DECORATIVE

CONCRETE
SOLUTION GUIDE

SOLUTION
GUIDES
 CONTENTS

Glossary 3

Introduction 7

Reference project 8

Ultimate Performance - Technical description 10

System performance 12

On-site implementation 18

Environmental improvements 20

Our sustainability strategy 24

References 25

2
GLOSSARY
Slip Resistance Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)

The ability of a surface or material to resist Compounds which when released into the
the movement of an object across a surface atmosphere have the potential to have a
or the ability to reduce the risk of slipping. detrimental effect on the health of people 4.
Slip resistance is determined through
BS 7976-2:2002 1. Thermal Mass
Describes the ability of material to absorb,
Abrasion Resistance
store and release heat energy 5.
The ability of a material to withstand wear,
determined through the test methods set
out in BS 13892-4:20022 2. Reflectance
Describes and defines a materials ability to
Chemical Densifier reflect solar energy, also commonly referred
A densifier is a chemical compound which to as albedo 6.
is applied to concrete surfaces that reacts
with free calcium carbonate to increase
Thermal Comfort
surface strength 3.
Describes a person’s state of mind in terms
Aggregate Package of whether they feel too hot or cold 7.

The mix of constituent aggregates used to

create the concrete whose composition has Diurnal Temperature Variation
a fundamental effect on the final aesthetic It is the daily temperature shift that
finish. occurs between daytime and night time
temperature 5.

3
4
Our approach to construction encompasses This document introduces our decorative
innovative sustainable products, efficient concrete solutions which contribute to the
building systems and practical solutions. construction of buildings that are that are
We recognise the important role we have easy to build, responsive, efficient, long
in promoting sustainable construction by lasting and robust.
optimising our products, their use and
whole life performance. This document
is one of a suite that identifies specific Typical Applications
construction solutions that can help
Any internal floor that requires an
deliver a sustainable built environment.
aesthetic finish.
They explore the details of each system,
its performance benefits, how it can
be implemented in a project and then
compares its environmental performance
against alternative solutions.

5
6
INTRODUCTION
Decorative concrete is an ideal internal flooring solution due to the range and variety of
finishes that can be achieved in combination with its inherent strength and durability. The
flexibility of concrete enables unique and individual designs to be created along with the
matching of new and existing materials.

Concrete floors not only offer an architecturally and visually stimulating solution but a
solution which embodies all the commonly accepted beneficial properties of concrete and
builds upon them.

Further benefits can be sought through the consideration of the role that materials can
play in providing thermal comfort and energy savings in regards to the optimisation of
thermal mass.

7
 Location: Eastlands, Manchester
Client: Manchester City Council
Main contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine
Year: 2011
Floor surface area: 10,000m²
Project value: £20m

8
THE NATIONAL INDOOR BMX CENTRE

The National Indoor BMX Centre houses a 2,000 seat arena with a column-free
70m by 100m track. It is the second largest purpose built BMX stadium in the
world and the only permanent indoor track in Britain. Retail and café facilities,
along with offices to form the headquarters of the British Cycling Team also
formed part of the scheme.

The BMX Centre is directly linked to the The completed concourse helped
Manchester Velodrome, together forming create a striking first impression of the
the National Cycling Centre. BMX and National Cycling Centre. The
solution provided an internal floor of high
Requiring an architecturally impressive
reflectance enabling light levels to be
linkage between the two centres the
maintained and distributed throughout the
concourse area was a fundamental addition
internal space, whilst providing safe levels of
to the National Cycling Centre. Decorative
slip resistance. Durability, low maintenance
concrete floors were selected due to
and an ease of cleaning were further
their ability to enhance the aesthetics of
requirements satisfied by this solution.
the concourse space, whilst maintaining
structural and performance characteristics A visual link was created with the external
expected of other more traditional finishes. landscape through the use of Toptint
Toptint Polish offered a unique finish due Exposed in landscaped areas. The link was
to the flexibility of concrete design through achieved through the ability to use the same
variations in cement type, aggregate decorative aggregate package in both the
package and pigment. internal and external concrete mix designs,
enabling a holistic aesthetic vision.

9
 Creating a decorative polished floor requires a specially formulated
mix design to achieve the highest quality finish possible for
horizontal applications.
Once traditional placement activities are completed a polished
finish is achieved by the grinding of the hardened concrete surface
with progressively finer tools until the required polished finish is
achieved. During this process chemical densifiers can be added to
increase the surface durability 3.
Decorative aggregates and colour pigments can be added to
create a wide variety of individual and unique options enhancing
aesthetics.
This floor solution retains the beneficial properties of concrete,
maintaining slip resistance whilst improving abrasion resistance
and light reflectivity, in conjunction with lower maintenance
requirements 9.

