densifying concrete..

Mikey P

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My poured/ upside down concrete countertops needed some etch removal and Monkey Padding.

The more I work them, the more the pours open up and the rougher the surface gets ( in high use areas)
Olsen's calcium remover did a lot of permanent damage, if you recall that gafaw.
While I can get some etching to go away, the 400 grit pad is not aggressive enough. I'm afraid any other method could just make it worse since they are upside down and were never shaken enough to get rid of air bubbles.

Ive heard of densifyers, but am not sure if this situation is what they are intended for...


Thoughts?
 

clean image

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I will say I no expert in this field,know enogh to know my employees are not ready for the additional challenges it brings

densifier will harden the concrete not fill the holes.
saying that i think WOC i did see a product that mixed with slurry to fill micro holes.

being a food prep area also also something to think about.

May need real diamonds, resin, for best results

For small holes I would consider polyester- use whut and tint as needed- epoxies are going to yellow too much
 

mirf

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There is a product that i purchased from jon don to fill small holes in polishing floors. I will look for it when I get to the shop.
 

GeneMiller

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Make a slurry that matches colors from the concrete and fill it. You can use a grout or an expoxy to fill just like holes in a saturnia. Make it match or make it show your choice. For a counter top I would use an epoxy.

Gene
 

Mikey P

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20150525_160151.jpg
 

GeneMiller

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it would look fine if you filled it with a matching grout. Wet it and fill it. Epoxy is a better choice and won't shrink but is harder to use. Match the color and fill it and it will look fine. You could make a slurry of concrete but it's more work and you need to know any colors that were added. Fill it and then sand it. Similar to filling pin holes on bondo.

Gene
 
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cameron demille
Mike,

Do not use grout to fill, use either a concrete patching material or just epoxy if it is too small for the patch.

The densifier is to make the surface harder so it will take a better polish. I have a gallon of SmartKrete densifier from stone pro

Use diamonds. We have some copper diamonds that you can follow up with resin that will make the concrete really nice.

This BBQ was over 20 years old, we did this in a day with just diamond pads.

sjOqdrT.jpg


b9847UY.jpg
 

Mark Saiger

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Mike,

Do not use grout to fill, use either a concrete patching material or just epoxy if it is too small for the patch.

The densifier is to make the surface harder so it will take a better polish. I have a gallon of SmartKrete densifier from stone pro

Use diamonds. We have some copper diamonds that you can follow up with resin that will make the concrete really nice.

This BBQ was over 20 years old, we did this in a day with just diamond pads.

sjOqdrT.jpg


b9847UY.jpg

WOW!!!

That is some skills right there!
 
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cameron demille
put on surface. Surface get hard. Me polish surface.

Honestly, I am not as well versed with concrete refinishing as I am with stone. It is basically a chemical hardener that reacts with the concrete to harden the surface. Harder surface = shinier finish.

The Concrete Network is a good source for info. Here is one article: http://www.concretenetwork.com/products-polishing/densifiers/application.html
 

J Scott W

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Excerpt from an article I wrote on densifiers. Basically they react with any unreacted calcium still present in the concrete. This fills micro holes and small capillaries making the surface smoother and harder. Densifying will not fill larger holes or voids.

Densifying a Concrete Floor

When do you need to apply a Denisfier to a Concrete Floor?

Concrete surfaces face two major obstacles to polishing: bleed water and pores. Excess water in newly placed concrete rises to the surface. This bleed water carries with it the finest aggregate and laitance, making it much softer than the slab's core. It also increases the water to cement ratio, which further weakens the surface. Densifiers address this problem by binding to available lime in a pozzolanic fashion, creating additional cementitious material and strengthening the surface.

Concrete is by nature a porous material, with pores formed by water evaporation during curing. These pores interfere with surface uniformity, and make the slab more susceptible to staining from spilled liquids. The additional cementitious material formed by the densifier fills these pores. Viper Concrete and Stone Densifier fills in pores and capillaries in concrete for a smoother surface and to increase surface density so you can achieve a higher gloss. Using Viper Concrete and Stone Densifier on concrete before polishing will speed up the results and enhance the resulting shine on the floor.
 
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