Topping floor: device and stowage technology

The topping floor is a floor of concrete, the top layer of which has increased strength and is rubbed to a shine by special equipment. The thickness of this floor starts from 7 cm. Depending on the operating conditions, the hardened coating can serve up to 25 years.

Application of topping floors

Topping floors (photo) are capable of withstanding heavy loads. Therefore, such a stacking technology is used mainly in enterprises. Mount a concrete floor with topping on objects where you need a durable coating that does not require special care.

The main objects for stacking can be combined into the following groups:
- warehouses and production facilities;
- parking lots, garages, car-care centers and car dealerships;
- premises of industrial buildings;
- basements of residential buildings;
- shopping centers and shops;
- railway facilities.
The popularity of a concrete floor with a topping coating is due to an optimal combination of quality and price, as well as a high speed of coating installation.

Types of topping

The mixture for hardening concrete can include several types of filler. The most common use of metal particles, crumbs of quartz or corundum. The most important is the topping floor with the content of metal impregnations. But mixtures with quartz content became very popular. The color of the floor depends on the color of the filler and its concentration in the topping mixture. The available color range ranges from white to natural gray.
By varying the proportions of the fillers, different characteristics of the coating are obtained. You can choose a composition that is resistant to vibration or static loads, while respecting the sanitary requirements.

Quality requirements

Floor installation should be carried out in compliance with technological standards. In work it is necessary to use high quality materials. To the topping cover a number of requirements are made:
- strength of the floor;
- smoothness and smoothness of the surface;
- durability of the coating.
The topping floor after laying should not create dust. All these requirements can only be met by specialists who have the necessary skills to install concrete floors with a hardened top layer.

The device of topping floors. Preparatory work

The technology of laying the floor of increased strength means carrying out preparatory work in the room. Before proceeding with the installation of the coating, it is necessary to carry out exploratory work and draw up a project, select materials and their quantity.
At the initial stage of the work, the area is filled with sand, while the soil is layer-by-layer compacted and horizontal planning of the surface is carried out. If conditions so require, the backfill is produced with crushed stone, followed by consolidation and wedging of the fractions. A full waterproofing must be carried out in the room. This will require special materials, roll waterproofing and bituminous coating.
Depending on the technical design, the type of surface reinforcement is chosen. The most common single-row and two-row types of mounting the frame armature. If the expected loads are not very high, then use a metal mesh. Then, special guide beacons are installed to fill the concrete base (brand strength above M300).
If the topping floor is mounted on an old concrete covering, it is necessary first to make sure that there are no surface defects. Cracks and chips should be expanded and filled with a special compound. Crumbling concrete is considered unfit for the base and dismantled.

Topping floors: stowage technology

Installation of the topping floor is that a composition of solid fillers - portland cement or other additives - is applied to the surface of the concrete mix. These additives improve the quality characteristics of the material and shorten the time for laying.
The applied concrete mixture should be uniform in composition. For better shrinkage, the coating is affected by vibration. When pouring, foreign objects, including beacons, must be removed. If special fixed beacons are used, they are not dismantled.

The quality of the floor depends directly on the recipe of concrete, the brand of the fortress, the type of gravel filler. Topping mixture should be applied during the concrete strength setting (usually within 4-7 hours after laying). Only with this condition, the reinforcer will be able to absorb the necessary volume of moisture and form a single structure with concrete. During this process, it is important to keep the temperature in the room.
Special trolleys mix topping evenly applied to the coating. The material consumption in this case can vary significantly, from 4 to 16 kilograms per square meter of surface. Further the surface is rubbed with the help of special concrete batching machines. If you are laying a colored floor, the topping is applied several times.
The result of such actions is high strength and wear resistance of the concrete coating.

Main advantages

The installation of a concrete floor with a high-strength top layer is chosen because of the obvious advantages:
- increase the life of the coating;
- speed of laying the floor (up to 1000 sq. Meters per shift);
- no dust, dirt and debris during installation;
- increased wear resistance;
- maximum impact resistance;
- to operate a premise with such covering it is possible after 1,5 weeks after laying a floor.

Industrial flooring floors with relatively small material costs can solve the problem of hardening the surface layer of concrete bases, ensure their effective protection against the effects of moisture and various household chemicals, as well as ease and safety of operation.