Concrete overlays do not have long-term performance characteristics of acrylic resins. Acrylic resins provide good UV resistance, but lack the long-term water resistance and adhesion characteristics required to provide long-term and permanent solutions.
Polymer cement concrete
Polymer cement overlays, which consist of a mixture of Portland cement, various aggregates and polymer resins, were introduced over 20 years ago. The purpose of adding polymer resins to cement and aggregates is to improve the performance characteristics and the versatility of conventional cement, mortar and concrete materials. Unlike conventional cement and concrete mixtures, polymer cement beds can be applied thin or thick without fear of delamination or typical product failures. In addition, polymer cement layers are much more resistant to damage from salt, petrochemical, UV, harsh weather conditions and traffic congestion.
Originally intended to be used as a thin surface restoration material for concrete substrates, a stretch of polymer cement was introduced into the architectural concrete and commercial flooring industry in the early 80s. Furthermore, its use in this industry has become the standard. Polymer cement overlays are considered economical in providing long-term, durable renovation without the need for costly and continuous improvements associated with worsening concrete surfaces.
Polymer cement overlays are used for interior and exterior applications ranging from:
- Skim/broom coatings resolving concrete reinforcement - Restore and protect damaged, pitted, peeling and stained concrete back onto a new concrete surface.
- Concrete regrading & amp; leveling - Repair and level of concrete surface that has been completed.
- Existing substrate redecorating and renovating - Changing the appearance of concrete or wood substrate through the application of "thin expanse" or "thin expanse", creating new textures, colors and designs. For use on deck commercial or residential pools, these often take the form of "splattering textures" or "knockdowns," in which the polymer cement is applied to the concrete substrate present in a medium-textured finish (average thickness of 1/8 ") in various patterns , the texture is torn down with a shovel to slightly modify the look and feel of a ready-made app.
Stamped stamp
Rubber implements (stamps) seem to be a thin pre-mixed concrete overlay material immediately after being placed to create a natural stone or brick texture. This rubber molding tool is made from a mold made of genuine stone or wood. Agent releases are used to help remove stamps from concrete without sticking. The release agent comes in liquid or powder form and is available in various colors.
Epoxy coating
Applied to acid dyes, dyes and/or coating to seal and protect. Some epoxies are also colored.
Polishing
Concrete can be polished with mechanical grinding and diamond bearings with increased grit size. Diamond bearings have many sizes of grit or mesh. Common sizes start with 6 grit and can rise up to 8500 grit although concrete can only maintain luster of about 800 grit, this can be helped by adding concrete hardeners such as sodium silicate or lithium silicate which will allow the concrete to hold 1800 through 3000 grit shine. This work is done in several stages by passing concrete with diamond grit pads sequential to have a hard glass layer. Both acid dyes and concrete dyes can be used during the polishing process.
Engraving
The existing concrete can be overhauled by cutting lines and grooves to the surface. Geometric patterns, straight or curved lines and special designs can be cut directly onto the concrete surface creating tile, gem, cobblestone and many other common surface patterns. This is usually achieved by using a tool such as an angle grinder equipped with a diamond blade, but more effectively done by using a special tool designed specifically to cut the design into the concrete.
Form liner
Concrete can also be cast into a unique and detailed design using urethane form liner. These projects can be seen throughout the United States and the world, usually on sound walls, exterior buildings, and bridges.
Generally, this process begins with a sculptor, who creates a design to be used in concrete using clay, polyurethane or wax. When the original art is finished, the cast is made using synthetic liquid rubber, and from this cast, the shape liner is produced in the original reverse image.
The shape liner then acts as a mold for the concrete to be formed against. After the concrete is adjusted, the shape liner is removed from the hardened concrete surface. Concrete is permanently textured with a shape liner pattern.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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