It is important to maintain a consistent interior environment throughout the year. For Decorative Coatings, curing time is dependent upon ambient temperature and relative humidity. As a general rule, appropriate interior conditions for: (a) epoxy/metallic Decorative Coatings installation are temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity between 30%-50%; or (b) polyaspartic/flake Decorative Coatings or Stained/Polished Concrete are temperatures above 32 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity between 30%-50%. Decorative Coatings or Stained/Polished Concrete and their subfloors can experience thermal expansion/compression due to moisture being drawn from or added to the existing subfloor. Use a humidifier throughout the winter/dry months and/or a dehumidifier in the summer/humid months to help keep Decorative Coatings or Stained/Polished from being affected by moisture. These same conditions should be maintained prior to, during, and after your Decorative Coatings or Stained/Polished Concrete installation.

For Decorative Coatings, slip resistance can be improved but not eliminated through an anti-skid additive. Under certain circumstances any Decorative Coating can be slippery with or without the anti-skid additive. Be sure to exercise caution and clean up spills immediately to avoid unnecessary slippery conditions.

Control joints are normal and essential to the concrete’s performance in allowing concrete to crack/move in a controlled manner. Control joints and cracks can be masked with non-rigid joint filler to ensure elongation in the joint. The use of non-rigid joint fillers will cause the joints to be visible after Decorative Coatings have been applied or after concrete has been stained and/or polished. We offer a variety of colors that may either highlight or mask control joints and/or cracks. All colors will be selected and agreed upon by you prior to the beginning of the project. For Decorative Coatings, if filled with a rigid joint filler the elongation of the joint is limited and controlling the environmental conditions is extremely important to limit any movement within the slab. Rigid joint filler may cause ghosting (when imperfections in the substrate are visible in the finished product) and is not considered a defect. AFS does not guarantee that masked joints or cracks will not reappear. Additionally, AFS does not warrant cracks or concrete structural issues of any kind.

Achieving a particular Polished Concrete class specification depends on the concrete floor flatness and therefore no class specification can be guaranteed. It will be necessary to measure floor flatness at the time of polishing to make an informed decision as to if the particular specified class should be reconsidered or if it can proceed as specified. The CPC floor flatness minimum values for each class specification can be provided if necessary and AFS will have the final authority in terms of which class of Polished Concrete can or cannot be achieved. Selecting a specific class does not guarantee that the desired level of gloss will be achieved. Gloss assessment varies from one person to another and a gloss meter will be used to accurately assess the gloss level of Polished Concrete. Random, dispersed sample gloss measurements will be performed to establish an accurate assessment of the concrete before, during, and after polishing. The protocol for measuring gloss and the desired gloss level will be agreed upon by all parties via mockup before work begins.

Sometimes there are unforeseen problems with existing floors or concrete that no one can identify prior to starting a job and/or beginning the grinding or staining and/or polishing process. As such, if we run into any unforeseen problems that require additional work in order to complete your project, we will notify you of such problems and any additional charges that may apply, and/or any delays in installation that may result. Previous floor covering removal may cause ghosting (when imperfections in the substrate are visible in the finished product) and is not considered a defect.

We are not responsible for carpentry (including/but not limited to altering of doors, cabinets, or woodwork), plumbing, or other labor of any nature, other than installing the Decorative Coatings or Stained/Polished Concrete you have purchased. Our installers will gladly remove hinged doors and replace them after installation or polishing when practical. Baseboard moldings in most installations can be left in place. Our installers will use reasonable care to protect your items, but are not responsible for breaks and scratches that occur during normal installation or staining and/or polishing or that occur with moldings that have been removed and subsequently reinstalled. Scuffing of baseboards, wall paint and wallpaper may occur during normal installation or staining and/or polishing. Our installers will take reasonable precautions to prevent this, but we are not responsible for any such scuffing that occurs within the normal installation or stained and/or polishing process. You are responsible for such repairs and touch ups due to scuffing, for adjusting molding and/or baseboard height, and for adjusting other fixtures (such as commode flanges, plumbing connections, etc.) due to any increase or decrease in the finished floor’s height.