Polished Concrete Chicago Illinois 60654 Latest News

Why Choose Polished Concrete Floors for Your Business?

December 6, 2015 by PSI Americas Leave a Comment

The more information business owners learn about polished concrete floors, the more appealing this method become as a flooring option. This interest often leads people to question where they should place concrete floors within their commercial or industrial setting. The answer is quite simple. Concrete polished flooring may be used anywhere a business needs a new or replacement floor.

From industrial settings to office buildings, concrete floors provide a functional surface along with an artistic design that is unrivaled by other flooring materials. Additionally, polished concrete and epoxy floor coatings are less expensive to install and maintain.

That means you won’t need to hire specialists or use employees to spend a lot of time keeping these floors clean and in good repair.

Common Uses for Polished Concrete Floors

Retail shops & shopping malls
Hospitals and medical centers
Restaurants and bars
Office buildings
Warehouses and Factories
Commercial gyms, stadiums and convention centers
Parking facilities

Benefits of Concrete Polishing

• LEED approved & environmentally friendly
• Chemical & solvent resistance makes ideal for pharmacies and research laboratories
• Extremely durable
• High light reflectivity
• Longevity
• Low maintenance

The key to selecting a polished concrete floor that will work for your business operations is to turn to professional concrete experts with the experience, equipment and skillset to install concrete in a safe and effective manner within a commercial setting.

Our expert concrete polishing team here at PSI Inc. specializes in grind & seal of concrete floors with professional polishing equipment that takes the concrete surface down to your desired shine and smoothness. You may choose low or high gloss finishes with the aesthetic appeal and maintenance requirements that best fit your needs.

To learn more about our polished concrete services, give us a call in Chicago at (773) 938-6200 or in Florida at (239) 652-0688. You may also send us a message via our contact form here.

Polished Concrete and Epoxy Flooring in Chicago Illinois

November 22, 2015 by PSI Americas 2 Comments

Professional Surface Installation (PSI Inc.) specializes in commercial and industrial polished concrete, grinding, moisture mitigation, decorative solutions and epoxy systems.

Our Solutions for Polished Concrete & Epoxy Flooring Chicago area:

Polished Concrete – This is a process of grinding and honing cementitious floors. Over the past 10 years the process has evolved due to improved equipment, techniques and products.

You may have seen polished concrete or self leveling cement Home Depot or other local home improvement stores. Gray, slightly glossy with a natural appearance. What you may have seen or walked on could have been new. There may be few if any blemishes, it’s even and clean with a few control joints.

You may have also seen polished concrete in a coffee shop, retail store or restaurant. These floors could have been colored with an earth tone using acid stains or dyes. If you’ve seen vibrant colors solvent based dyes may have been applied.

Every concrete floor is unique frequently requiring a custom solution. Due to the demand of polished concrete, the industry has evolved with countless solutions. That’s where PSI Inc comes in. The quality of our products far exceeds the self leveling cement Home Depot supplies.

Moisture Mitigation – This is a process of grinding the surface followed by application of a 100% penetrating epoxy to cap the moisture. Self-Leveling Cement can then be applied typically at ¼ – ½ inch thickness.

Grind and Seal – This is usually an economical solution with less steps than a typical polish. We grind surface and slightly hone followed by application of protective epoxy or urethane. Economical, natural with low maintenance.

Concrete Polishing – Starts with course grinding blades to remove top surface. High powered vacuums are used to contain dust. Numerous steps starting with 25-40 grit followed by 80, 100, 200 and 400 grit diamond blades. A liquid densifier is applied and spread evenly throughout the surface. Stains and dyes can be applied to achieve a decorative appearance. Then subsequent honing steps including 800, 1,500 and 3,000 polish levels.

Self-Leveling Concrete and Overlays – Leading manufacturers such as Mapei, Ardex and others have creating cementitious overlays that can be polished. They can be colored with pigments during the mixing process as well as topically stained and dyed. Sawcuts can create the appearance of custom tile or a unique design.

Epoxy Floor Coatings – When a polished surface or new cementitious overlay is not the appropriate functional and decorative solution, there are many options utilizing mortar systems and coatings for epoxy flooring Chicago businesses.

These can range from thin epoxy paintings to high performance chemical resistant coatings engineered for specific uses.

For example, there are antimicrobial and static concrete epoxy systems. ESD coatings are used where static control is a requirement.

There are also many ideal for specific industries.

Industry Type Systems

Bridge and Highway – There are corrosion specific coatings for steel and concrete used in construction of highways and bridges.

Food & Beverage Coatings – Commercial kitchens pose challenges due to grease, oil, excessive foot traffic and extreme temperature changes from ovens and hot water pressure cleaning. Temperature changes cause slight contraction and expansion that will cause failure of the wrong system. Most commercial kitchens are in use 7 days a week. Down time to fix failed epoxy coatings is expensive. We will help you determine the best system for your use.

Chemical Facilities – Novolac epoxies are appropriate for facilities with chemicals. In the event of a spill, floor coatings must withstand harsh chemicals. Contact us to discuss your requirement.

Airplane Hangers – Aircraft facilities have unique requirements for coatings. They can range from decorative metallic epoxy systems to grind and seal with non-slip sealers and high light reflectivity.

