Terminology | Concrete Floor Contractors Association of Canada

For clarification purposes, the CFCA defines the following standard terms for use in the concrete floor industry:

Concrete Mix

A “standard” concrete mix is a concrete mix which conforms with the CSA Standard CSA A23.1 Concrete Materials & Methods of Concrete Construction
A “compressive strength” concrete mix is a concrete mix which is deigned for a defined compressive strength only (without consideration for shrinkage, finishability, permeability, drying time, etc.)

Finishability

As relating to the quality of the cement paste while in a plastic state, from screeding through floating and final trowelling. A surface which has low finishability may have an inadequate amount of portland cement paste, a high water:cement (w/c) ratio or too high a flyash or slag replacement which can lead to premature surface drying, cracking, bumpy tolerances and delaminations. When concrete mixes are developed for a project, they must also be designed for finishability (ref: CSA A23.1 Clause 4.1.2.1).

Imprinted Concrete

(synonyms: stamped, impressed) such as Increte^TM or Patterned^TM Concrete

A process of texturing a concrete surface to resemble brick, stone, wood, tile or a variety of other traditional finishes in the surface of a concrete pavement or floor. Imprinted concrete may be natural or pigmented.

Joint Types

Construction Joint: formed to define the limit of a days work and/or to assist in elevation control for screeding
Contraction Joint: normally sawn into newly placed concrete floors to initiate cracking in a defined manner to reduce or eliminate drying shrinkage cracks
Expansion Joint: occasionally employed in exterior pavements to permit thermal expansion and contraction of the concrete
Isolation Joint: one which extends through the full slab thickness to separate the concrete floor from an adjacent element (eg: a foundation wall)

Liquid Densifiers/Hardeners

A concrete floor finish for new or old concrete surfaces obtained through the application of a silicate based liquid densifier as specified by the manufacturer. These liquid hardeners react chemically with the hydrated cement paste to chemically densify the surface of the concrete.

Polished Concrete

A concrete floor finish for new or old concrete surfaces obtained through intensive diamond grinding, liquid hardener densification of the concrete surface and final diamond polishing to Class A, B, or C and Level 1, 2 or 3.