Power floated concrete floors

Power floating closes the surface of the slab and hardens it. You get a floor that is flatter, denser and far more resistant to wear than a tamped or trowelled finish, and one that will take a coating without a screed on top of it.

When the slab is the finish

At the Curve theatre in Leicester we laid 1,522 m² of power-floated concrete over underfloor heating for Bovis Lend Lease, finished in three-coat epoxy, with contrasting bands cast into the slab on a grid that carries through the building and lines up with the granite paving outside. That is what this finish makes possible: a floor precise enough to be part of the architecture rather than something to be covered up.

What you get

A dense, closed surface that resists abrasion and dusting
Flatness suitable for racking, forklift traffic and large-format coverings
A base ready for epoxy, resin or polish without an additional screed
Cast-in detailing — bands, bays and grids — where the design calls for it

Questions we get asked

What flatness can you achieve?

It depends on the specification you are working to and on the slab beneath. Tell us the tolerance the job calls for and whether it is being measured, and we will tell you honestly whether power floating gets you there or whether the floor needs levelling as well.

Can it be coloured or have detail cast in?

Yes. At the Curve theatre we cast contrasting bands into the slab on a grid that runs through the building and lines up with the paving outside. That has to be planned before the pour, not added after.

Will it dust?

A properly floated and cured slab should not. Dusting usually means it was overworked, worked too early, or cured badly.