How To Fill Holes In Concrete Floors

By Author: How to fill holes in concrete floors
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One of the main reasons people love polished concrete floors on the Gold Coast is because they are so attractive, they are easy to look after and long wearing.

Before you polish your floor it needs any holes or blemished repaired. If you have an old floor, then go for the character look and any blemishes and defects can a feature. Often, if your home is new then you will want a modern or blemishfree look.

So, just how do you go about fixing holes and blemishes?

Small Holes and Shallow Chips and Scratches

If you are after a blemish-free finish with an old cement floor, it may pay to consider laying down an overlay or skim coat. This will cover all small holes and other blemishes with the advantage of allowing you to use different colour combinations to match the decor you have in mind.

If you want to make an original floor with old world charm full of character, filling the holes cracks and blemishes is a great option. Use a polyurethane/polyurea polymer or cement-based patching mixture of the appropriate colour.

For damage that is ¼ of an inch or greater

This usually ...
... means using an anchoring or hydraulic type cement to make sure the repair remains permanent.

Ensure that the hole or crack is completely cleaned out and that there is raw concrete to bond to. There must be no contaminants inside the hole. Use an appropriately shaped tool to grind away at the inside surfaces

If possible, try and slightly scalloped out the insides of the hole so the filling material has a good footing.

Often a good concrete chisel or a large cement nail held in a suitable length of Polly pipe is a great improvised tool. This way you can see what you are doing and hit the nail hard enough to do the job without the danger of whacking your fingers.

Before applying the filler clean out the hole using compressed air or a strong vacuum cleaner

If you have chosen to use a cement based filler you will need to wait the appropriate time for it to cure before grinding it back.

If you chose to use a semi-rigid polyurea type filler it can be ready to grind in 25 minutes, but be sure to read the instructions.

Small holes and chips are normally filled once the hole is adequately cleaned and left slightly proud to grind back when set.

It should be noted that some of the strong polymer fillers are much harder than the concrete floor you are repairing so care needs to be taken when grinding them back flush to get a good finish

You can fill it, after the course grind is complete, their advantage to both approaches. If you are not confident, then seek professional advice. This can be obtained at the place you hire your concrete polishing equipment or from a polished concrete contractor on the Gold Coast.

Deciding on the best approach to fixing your concrete floor depends on the finish you require. You can make it a feature of the floor or fill it and then put a skim coat over the whole floor, then grind it back to get a uniform colour of your choice.

Hardcore Concrete is a Gold Coast based company offering Concrete Grinding, Concrete Polishing, Epoxy flooring service. http://www.hardcoreconcrete.com.au/