EcoCrete Concrete Overlay

EcoCrete Exotic Surfaces is a Central Florida area installer of high quality DECORATIVE CONCRETE FLOORING. Our specialty is eco-friendly stains of concrete overlays for homes and businesses.

Our aim is to transform your plain, gray, new concrete and/or stained, damaged existing concrete by applying our overlay using water based concrete stains to a premier work of decorative concrete and craftsmanship. Surfaces such as Chattahoochee, spray deck, cool deck, bare concrete and tiles can be covered over creating a whole new surface.

Decorative concrete is durable, easy to maintain, and one of the most fashionable flooring today. Add in the affordability aspect and you have the perfect complement for your pool, patio, restaurant décor, high-rise building lobby or any other indoor/outdoor surface.

Overlay

Often because of age, abuse, cracking or previous floor treatments, the need for a thin polymer modified cement overlay can be installed quickly and relatively inexpensively to provide a brand new concrete surface with which to work. Overlays are applied at depths as shallow as 1/8" and are extremely durable and permanent and they allow for great creativity in coloring and patterning.

There are several manners of applying decorative concrete overlays. Some cement overlays are hand-troweled over the concrete slab. This is the most common type of overlay used by contractors today. Other overlay products called self-leveling overlays are poured out on to the concrete floor and then spread at a uniform depth with a "gauge rake" and a "smoother". Finally, some cement overlays are applied with a roller or spray gun. The type of overlay product used typically depends on the durability required by the project environment and the decorative look being sought. For example, "trowel-down" overlays generally exhibit greater color mottling or "antiquing" through the use of concrete stain than do self-leveling overlays. By contrast, self-leveling overlays provide greater uniformity in color. This is commonly referred to as a "warehouse look". Most overlay products regardless of application method require sanding with a rotary floor machine after installation to optimize the surface for accepting color from a concrete staining product, and to ensure that the protective sealer adheres properly.

Scoring

For a large open floor that is not obscured by a lot of furniture or rugs, scoring decorative lines and simple geometric patterns into decorative concrete is a great way to break up monotony of a single color and draw more attention to it. Decorative concrete scoring lines are generally made with a guided angle grinder or concrete saw that is fitted with a diamond blade and a dust-free vacuum attachment. The blade most commonly used by staining contractors cuts a line about 1/8" wide and ¼" deep, although exact dimensions may be specified if the customer wishes, and is willing to pay a little more for the purchase of a custom blade. These decorative cuts are usually done prior to staining the concrete and may be filled with a colored grout to accent the colors in the floor, or left as they are for a more subtle appeal.

Stencils

Stenciling is used in decorative concrete to add patterning effects that are too complex or detailed to be reproduced on concrete through the scoring of lines. Decorative concrete stenciling can be done in a variety of ways. First, a thin cement overlay may be sprayed or troweled over a stencil, and then the stencil is removed once the overlay has hardened. It is best for repeating patterns like brick, cobblestone and slate, and it may be used over an entire area or just as a border.

Sealers

A clear concrete sealer is required for every stained or decorative concrete flooring project. There are several purposes of a concrete sealer. First, the sealer brings out the color of stained concrete. Without it, the color of the floor would be pale and flat. Second, the sealer protects the concrete surface from scratches, abrasion, water intrusion, chemical stains, and dirt. A stained concrete floor with no sealer would eventually lose most of its color due to foot traffic. Third, sealers make maintenance easier. Dust comes up readily, and wax can be applied and removed without affecting the basic appearance of the floor. Fourth, concrete sealers add depth and gloss to stained concrete, drawing greater attention to its elegance and beauty.

Four types of sealers are commonly used on stained or decorative concrete: 1) acrylics; 2) epoxies; 3) urethanes; and 4) polyureas. Each type of sealer adequately achieves all four purposes listed above. The main differences between them are in durability and expense. Acrylics are the least durable and most affordable, while polyureas are the most durable and most expensive. Epoxies and urethanes fall somewhere in between, the main advantage of epoxies being toughness and adhesion, and those of urethanes, chemical and scratch resistance. Any sealer system can be chosen or specified for any project, but a good rule of thumb is that acrylics are sufficiently durable for most homes, while epoxies and urethanes are almost always required for businesses. Polyureas, due to their high expense, are best reserved for harsh environments, such as warehouses or hair salons.

Homeowners and businesses prefer water-based sealers because they are odorless and safer to use (e.g. pilot lights do not need to be turned off during application). In addition, water- and solvent-based sealers are also chosen for their color enhancement properties. Solvent –based sealers significantly deepen the color of stained concrete, while water-based sealers enhance color only slightly. As such, the choice of sealer can result in two different shades for the same color of concrete stain. We work closely with every customer to chose the sealer that best suits the project environment, fits the budget parameters, and achieves the optimal color enhancement and gloss. We do stained and sealed color samples at the outset of every stained concrete flooring project.

Go from bland and ordinary to exotic and fabulous!

Applies directly over existing...

  • Tile
  • Concrete floors
  • Countertops
  • Table tops
  • Vertical walls
  • Most non-porus material and substrates.