It’s commonly asked if concrete overlays last? Overlays are an efficient solution for restoring old floors. Concrete floors are durable, so if you see a flaw, it rarely gets severe. When you see a post that needs attention, usually, it only requires a quick touch-up.
How long do concrete overlays last?
So, how long do concrete overlays last? Overlays are new layers of concrete added to an existing one. So, it won’t have any difference with your standard concrete floors.
Ultimately, overlays last up to 20 years. That number determines how many years the concrete should reach before you have to replace it.
So, yes! Overlays last that long! If you are looking for a flooring solution for your concrete floors that already have reached half of their lifespan, installing an overlay is the key to prolonging it.
How much does concrete overlay cost?
You also would not worry about how much does concrete overlay flooring cost you. It is pretty much the same as a typical concrete floor installation. It starts at $3, and if you opt to finish the overlay with decorative designs like polishing or stamping, you’ll be paying from $7 to $12.
How to make your concrete overlays last longer?
1. Maintenance tips
You can start by taking care of your newly finished floors. Not because the surface is sealed and layered with protective coatings, you will ignore maintenance entirely.
Here are easy tips you can do today to preserve the quality of your finished concrete. Avoid mistakes owners often commit when having concrete as the flooring.
- Avoid plant pots, heavy objects from scraping the surface.
- Do not place heavy and sharp tools and equipment right after resurfacing the floors.
- DO NOT use strong cleaning solutions and other harsh liquid chemicals to clean the concrete overlays.
- Palace drainage away for the decorative concrete overlays. Water run-offs may cause corrosion over the concrete surface.
- Also, put distance to separate the outdoor concrete flooring away from garden sprinklers. Constant water will wash away concrete materials easily.
2. Strengthening overlays from other types of flooring surface
Below are ways to prolong and increase the strength of concrete overlays.
- Rough Up the tiled surface
You must rough up the surface when you need to use an overlay to repair or decorate tiled flooring. Before placing other materials over a tiled flooring, the surface must reduce smoothness. By doing this, the old til will prepare for the new layer of material and make it adhere effectively.
- Cracked overlay
When repairing cracked overlays, it is best practice to fill the cracks with concrete fillers first before pouring new overlays. Pouring directly will cause insufficient slab reinforcement. That crack beneath may crawl deeper and will soon be difficult to reverse the damage
- White-stain over concrete
Do not mistake white stain on concrete for stained concrete patterns. These are very different things. White staining, also called efflorescence, happens when salt deposits remain after the water evaporates from the concrete flooring.
To aid the staging of salt, an overlay may be done to resurface the affected concrete. Salt deposits are harmful to concrete material. So the best way to strengthen the concrete is to install an overlay or reapply the concrete coating that has loosen and has faded.
- Using micro-toppings to rejuvenate overlays
Thin-set of concrete layering a micro-topping provides strength and style to the concrete slabs beneath. It usually serves as a final touch to a concrete resurfacing, like a facial blush applied when all the layers of makeup are on.
It can be a textured finish that can be sprayed on, poured over, or roll on the concrete surface.
- Fixing discoloration over black concrete overlay
When you have dark-colored concrete, the common problem you may encounter is blotchy patterns. These discoloration in the concrete tells you the coating or sealer had been washed away.
One option for dark-colored concrete is to remove the sealers altogether and use acid-based or water-based stains or dyes. These coloring will prevent blotching from happening because the stains or dyes penetrate the concrete flooring core.
- Concrete overlays over unlevel concrete floors
Overlays fix unlevel concrete. Unlevel concrete happens to both natural causes and man-made mistakes. The same goes with how you need to do the methods above. Be sure that the existing slabs must pave the way for the new materials to adhere correctly.
Final Reminders
One more final thing. Remember that the strength of the concrete flooring relies on the precision of applying the materials, whether you are installing an overlay, a micro-topping, or a concrete coating.
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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