Sikafloor® Dry Shake Terrazzo and Concrete Floor Finishing Aid

Cementitious terrazzo and epoxy terrazzo floors both use binders mixed together with aggregates to formulate a hardened surface where flecks of aggregate are seen in the finish. 

However, they are produced and applied differently. With epoxy terrazzo floors, the binder is resin. Whereas with cementitious terrazzo floors, the binder used is a cementitious material.

Sika supplies both cementitious terrazzo floor systems and epoxy terrazzo floors.

A dry shake floor hardener is made by combining cement, fine aggregates, admixtures and sometimes pigments. It is applied as a dry powder compound to a fresh concrete surface.

They are used primarily to improve the durability and hardness of concrete floors. This in turn protects the floor from abrasion and impact, while also providing slip resistance, color, and surface texture. Dry shake hardeners decrease the permeability of the concrete surface, thereby reducing dusting and liquid penetration.

It is applied either by hand or machine onto a fresh concrete surface, then power floated and troweled.

Concrete floor hardeners come in two main types: dry shake hardeners (added on top fresh concrete) and liquid concrete hardeners (applied to the hardened concrete surface). When liquid concrete hardeners penetrate to concrete pores and cause a chemical reaction. Dry shake hardeners do not react with the underlying concrete chemistry. Dry shake reacts with the free water in fresh concrete creating a hard and dense layer on top of the slab.

Floor hardeners act as a permanent solution to protect the underlying concrete against chemical or mechanical abrasion, thereby improving the hardness and durability of the concrete floors over the long term. They may also be used for slip resistance or surface texture.

To get polished concrete, it requires a multistep process where a concrete floor is mechanically ground and polished with diamond tools that cut the concrete floor’s surface. The final, specified level of appearance (gloss grade and aggregate exposure level) is achieved and further defined by each cut. The process also often includes the use of a chemical known as a densifier or liquid hardener.

Though each floor varies depending on the project, here are Sika’s guidelines for a perfectly polished concrete floor:

1. Harden the concrete with chemical densifiers or dry shake hardeners – where we would recommend Sika’s products for the best results.
2. Remove any dirt, grime or adhesives on the concrete that may be leftover from previous and current projects.
3. Next, repair possible cracks and fill voids that are visible on the concrete.
   
4. Then, grind the hard concrete surface with a concrete grinder and diamond tooling in various grit sizes (25 – 100 grit) depending on how much exposed aggregate you want the floor to have.
5. Polish the concrete floor again with a higher grit diamond tool – ranging from 200 grit in the beginning and finishing with an 800-3000 grit diamond tool.
6. Lastly, protect, seal and burnish the floor surface. Using Sika’s solutions, optimal concrete protection is guaranteed.

Tips to maintain your beautiful polished concrete floors:

• To keep the shine and aesthetic of the floor, remember to consistently dust the floor with microfiber mops.
• Always use clean water and mops to preserve the quality of the polished floor.
• Remove chemical spills and contamination as soon as possible.
• When cleaning, use nonabrasive cleaning techniques and tools.
• Under traffic and regular use over time, every floor surface receives scratches and wear. The gloss can be revitalized by burnishing and using Sika’s recommended sealer.
• The original gloss can be achieved by polishing the floor with a 3000 grit diamond tool and using burnishing with a sealer.