10
 Polished concrete

Steel reinforcing mesh

Slip membrane

Thermal insulation

Sub-base

11
12
Aesthetic concrete is an ideal internal flooring solution due to
the range and variety of visual finishes that can be achieved.
The flexibility provided by concrete mix design enables unique
and individual designs to be created but also the matching of
new materials to existing schemes.

VARIETY OF FINISHES DURABILTY AND LOW MAINTANCE

Concrete can offer a range of aesthetic Polished concrete floors offer

finishes through the adaptation of mixes improvements in durability over more
to include different decorative aggregates traditional floor finishes due to their
and pigments dependent on project and inherent robustness abrasion resistance,
client requirements. Further to this surface when compared to conventionally finished
or deep polishing can be employed which concretes 11.
varies the exposure of aggregates.
Durability can be further enhanced by the
A surface polish only sees the very top use of chemical densifiers which reduce the
surface of the concrete ground off o create porosity of the surface 3.
a fine ultra smooth surface 10. The finish
Maintenance is simplified as a light clean
exposes sand grains giving a speckled, yet
with soapy water is satisfactory, however
mostly single coloured appearance.
a number of proprietary systems exist.
Deep polishing removes several millimeters
of the surface revealing the larger internal
aggregates but maintaining the same fine
ultra smooth surface finish achieved surface
polishing 10.

13
 LOW VOC EMISSIONS tested in accordance with BS 8204 13 to
determine their abrasion resistance.
Concrete is a relatively inert material
that once in the hardened state releases Surface polished achieved the higher
relatively small amounts of VOCs into the classification of AR Special/DF with deep
internal environment when compared to polished classified as AR1/DF 11.
other construction materials 12.

The use of decorative concrete also reduces

SLIP RESISTANCE
the requirement for additional surface
coverings which have the potential to create Highly polished surfaces can raise concerns
additional sources of VOC emissions. of slipping in both wet and dry conditions.

To alleviate these concerns Aston Services 14

were employed to undertake slip resistance
ABRASION RESISTANCE
testing of both deep and surface polished
The abrasion resistance of a slab is a solutions.
function of a number of different factors
Testing was carried out in line with BS
relating to its constituent materials and the
7976-2 (2002) 1 and both solutions were
method of placement.
determined to have a ‘low slip potential’
Surface and deep polished slabs have been in all conditions (HSE classification 15).

14
15
 OPTIMISATION OF THERMAL MASS Further benefits can be sought during the
heating season as the concretes thermal
Decorative interior concrete floors enable
mass can capture incidental energy
the optimisation of a buildings existing
gains releasing the energy as internal
thermal mass or the opportunity to add
temperatures drop to assist in maintaining
beneficial thermal mass.
internal temperatures 5.
A buildings thermal mass defines its energy
The long term effect is that the utilisation
storage potential, the more thermal mass
of thermal mass can help maintain and
the higher its capacity to store energy 16
more effectively manage a stable internal
and its ability to aid heating and cooling
temperature, whilst reducing energy
demands 17.
demands.
During the cooling season thermal mass
absorbs excess heat energy generated
through solar gain, equipment and IMPROVED DAYLIGHTING
occupants reducing the potential risk of
Concrete can improve natural daylighting
overheating 5. This can delay and reduce
levels due to its naturally high levels of
peak temperatures until after typical
reflectivity when compared to other
operating hours, and once external
traditional finishes 6. The flexibility of
temperatures have begun to fall, improving
concrete mix design enables the utilisation
the thermal comfort of occupants 18 whilst
of cements and aggregates which possess
reducing energy demands 17.
characteristics that can further enhance
In order to facilitate continued performance reflectivity for example white cement 19.
it is necessary to remove the stored energy Polishing interior concrete can further
from the mass. This can be achieved increase light penetration as reflectivity is
by utilising natural methods in line with increased, although care must be taken to
the UK’s night time diurnal temperature minimise any glare issues as this can have
variation 5. a detrimental effect on user comfort.

16
17
 While traditional and conventional construction methods are used
to create decorative concrete floors, some additional steps and
precautions are required to ensure a high quality finish.

Please note that the Toptint colour chart is intended to provide an

indication only of the colours available. As Toptint uses naturally occurring
materials, the exact shade and finish achieved may vary. Please speak to
your local representative who will be able to advise further.

18
PRE-CONSTRUCTION PLANNING

All cementious products are subject to expansion and contraction which

can be exacerbated in large horizontal concrete pours. Joints should be
created to accommodate expansion and shrinkage to avoid uncontrolled
Jointing and bay sizes
cracking which can have severe detrimental effects on floor life span and
aesthetics. Bay sizes should be limited to 36m2 and have an aspect ratio
which is no greater than 2:1.

