I’m having a home built with integrally-dyed concrete floors. The contractor sawed a 4 ft. x 4 ft. grid of grooves approximately 3/16 in. wide by 1/4 in. deep within about a week of pouring the floors. The contractor has not been using any protective covering on the floors and a significant fraction of the edges of the grooves have been broken down during construction. In some places the cracked away areas are 3/8 in. wide by 1 to 2 in. long and the effect of irregular, variable width grooves is pretty unattractive. The contractor said his previous clients liked “the distressed look’, but I don’t. I’d appreciate feedback from anyone who has experienced this problem and who can advise on how the floor appearance can be improved.
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The contractor said his previous clients liked "the distressed look'
I wish I could say that and get away with it!! j/k
It's really pretty simple... the contractor should have covered the floor if it was the finished product. He didn't. Therefore, it is his responsibility to fix it.
I can't think of a single product that I would consider "acceptable" to repair this. It may come down to replacing it. He may have some ideas for you... and I would hear him out... but in the end, it is his baby to make right.
About "repairs".JLC has an article last year about a guy that does uses modified concrete materials to do thin overlays to give him a fresh surface to do decorative concrete floors (stamped, dyed).If I remember he goes from 1/4" to 1" depending on the substrate.
Forgive my dumb question: Is there any way to do the same leveling coat over an existing asphalt pad? My asphalt driveway continues and becomes my asphalt garage floor. I didn't do it. The house is 80 years old and has managed to pass through some idiots' hands.
I agree with Rich, it's really pretty simple. Sharp edges on sawn grooves in concrete are going to break off sooner or later. That's why terrazzo has brass strips in it. That's why grooves and edges in sidewalks and driveways are rounded. If you agreed to the sharp edged look, you agreed to the chipped edges.
Even if you find a way to patch the chips, if you leave the edges sharp, they'll continue to erode.