Polished Concrete Overlays, Rapid Set Tru®

By Published On: November 28th, 2019
Rapid Set TRU polished concrete overlay

Can concrete overlays be a solution for your floors?

Polished concrete overlays, our latest contemporary flooring solution. Or officially known as Rapid Set Tru® self-levelling polished concrete overlay. A bit of a mouthful, we agree! However, this product does exactly what it says on the tin. This modern & genius flooring solution delivers an attractive, hard-wearing and contemporary polished concrete floor within days, from start to finish! It is the perfect solution for fit-outs and retro renovations.

Polished Concrete Overlays

Are a premium, poured in situ concrete system which simulate the same heard wearing and durable qualities of a polished concrete floor.

Premium concrete overlay flooring with Rapid Set Tru®

Rapid Set Tru® is the answer when time is a constraint and you don’t have the option to lay a 75 mm concrete slab (which is the minimum requirement for a (polished concrete floor). It provides you with a beautiful, strong and enduring polished concrete floor in just 5 – 7 days. With a classic polished concrete floor, you need a minimum of 4 weeks curing time before you can grind and polish. However, with Concrete Overlays you’re good to go after only one day.

How does Rapid Set Tru® work?

With Rapid Set Tru®, the concrete overlay is made up of advanced hydraulic cement-based, self-levelling topping re-surfacer and underlayment. It can be used both indoors and outdoors  and guarantees a smooth, even and strong surface. It remains workable for 20 minutes, so time is of the essence! The minimum thickness we recommend is 7 mm and the maximum thickness is 12 mm. If you require more depth than this, for cost implications, we recommend bringing your floor up to the desired level with a regular self-levelling screed first.

Rapid Set Polished Concrete Overlay Floor

Rapid Set Polished Concrete Overlay Floor, Tru Grey

Keeping that in mind, the substrate or sub-floor has to be in good shape and fully prepped. The substrate must be even, solid and load-bearing. Any pipes must be buried and covered. Another reason for burying your pipes is to avoid any heat inconsistencies in the sub-floor as this can leave tracks on your finished polished concrete overlay floor. Like a classic polished concrete floor, Rapid Set Tru® is ideal for underfloor heating and the same rules apply. Once cured, make sure to turn on your underfloor heating very gradually over two weeks.

A Seamless Finish with an expansion joint every 36M2

Expansion joints need to be inserted every 36 m2 to help prevent cracking. If there are expansion joints in the subfloor, these must be mirrored on the finished floor. Due to the short working time of the mix, your floor will be laid in one day. The curing time is extremely fast and reaches a strength of 20 N in just 4 hours, rendering your floor ready for foot traffic after 4 hours. After 24 hours, the floor reaches a strength of 45 N and is now ready for grinding and polishing. In fact, it must be polished the following day as the longer it is left the stronger it becomes and after 3 days it will be too hard to polish.

Rapid Set Concrete overlay floor by PMAC

Rapid Set Concrete overlay floor by PMAC

On day 2, the floor is ground and polished to bring it up to a stunning, smooth and durable high shine finish. Additives and colours can be added to change the appearance of the finished floor. If you desire a more Terrazzo like finish, your chosen aggregate can be added to the mix. You could really let your imagination run wild if you’ve got the budget.

The advantages of using Rapid Set Tru®

Price

Rapid Set Tru® is very comparable in price to a stone or solid wood floor. Your Rapid Set Tru® floor is a floor for life and it doesn’t require cyclical maintenance costs. It provides you with a continuous smooth finish which means there are no nasty grout joints to keep clean!

Versatile

Rapid Set Tru® is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. It is also ideal for bathrooms and wet rooms. We would advise applying an anti-slip coating if a lot of water will be present. However, Rapid Set Tru® is only suitable for horizontal surfaces, as it is self-levelling it will not work on steps or upright surfaces. You would need to consider Microtopping if this is required, or a combination of both looks really well.

Durable

Rapid Set Tru® concrete overlays are extremely hard-wearing and durable. The finished floor is sealed with a penetrating seal which heightens its resistance to staining. Concrete Overlays are maintained the same way as a stone or polished concrete floor. Regular cleaning with pH-neutral soap and the installation of entrance mats will keep it in tip-top shape. The beauty of a concrete or stone floor is, of course, that it can be revived and brought back to new every few years if it begins to lacklustre. Care and Maintenance of Polished Concrete Floors

Fast

As we’ve already explained, Rapid Set Tru® is able to provide you with a super-fast polished concrete overlay floor within days. It depends of course on size and floor prep required! 

Get in touch

Our legacy is quality projects we can be proud of. We value the inputs of our customers, our team and our supply chain in reaching positive outcomes. Health and safety to our people and the public is a priority for us and without compromise.

If you are working on a similar project we would love to hear about it. Dont hesitate to call us or send in the details of your project through our contact page at  https://pmac.ie/contact-pmac/

We are registered on both the RIAI and Heritage contractors and links to their sites can be found below.

https://www.riai.ie/

https://heritageregistration.ie/heritage-contractors-listing/