Two is better than one!

More and more people are liking the use of concrete for their floor surface. And while this may not suit everyone, there is a certain quality and charm about having a concrete floor. However, as many people may know, laying a concrete slab won’t ever give you a flush gap free finish. That is where you need to combine concrete and grout products to be able to get the perfect finish you desire.

While the gaps left on a concrete slab don’t seem that bad at first glance, and you may think to yourself that you could easily walk over it with no worries or complaints. Remember it isn’t just you that will be traveling over it, nor will it just be people's feet or shoes. There will be tables, chairs, couches, cabinets, beds, and any other types of furniture or toys that people use. So ensuring that the surface of your floor is entirely smooth is a necessity.

When you are looking for inconsistencies in your concrete flooring the easiest thing to look for is pinholes (also known as ‘bug holes’) and they are more than just a very unattractive surface void. They are able to lead to cracks, gouges, and many other issues that are able to weaken your slab, ultimately reducing its lifespan, while increasing the likelihood of some very costly repairs in the future. For any coated surface the pinholes and voids can lead to faster wear and early and unattractive peeling.

When you spot pinholes or any surface voids they need to be repaired during the surface preparation to be able to prevent any worsening problems later on. Luckily one of the best ways to help fill your pinholes and voids is by grouting your concrete slab.

When you are considering beginning to fill in the pinholes and voids, many people are asked why they don't use concrete dust as a grout material. Some professionals may simply take their dust collection bag and siv and recycle what is inside of it as a cost-effective grout solution. This simple thing is, while this may work, it isn’t recommended to use your concrete dust as a grout solution. As when you open your bag, yes you can feel the dust, but you can also feel and see many different contaminants, this includes objects like dirt, concrete chunks, paint particles, old epoxy, and many other things that didn’t get broken down, as well as anything that got picked up by your vacuum and sucked into the bag. Therefore the concrete dust isn’t a consistent material. And you have no real way of knowing if you can ensure quality control for what you are putting back onto the surface of the floor. Even if you try to filter this dust, it can and often does lead to problems in the future.

Instead of guessing what material is in your dust, it is recommended to use something like marble flour. This is a graded, dry substance that has been highly refined and extremely consistent. Most important though it is free of any contaminants and is always the same quality no matter when you may purchase it.

Being able to add a grout coat over concrete is a very quick process. While the floor is still wet from the epoxy coat you just applied, this is when you should apply the marble flour (or similar products) onto the floor. Then mix it in using a concave grinder, this ensures the air is pressed out of the pinholes or voids and the grout is pushed into its place.