What happens, and when you get the space back.
Diamond grinding, crack and moisture repair, coating and cure — in that order, with the real timings. On a commercial job the schedule is agreed before we mobilise; on a garage it is usually a single day.
How a commercial job runs
Four stages, and you know when you get the space back.
Stage 01
Site assessment
We walk the building, test the slab for moisture and dew point, review chemical exposure and agree the shutdown window. You get a written scope, not a number on a card.
On site, no obligationStage 02
Preparation
Diamond grinding or shot blasting to profile, crack and joint repair, and HEPA extraction so the rest of the building stays open.
Dust contained · CSP 2–3Stage 03
Installation
Base coat, broadcast and topcoat, phased by bay or zone. Overnight and weekend work where production cannot stop.
Phased by zoneStage 04
Return to service
Foot traffic the following morning, vehicles and racking the day after. Cold slabs cure slower and we tell you the real number.
10–14 hrs foot · 24–48 hrs loadReturn to service
When you get the space back.
| Foot traffic | 10–14 hrs after the final coat, at 70°F |
|---|---|
| Vehicles and racking | 24–48 hrs at 70°F. Longer on a cold slab, and we tell you the real number for your building |
| Full chemical exposure | 48–72 hrs before washdown, caustic cleaning or spillage |
| Polyaspartic systems | Recoat window of 1–2 hrs, which is what makes a same-day turnaround possible |
| Polished concrete | Immediate once the area has been cleaned down — there is no coating to cure |
| Cold-weather limit | Heated interiors year-round. Polyaspartic to approximately 30°F with the slab 5°F above dew point |
| What slows it down | A cold slab, high humidity, or a dew point close to the slab temperature. All three are measured on the day rather than assumed |
| Warranty | Written workmanship warranty, terms by system |
Before we arrive
What we need from you, and what we bring.
What we need from you
- The floor clear — we can help with heavy items, but not with the contents
- Access to power, and to water where the system needs it
- A named contact who can answer a question on the day
- On a commercial job, the shutdown window confirmed in writing
- Any site induction or contractor paperwork sent ahead rather than on the morning
What we turn up with
- Diamond grinders and shot blasters with HEPA extraction
- Moisture and dew point meters, used before the first coat goes down
- Containment and negative air where the building stays occupied
- Every material for the system, so nothing is substituted mid-job
- A written record of the readings taken, handed over at the end
Selected work
All projects →Recent commercial installations.
Residential
Eagle Flake Shop Floor, Paris, ME
Eagle Flake broadcast
Residential
Polar Flake Floor Coating, Wells, ME
Wells, ME · Polar 1/4" flake broadcast
Residential
Moisture Mitigation Basement Floor, Berwick, ME
Berwick, ME · Moisture mitigation epoxy flooring
Automotive
Bus Company Mechanical Pit Coating, Rollinsford, NH
Mechanical pit renewal coating
Common questions
What people ask about the work.
Why grind rather than acid etch?
Because acid etching does not create a mechanical profile. It opens the surface chemically and leaves residue that has to be neutralised and rinsed, usually incompletely. Grinding and shot blasting produce a measured profile a coating can key into, and the difference shows up two winters later rather than on the day.
Will the rest of the building be full of dust?
No. Every grinder runs on HEPA extraction, and in an occupied building we add poly containment and negative air. That is standard on our commercial work rather than an upgrade — a plant that has to stop while we grind is a plant that will not book us again.
How much of my building has to stop?
As little as we can engineer. Almost all of our commercial work is phased — one bay, one zone or one room at a time — so the whole facility is never down at once. We agree the sequence and the hand-back times at the walk-through and put them in the proposal, which means you can plan around a number rather than a promise.
How quickly can we use the floor again?
Foot traffic roughly 10 to 14 hours after the last coat, vehicles, racking and equipment after 24 to 48 hours, both at 70°F. A cold slab is slower and we will tell you the real figure for your building rather than the data-sheet one.
Do you work nights, weekends and shutdowns?
Yes, and on most commercial jobs that is how we prefer to run it. Off-shift work is normal scheduling for us rather than an exception we charge extra to accommodate. Holiday and summer shutdown windows are the easiest of all to plan against.
Can you install in winter?
In a heated interior, year-round — and winter is often the best time to book institutional and municipal work, because the building is quiet and our calendar is not competing with the summer rush. Polyaspartic systems install down to about 30°F with the slab 5°F above dew point. You may see −40°F claimed elsewhere in this industry; it is not supported by any manufacturer data sheet we work from.
The last coating failed. Why would this be different?
Nearly every failure we are called in to replace comes down to one of three things: the slab was acid etched or not prepared at all, nobody tested it for moisture, or the joints were coated over instead of being repaired. We grind or shot blast to a measured profile, we test and record moisture and dew point before anything goes down, and we treat joints as a separate detail.
What does a site assessment involve?
About an hour on site. We test the slab for moisture, look at the joints, the drains and the thresholds, ask what gets spilled on the floor and what cleans it, and talk through when the space can realistically be released. You get a written scope with a system recommendation and a phasing plan. There is no obligation and no pressure to decide on the spot.
Next step
Book a site assessment.
We walk the building, test the slab, and put a written scope and a realistic shutdown plan in front of you. No obligation, and if the timing or the system is wrong for your space we will say so.