While concrete overlays are something you can try to DIY, this is a job best left to trainer professionals. If you’re looking to hire a contractor to do concrete overlays for your commercial or residential property, you want to ensure that they are properly trained and have good experience under their belts, so that you don’t have to worry about the common mistakes people make when applying concrete overlays.
Concrete overlays are an investment, and one that you want to ensure is done correctly. Here is what you need to know about some common mistakes people can make when applying concrete overlays and what can be done to correct them.
This pulls material off of vertical surfaces. You will want to trowel either up or sideways instead.
Release agents keep stamps from sticking to the overlay mix, allowing for easy application and customization. Failing to use a release agent can result in the stamp sticking to the mix, pulling material off of the wall when trying to free the mix, and other such headaches.
Here at Stone Edge Surfaces, we promote the use of flat, no spike shoe-ins for the application of concrete overlay, as well as ones with spikes. You can also use another shoe-in type that has texture mats attached to it. These help both with evening out weight distribution, as well as adding texture while stamping.
If you have a commercial property, you probably won’t be DIYing, but homeowners might be, in an attempt to cut down on costs. However, DIYing can actually be far more costly than just hiring a professional to do the job for you.
This is for a variety of reasons.
For the pros out there, the Job Estimator Pro app lets you know whether or not you need to adjust your bid in order to be able to profit off of a job. It also estimates labor and material costs, in addition to overall profitability. This can help you succeed in your business immensely.
To learn more about the Job Estimator Pro app, head on over to http://www.jobestimatorpro.com/.
This is to ensure consistent coloration throughout the surface.
This is necessary in order to provide both more time for workability and to achieve proper viscosity.
While you can clean your stamps with water after a job with no problem, if you do this before you use them with the mindset that it will keep the stamps from sticking to the mix… Using water before a job can actually cause the mix to stick to the stamps. In order to prevent the mix from sticking to the stamps, you will want to use a release agent.
Just like not using a release agent causes problems, using too much of it can too. Too much release agent can backfire, causing your stamps to stick to the material instead of releasing nicely. It can also cause the material to slurry. You only want to use a light mist of the release agent.
Stone Edge Surfaces provides factory trainings in order to teach contractors how to properly apply concrete overlays. In these trainings, you’ll get an in-depth understanding of all the tips and tricks needed to ensure a job well done, common mistakes people make when applying concrete overlays, and what you can do to avoid them.
Contact us today to learn more about our products or our factory trainings.