Hospital and Healthcare Concrete Moisture Vapor Barriers – We have completed projects ranging from 5,000 square feet to 500,000 square feet for hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide. If you have new concrete, we apply a warrantied system including floor grinding, epoxy coating with self-leveling concrete. This is a moisture vapor barrier and underlayment system

About PSI of Chicago Illinois

We are based in Chicago Illinois servicing commercial and industrial facilities nationwide.

The 4-1-1 on Concrete Moisture Mitigation in Chicago

August 28, 2015 by PSI Americas Leave a Comment

Concrete moisture mitigation in Chicago requires several steps for successful implementation. Understanding how concrete reacts to moisture offers a better understanding of how contractors develop strategies to deal with removing moisture before, during and after a commercial project.

Concrete and Moisture 101

Concrete consists of a mixture of lime, ash and water. This mix may also contain other aggregates such as sand or crushed stone. Although cement and concrete are often used interchangeably, cement is actually an ingredient of concrete mixtures.

When concrete cures, it’s the chemical reaction of the basic aggregate and paste materials that causes chemicals in the gravel and ash to cross link.

Effectively, these chemicals bind together like links in a chain. When hard, concrete acts similar to a sponge with many little veins (straws) that trap moisture, which eventually finds a way out.

Moisture is a vapor. As concrete gets older, it tightens and squeezes the vapor through the veins (straws). That’s called moisture vapor transmission.

The Need for Concrete Moisture Mitigation

When contractors apply carpet directly to new concrete slabs , it will get damp. Although the dampness isn’t readily apparent by touch, it is there. This moisture allows mold and bacteria to grow, and that’s why all new hospitals and medical facilities must have moisture mitigation systems.

Moisture Barrier Procedures

When PSI Chicago begins surface preparation, the team runs a shot blaster over the concrete slab. Shot-blasting opens the pores in the concrete by taking off the top layer. When viewed through a magnifying glass, tons of small air holes become visible. Some of these air holes are too small to view with a microscope.

Once the team completes surface prep, they apply liquid epoxy as a moisture barrier in very thin layers like water over the concrete’s surface. This thin epoxy fills the tiny holes and creates a new layer. When the new layer cures, the epoxy penetration creates millions of small anchors deep into the pores while also drying to a smooth top surface that prevents moisture from pushing the epoxy off the surface.

In effect, the epoxy caps moisture creating a barrier so it can no longer stay on the concrete surface. Since the moisture must go somewhere, it eventually works its way sideways or down. We install these epoxy moisture barriers to prevent migration of moisture from the slab to finish flooring.

For expert moisture mitigation in Chicago, contact us at 1-877-97-LEVEL or fill at the form at right.

Don’t Ignore the Importance of Moisture Mitigation

August 10, 2015 by PSI Americas 5 Comments

With today’s construction timelines on the fast track, it means there is far less time available for drying concrete slab foundations before primary construction begins. But rushing a concrete installation project potentially translates into higher than acceptable slab moisture levels for concrete slabs and flooring.

Additionally, if you want to meet manufacturer warranties, taking care of the humidity or RH levels is a must. That’s where moisture mitigation becomes a necessary skill on commercial job sites around the country.

Causes of Concrete Moisture Problems

In some ways, the move toward more environmentally-friendly materials and practices creates the moisture issue.

In the effort to “go green”, makers of glues and epoxies have replaced toxic substances with water-based ingredients. When the final slab mixture of concrete, limestone and calcium silicate combines with the floor adhesives and surface layer, water vapors interact with the water-based glues and move up through the slab. This results in failure of the epoxy coatings to adhere to the floor.

In commercial building such as hospitals, the failure is more than a cosmetic issue. It affects the safety of everyone walking on the floor.

Of course, all concrete contractors use water in their cement mix to develop and maintain the strength of the concrete. The problem arises when slab vapor emissions create excess moisture. And it’s more than potential “slip and fall” accidents related to flooring failure that’s the concern. Excess moisture may also increase the risk of mildew and mold growth.

Moisture mitigation contractors, such as PSI Americas of Chicago, understand the importance of having a plan prior to installing concrete flooring. Their solution includes such activities as moisture tests for reading relative humidity and applying the right topical coatings to ensure that the concrete mixture adheres properly.

Minimizing Concrete Moisture Problems

PSI must consider a variety of issues when dealing with potential moisture and water issues in concrete floor surface prep and installs. To minimize potential problems, they make sure to follow the 5 methods below:

1) Proper ratio of water to cement in the flooring installation mixture
2) Careful monitoring of pour to prevent extra water entering mix
3) Use of lightweight, low-porosity aggregate rather than porous aggregates when needed above grade
4) Avoiding hard trowelling which can create densified layers on concrete surface that prevent drying
5) Adequate curing with blankets or sheeting

PSI Americas Illinois is available to help you with moisture mitigation issues on your next commercial flooring project. We’ve assisted with surface preparation and installation in the construction of hospitals, convention facilities, restaurants and more.

We specialize in commercial concrete floors, epoxy coatings and concrete polishing. Contact us at 1-877-97-LEVEL or fill out our Free Quote form at right to learn more.