Everything You Should Know Before Getting Concrete Overlays

As a homeowner, anything you can do to improve the appearance and quality of your space is worth it. Sometimes this involves repairs, while other times making decorative changes. The goal, however, is to achieve these results without having to tear down and redo the entire house.

Solutions exist today that can help you repair and elevate the appearance of your space. With concrete overlays near you, you have limitless opportunities to create the kind of space you want for your home or industrial space.

What Are Concrete Overlays?

They are concrete cement-based products used to decorate or repair floors and other surfaces in homes and buildings. A concrete overlay features a thin layer of concrete that is applied over existing concrete. The new layer features colored cement-based products, as a solution to elevate the appearance of existing concrete.

Even though concrete overlays are common for floor surfaces, many customers still use this technique to better the appearance of their walls. The only requirement is that the surface in question be made of concrete. The primary purpose of the overlays is to improve the surface, by altering the color and finish, or repairing any damages thereof.

Different Types of Concrete Overlays

• Self-Leveling – unless you are experienced as a contractor, you may need to avoid handling this type of overlay on your own. It requires you to work speedily and have very minimal mistakes. It comes in different colors, but can be very unpredictable in the kind of results you achieve, especially if you do it yourself instead of hiring a professional.
• Micro-topping – if you want to achieve a blank canvas look, use this overlay. It is perfect for filling up any small spots on your surface that are damaged, for an even and clean finish.
• Stamped – this overlay incorporates texture to your surfaces. Since it comes in a variety of colors, it can be used to create different appearances on your surfaces, including stone, brick, wood, tile, or many others. It is mainly used for decorative purposes and can be used both indoors and outdoors.
• Spray-Down – it is another decorative concrete overlay that allows you a lot of freedom with creativity on how you want your surfaces to appear. It comes in multiple colors, even allowing you to mix up and add more colors to the blend during the mixing process of the application.

How Does the Process Work?

Many manufacturers of concrete overlays ensure the products have their mixture and proprietary blends, including polymer modified additives and resins. The blends differ depending on what you are looking to do with your surfaces.

When purchasing the concrete overlays, you must specify the purpose for them. The reason is that vertical overlays for walls are different from horizontal overlays for floors. The weight of the materials used in the blends of the overlay determines how effective they are for either walls or floors. This is why you may need a contractor to handle the repair and decorative services of your walls and floors. He/she will better account for the adhesion, moisture, and even strength of the concrete overlays for your target surfaces.

Important Factors to Note About Concrete Overlays

Their effectiveness and durability depend on the existing concrete – the state of the existing concrete will determine how strong the surface will be. When an overlay is applied, it is only as good as what lies beneath it. This means that if the concrete underneath is badly damaged so that it keeps surfacing up, the overlay may also behave the same. For this reason, hire a contractor to advise you on the best way to revamp your space with concrete overlays, based on the current state of the existing concrete.

The quality of the concrete overlay affects its effectiveness – some of the manufactured blends are better in quality than others. You must check the blends for strength, adhesion, moisture, and many other aspects.

You need decorative experience – if your goal is to redecorate your surfaces, then you need decorative experience. This will help you make the proper mixtures as well as make informed decisions during the application of the overlay.