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Bomanite of New Orleans, Inc.

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BOMANITE CUSTOM POLISHING SYSTEMS Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of polishing concrete? • Decorative and Ascetically Pleasing • Economical • Very Low Maintenance • Stain Resistant • Abrasion Resistant • Permanent and Long Lasting • Coating Free - No More Waxing, Coating or Stripping. No Peeling or Flaking • Increases Existing Light Reflectivity up to 30% at the Highest Polish Resulting in Energy Savings Concrete polishing is less than the cost of other concrete coating systems! Although, that's not where the savings end, it’s really the beginning. Concrete coatings can potentially fail due to delaminating, cracking, fading, staining, yellowing, and wear. The true value of a polished concrete floor is measured by its' durability, beauty and long term cost savings in maintenance. Polished concrete gives you permanent long lasting results that require no costly maintenance because there are no coatings.

Is polished concrete slippery?Kept clean and dry, polished concrete floors are generally not any more slippery than other hard flooring surfaces. And they tend to be less slippery than waxed linoleum or polished marble. But public facilities that want to provide extra protection against slip-and-fall accidents can treat polished floors with anti-slip conditioners. These products contain special additives designed to improve traction and make wet surfaces safer. They must be reapplied periodically, but they can simply be mopped on during routine cleaning.

What are the maintenance requirements? It is virtually maintenance free. Polished concrete has the lowest cleaning per foot cost of any flooring. Just dust mop, vacuum or sweep loose debris and then wet mop or use an auto scrubber with an acid free cleaner.

What is the process to polish my concrete? The floor should be in place at least 28 days before polishing begins to ensure adequate curing. Some retail and warehouse facilities that plan to polish their floors after placement may specify the installation of as flat a floor as possible to minimize the polishing steps required and achieve the best quality polish. Existing floors typically require some surface preparation prior to polishing to remove dirt, grease, coatings, or blemishes. However, floors that are wavy, need extensive patching, or are extremely porous may not be good candidates for polishing. Simply put, polishing concrete is similar to sanding wood. Heavy-duty polishing machines equipped with progressively finer grits of diamond-impregnated segments or disks (akin to sandpaper) are used to gradually grind down, hone and polish surfaces to the desired degree of shine and smoothness. The process begins with the use of coarse diamond segments bonded in a metallic matrix. These segments are coarse enough to remove minor pits, blemishes, stains, or light coatings from the floor in preparation for final smoothing. Depending on the condition of the concrete, this initial rough grinding is generally a three- to four-step process. The next steps involve fine grinding of the concrete surface using diamond abrasives embedded in a plastic or resin matrix. Crews use ever-finer grits of polishing disks (a process called “lapping”) until the floor has the desired sheen. For an extremely high-gloss finish, a final grit of 1500 or finer may be used. Experienced polishing crews know when to switch to the next-finer grit by observing the floor surface and the amount of material being removed. • Eliminates Dusting • Ecologically Sound and Environmentally Friendly • Greater Strength and Durability • More Impact Resistance • Gives New Life to Old Worn Concrete • Not Effected by Ultraviolet Light • Little or No Down Time or Loss of Business While the process is completed to help solidify and densify polished concrete surfaces a liquid impregnating/penetrating hardener is added to the concrete. This is added during the process in between grits. The point at which this is added is dependent on the condition of the concrete. These products, work by reacting chemically with the concrete to form a hard, crystalline structure and will make the concrete up to 400% more abrasion resistant. They also prevent dusting of concrete and offer extra protection from water penetration and staining.

How long will it last? Polished concrete depending on its use and maintenance can last over 15 years. One fact is for sure, it is going to last many, many years without the use of special cleaners, waxes or coatings.

How do you maintain the shine? Although keeping polished concrete shiny requires minimal effort and expense, some regular care is necessary. A simple maintenance program of occasional dusting to remove grit and damp mopping with a neutral cleaner to enhance the shine is recommended. Special cleaners and conditioners for polished concrete that not only clean the surface, but also leave behind a dirt-resistant film are also available. These products can be applied with a mop or auto scrubber and do not require buffing. With basic cleaning, polished concrete should keep its luster for years. Eventually, though, the shine can dull, especially in high-traffic areas. Fortunately, it’s easy to restore the gleam. Sometimes simply buffing the floor with a commercial polishing compound will do the trick. If more touch-up is necessary, the floors can be lightly re-polished with a fine-grit abrasive.

Can all concrete be polished? Almost any structurally sound concrete floor, whether new or old, can be polished. But there are some exceptions. For new floors, no special mix design is required to achieve good results. However, the floor should be in place at least 28 days before polishing begins to ensure adequate curing. Some retail and warehouse facilities that plan to polish their floors after placement may specify the installation of as flat a floor as possible to minimize the polishing steps required. Existing floors typically require some surface preparation prior to polishing to remove dirt, grease, coatings, or blemishes. However, floors that are wavy, need extensive patching, or are extremely porous may not be good candidates for polishing. An experienced Bomanite Custom Polishing Franchise Partner can determine a floor’s suitability.

