The POUR-ON Floor Understanding advancements with polishable cementitious overlays by Les Davis, Gary Vidal, and Steven H. Miller, CDT Image courtesy AmeriPolish, Inc. ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES, A HARD TRUTH IS BEING UNCOVERED—UNDERNEATH CARPET AND VINYL TILE IN BUILDINGS EVERYWHERE, THERE LURKS UGLY CONCRETE. WITH ACCEPTANCE OF EXPOSED CONCRETE FLOORS ON THE RISE, AND REMODELING CONTINUING TO DOMINATE THE CONSTRUCTION MARKET, PLANS TO POLISH EXISTING CONCRETE SUBFLOORS ARE NUMEROUS. HOWEVER, SOME SLABS ARE SIMPLY NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE. A new alternative is to apply a self-leveling cementitious overlay on top of the problem slab. The overlay can be integrally colored, poured in a thin layer bonding to the subfloor, and then dyed and polished like concrete. Both the products and the process are new, but have taken off in popularity with design professionals and owners for applications ranging from large national retail chains to custom homes. The process offers the potential for affordable, clean, new floors, with bold color designs and the sustainable and durability benefits of exposed concrete. 40 the construction specifier | january 2013 CS_Jan2013.indd 40 1/30/13 2:52:36 PM