Page 6 - 2017-04-CFR Volume 103 Gypsum Yes or No - April 2017

A Big Opportunity!

There are significant cost savings in new construction concrete substrates by using gypsum substrate
products. Instead of finish troweling the concrete it can be Bull floated, left open to cure, and kept that
way during construction and given the opportunity to exhaust as much moisture as possible. Then
gypsum floor underlayment can be poured over the rough concrete surface to achieve a hard level sur-
face to install flooring over. The open concrete will allow moisture to migrate an inch per month under
the right conditions and if need be a top coat of moisture mitigation product can be applied. The instal-
lation of the flooring would be at least months away or a top coat of moisture mitigation material can be
applied. The application then of a gypsum underlayment product will be incredibly smooth, self-leveling
and ready for installation of flooring products quickly or even used as decorative finished floor such as
Schonox Deco. The compressive strengths of concrete can be matched or increased to as high as
10,000 psi or even higher.

Now that you know here’s more:
The most significant difference between gypsum and cementitious coatings is that it goes further, is
less expensive, it has a controllable setting for time, it’s much more precise to control and when it sets
it expands slightly and does not shrink so there is no cracking, unless the building moves of course,
and it will find all the nooks and crannies it is poured on which is why it can go over very rough or
smooth substrates and once it sets it no longer needs moisture to cure. That means a cost savings
from shot blasting and no surface profiling. All you need is a clean floor with a primer and pour the
gypsum.

Hopefully this is enough information for you to make the decision to at least try these products. If I did-
n’t believe in them they wouldn’t be in this publication I’ve done the skepticism thing for you already.
As always, if you have questions, concerns or need help with this or any other flooring material or sub-
strate situation, contact us. We have the answers.

6 Commercial Flooring Report April 2017