Floor Coating Removal – Kansas City

Many people want to do something different with their old floors at some point. The problem is you have old glue on the floor that needs to be removed. Sometimes the glue is yellow and flaking and sometimes it is black. The best means to remove the glue is mechanically with a grinder. This will allow you to put down another surface over your concrete and achieve a good bond. We do floor prep and grinding to remove glue and thinset in Kansas City.

Resealing and Coloring Stamped Concrete – Kansas City

Here is a video I put together of some recoloring and sealing stamped concrete patios that have faded.  Some are fixes that other contractors or homeowners messed up when trying to reseal that we had to help them fix…but that’s ok.

Stained Basement flooring…Perfect for wet and flooded Basements in Kansas City

It seems we have run into a lot of basements that have flooded with all of the rain we have had here is a quick video showing how we overlay and stain basement floors.  An overlay isn’t always necessary, but better assures a real nice looking stain outcome.

Pool Deck Revitalization for Old Kool Deck Surfaces – Kansas City

Old Kool Deck surfaces seam to have worn out their welcome in the Kansas City metro.  It seems more and more we are getting request to repair kool deck (cool deck) concrete surfaces around pools.  There are a couple of reasons traditional kool deck systems have failure issues.

1. Kool Deck was designed to be put on when the concrete was green.  This has caused some bonding issues
2. Traditional Kool Deck has somewhat of a coral texture and there is no way to seal it from the elements.  This allows water to go inside the pours and freeze/expand in the winter….blowing it up.

Here is an example of a pool with Kool Deck that we fixed with a Miracote overlay

Grinding Kool Deck off a pool with a Lavina Grinder

The old overlay is ground off as best as possible, making sure to detect areas that have a weak bond.

Kool Deck removal , repair on pool deck

As much of the old overlay needs to be removed as possible.  One way to detect if the old overlay is not bonded is to knock on it and listen for hollow spots.  This particular pool took over 5 days to grind with a commercial machine.  After grinding the pool needs to be washed extensively with a pressure washer and primed for a new overlay.

New Miracote overlay with knockdown texture

The new overlay has been installed.  We use the Miracote system which is a highly flexible overlay system.  The texture is knockdown.

I bet you didn’t choose your wife like this??!

This is what I thought after driving back from a quote yesterday. I am constantly amazed at the decisions people make. On this particular occasion the individual had already fired one concrete guy and was looking for another for a very large concrete patio. After telling him our price he responded…..”got somebody for half of what you are” WHATEVER. (other guy must have a material and labor genie…damn it.)

Driving home was thinking of my days in college….think we’ve all had some youthful times, but on a Saturday night i never said, ” i bet it’s her and I forever.” So let me ask you this?? Why would you contract with the most desperate girl in the bar (contractor) and expect it to last forever (your patio). It doesn’t happen…it’s called a fling (your patio). The girl at the bar may at best may last a month (your patio). But if you really care you alway find the right one in the end. Wake up people and learn from life.

Sealer for Stamped Concrete – Incompatability issues

resealing stamped concrete in Kansas City

Most home owners want to reseal their stamped concrete periodically as they should to insure protection and beauty.  The problem arises when the homeowner goes to the local Home Depot or Lowes and grabs a sealer to reseal their patio for a small weekend project.  This can be an expensive mistake;

• Big box stores don’t carry the type and quality of sealers that decorative concrete installers prefer to use
• What type of sealer was initially used on the stamped concrete???

Every concrete contractor in Kansas City that I know uses a solvent based cure and seal on stamped concrete patios.  There are basically two main types of sealers for concrete that you will find.

1. Solvent based sealers which come in metal cans and require xylene for cleanup.  These are the ones used for stamped concrete in the KC area.
2. Water based sealers which come in plastic containers and are water clean up.

If you use the wrong sealer your stamped concrete sealer could cloud or peal up.  Just do a little research to find what was previously used and buy from a specialty concrete products retailer such as Decorative Concrete Supply in Lenexa or hire a professional that has these products readily on hand…we get contractor pricing on products and will be able to reseal your stamped concrete without the issues or worries.

Hollow concrete driveway in Shawnee, KS

Just a quick post about a concrete driveway I looked at that was completely hollow underneath.  There are a few different reasons why this would happen.  My guess on this one is that the ground wasn’t compacted properly before the pour.  This driveway needs to be torn out and replaced to correct the issue.

Hollow concrete driveway in Shawnee

Stamped Concrete Kansas City

Just thought I would show some of the detail on this old granite stamped patio that was recently done. The face was stamped as well. Stamped Concrete in Kansas City

Stamping and Impressing concrete patios in the Kansas City metro

stone textured stamped patio in Lees Summit

Basement Flooring Kansas City – Stained Concrete?

The heavy spring rains are back and unfortunately a lot of people are having their basements take on water.  People are sick of carpet and looking for a better solution.  Stained concrete basement flooring is highly popular and relatively inexpensive. (we usually are around $4/sq foot for a basic stain) and if you feel like doing it your self let me know…i have a consulting program to guide you through: floor prep, where to buy materials, techniques, and proper sealers.

Chad,

kansascityconcrete.net

concrete basement staining kansas city

Helping you stain and dye concrete in the Kansas City metro

Stamped Concrete Sealer Problems in Kansas City

It seems I have seen a lot of stamped concrete patios lately that another contractor has messed up when applying the sealer resulting in white, flaking looking sealer.  Most of the time this is an easy fix, but more easily prevented.  Let me explain how this problem could happen;

1. The concrete was not properly prepped and cleaned.  This could resulting in the sealer not bonding.
2. The concrete was power washed (a good thing), but the sealer was applied while the concrete was still retaining too much water causing the sealer to want to escape the patio through the sealer itself turning it white.
3. The patio was rained on or got wet without the sealer being dry.
4. The concrete was not properly poured….was not poured with the proper amount of rock or any at all…
5. Too much sealer was put on.  I see this one a lot.  The color didn’t turn out right…so the contractor thought, “hey, more sealer”.  This will cause the sealer to flake off.  Just like paint you don’t want to build.  Two thin coats will do.
6. Incompatible sealers were used.  You can’t put a water based sealer on top of a solvent.  Generally solvent based acrylic sealers are used on stamped concrete for color pop and durability.

If you have any questions about sealing a concrete patio in Kansas City I would be happy to consult.  I’ve made a lot of contractor bloopers look good.

Chad,

kansascityconcrete.net

Patio Sealed when too wet

Fixed Concrete sealer issue