Applications for Polished Concrete Because polishing is a multi-step process, customers can choose the level of sheen—from satin to high-gloss—that meets their maintenance and aesthetic requirements. This versatility makes polished concrete an ideal flooring material for a variety of applications including: • Large warehouses and warehouse outlets • Retail stores • Hotels and restaurants • Office buildings • Auto showrooms • Private residences Ease of maintenance is the key reason many warehouses and retail facilities are opting for polished concrete. Not only are polished floors easy to clean, requiring only occasional damp mopping, they hold up well to heavy forklift and foot traffic. They also eliminate the need for messy waxes or coatings—as well as the associated labor, time, and expense to apply them. What’s more, the glossy surface resists the marks of forklift truck tires and staining from oil and chemical spills. The high light reflectivity of polished concrete is another important benefit, especially for office buildings, hotels, restaurants, and other public facilities that want to project a bright, clean, professional image. Some customers simply want a look that’s unique. Polishing can give concrete a higher degree of shine—similar to polished marble or granite—than can be achieved with a high-gloss coating. This makes polished concrete a particularly good alternative for homeowners or businesses that can’t afford marble or granite floors but want the same brilliant, mirror-like finish. To replicate the color of stone, chemical stains can be applied to the concrete during the polishing process or concrete that has been integrally colored can be polished. It’s also possible to produce a terrazzo look by grinding through the top few millimeters of the concrete surface to expose the aggregate.

BOMANITE GRASSCRETE SYSTEMS

BOMANITE GRASSCRETE GENERAL APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1) What is Bomanite Grasscrete? Grasscrete is a pervious reinforced concrete structure for all types of trafficked areas that is either covered with grass, has grass growing in the voids of the structure or has stone in the voids of the structure.

2) How is Bomanite Grasscrete made? Grasscrete is made by pouring concrete over “Formers”, a tool or mold that leaves voids in the concrete, that once opened can be filled with a variety of porous materials such as grass or gravel.

3) What are the Formers made of? Grasscrete Formers come in two types. A re-usable plastic tool that is used only for fully grassed or concealed installations and the more common single-use Molded Pulp Former used for all Grasscrete types.

4) What is Molded Pulp? The Molded Pulp is made from 100% recycled paper pulled from both post industrial and post consumer waste streams. It is suspended in a water slurry, vacuum formed to a mold and then air dried to a solid product. It is based on the same biodegradable material commonly found at landscape supply stores or nurseries that plant pots are made from.

5) What is the difference between Bomanite Grasscrete Systems and the competitors? Grasscrete is the only product on the market that is made from continuously reinforced cast-in-place concrete. It is by far the most robust pervious grassed structure as it is not made from cheap plastic rings or supplied in segments. It has the load bearing capacity and durability comparable to concrete freeways or parking lots.

6) What are the products dimensions? The individual Grasscrete Formers are 24” x 48” in outside dimension and are 5 ½” deep. The final installed product size is determined by the size of the project – every square foot of properly installed Grasscrete is connected with steel reinforcement.

7) What is Bomanite Grasscrete installed over? Grasscrete is installed over a sub-base of gravel at a depth determined by the load bearing capacity required for the project. In many situations the Grasscrete is installed over the native soils saving money on excavation and gravel. In some cases it is installed over a deep bed of crushed stone or even storm water chambers so as to provide capacity for water which can be highly desired when controlling storm water runoff.

8) How well does grass grow over Bomanite Grasscrete? Grasscrete has been installed extensively throughout the world in all climate types. In some environments such as the Pacific Northwest it will grow the same as any lawn requiring no irrigation. In environments that are dry and hot, it is recommended that the Grasscrete be irrigated much like any other grassed area. Hardy, drought tolerant grass or groundcover can be selected for applications such as retaining pond bottoms or slope protection.

9) How long do we have to wait before driving on Bomanite Grasscrete? Unlike other competitive systems that may require the grass to grow prior to use, Grasscrete can be driven on immediately after the concrete hardens in the extent of an emergency situation. Typically it is recommended that you wait two to four weeks before you drive on it for best results.

10) What types of grass should I use in the product? Use a species that is both deep rooting and robust. Generally a Blue/Rye/Fescue mix in northern climates and Zoysia, Fescue, or Bermuda types in southern climates.

11) What material is Bomanite Grasscrete filled with for grassed installations? Grasscrete functions best in fully concealed installations when a sandy soil is used to fill the voids and to cover the concrete. This will allow the grass to grow well and will support occasional non-emergency vehicle access. The same mixture is used for void grassed only installations which will allow for any type of vehicle access as often as required.

12) Can I seed or sod over the product? Seed or sod can both be used dependant upon the application.

13) Is soil amending recommended? Yes, a water retaining soil additive such as PAM or equal is recommended for grassed applications. It will retain moisture between watering or rainfall and will help aerate the root zone as it expands and contracts.

14) How are parking spaces delineated on a Grasscrete parking lot? The use of traditional line paints is the most effective way to delineate stalls on a Grasscrete parking lot. Other methods, such as pouring the concrete in multiple pours, leaving a wider band of concrete between the stalls and planting brushes or shrubs in a predetermined pattern are all ways to distinguish between stalls and to control traffic patterns.

BOMANITE GRASSCRETE PERFORMANCE QUESTIONS:

1) How heavy of a load can Bomanite Grasscrete support? Grasscrete can be designed and installed to support any vehicle. The standard minimum installation supports vehicles weighing 75,000 pounds with more customized installations capable of supporting vehicles exceeding 150,000 pounds – including tracked vehicles.

2) How much traffic can the product withstand? Fully grassed installations can handle periodic traffic such as maintenance access or overflow parking. This is dictated by the robustness of the grass itself. Void grassed only installations can be driven on continuously with no issues associated with plowing, high speed travel or tires turning at particular places in the installation.

3) Can Bomanite Grasscrete be used for emergency access such as fire lanes? Yes, this is one of the more common uses for Grasscrete. As an example, the City of Los Angeles Fire Department has been using Grasscrete exclusively since 1982.

4) What is the installed cost for Bomanite Grasscrete vs. Concrete? Grasscrete is generally 30% higher than traditional concrete pavement. Using Grasscrete can eliminate or minimize the need for storm water collection systems which may be a substantial savings.