Polishing causes a reduction in slab depth reducing final finish levels,

Slab formation levels adjustments should be made to formation levels in conjunction with the
polishing contractor and material to supply to allow for level changes.

Material producers and suppliers should be included at early project

Material specification stages to determine product requirements and assist in project planning.
and delivery Early consultation will assist in avoiding supply and availability issues
occurring if specialist aesthetic materials are required.

CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

High quality aesthetic finishes require low surface flatness tolerances as

unevenness can detrimentally affect the polishing process. Slabs should
Final flatness
be laid to and satisfy the flatness criteria of SR1 in line with BS 8204:1 13,
where there is less than a 3mm deviation over a 2m straight edge.

Steps should be taken to avoid contamination by minimising and where

possible avoiding the trafficking of materials and vehicles through and
Contamination in the vicinity of the pour area. Access to site personnel should also be
limited, as this can also increase risks of contamination and the visibility of
foreign materials in the final finished floor.

Appropriate concrete placement methodologies should be formulated by

the flooring contractor and polishing contractor dependent on the type
Placement of finish required (surface or deep polish). Consultation should take place
methodology with the contractor to ensure that the desired aesthetics can be achieved
and it is recommended that trials are carried out and a sample panel
created for reference purposes.
19
SUSTAINABILITY
Selecting decorative concrete as final finish for floor slabs in place of more
traditional floor coverings such as tiles enables further environmental
improvements to be delivered.

EMBODIED ENERGY
Utilising an integral structural concrete to provide a decorative final finish over natural
and processed stone tiles creates the opportunity to reduce embodied energy in
constructed elements. Natural and processed stone production (i.e. marble and
terrazzo) embody a similar amount of energy as concrete26. A decorative concrete
finish requires no additional material other than that required to ensure structural
performance, removing the additional embodied carbon from a constructed element
related to the use of additional materials such as tiles.

RESOURCE DEPLETION
Utilising the structure of a floor to create the final finish through the specification of a
decorative concrete finish can have significant positive effects on reducing material
consumption. Any other finish specification will require the additional use of materials
which may be from finite or virgin sources increasing resource depletion.

20
 RECYCLING BES 6001*

The concrete industry has taken significant Tarmac has achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating
steps to improve its performance in terms for all its production sites and products. The
of material reuse, reducing the depletion independent third-party scheme assesses
of abiotic resources, increasing energy responsible sourcing polices and practices
efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. throughout the supply chain 22.
Significant improvements have already
been achieved compared to the industry’s
1990 baseline 20.

With respect to material reuse and the

depletion of abiotic resources, concrete
readily utilises recycled and secondary
materials along with cement replacements.
This has enabled the industry to be a net
ISO 14001
user of waste, using 47 times more waste
than it generates 20, and concrete itself is Tarmac is fully accredited with
also 100% recyclable 21. ISO 14001, having implemented
Environmental Management Systems
throughout our business, maintaining
our commitment to reducing our
environmental impact 24.

21
SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT SCHEMES
Concrete can play an extended role in enabling an efficient building to be created and can
contribute in a number of assessment schemes and help achieve a range of credits‡.

BREEAM LEED
Man 03: Responsible Construction Practices MR Credit 4: Recycled content
Tarmac’s Carbon Calculator has the capability Concrete is a versatile material whose design can
to determine and provide data relating to the CO2 be readily adapted to enable the use of recycled,
arising from production and delivery of secondary or replacement materials.
our products.

Hea 01: Visual Comfort MR Credit 5: Regional materials

Concrete naturally offers a relatively high albedo Concrete is one of the few materials that is produced
when compared to other construction materials. locally to where it is used; it can typically be supplied
Concrete is versatile so mix designs and finishes from within 10 miles of any given site.
can be optimised to further improve its albedo
and reflectance.
CREDIT/TARGET

Hea 02: Indoor Air Quality IEQ 4.3 Low emitting materials – Flooring systems
Concrete can help achieve a healthy internal As a relatively inert material concrete does not
environment as concrete is relatively inert and transmit odours or irritating contaminants to the air.
emits extremely low levels of volatile organic
compounds.

C
Mat 03: Responsible sourcing of materials IEQ 8.1 Daylight and Views – Daylight
Concrete is primarily constituted of locally available The finishes that are achievable with concrete
materials, all concrete products produced by can offer improved reflectance characteristics,
Tarmac are BES 6001 accredited to an ‘Excellent’ increasing daylight penetration.
standard.

Wst 02: Recycled aggregates

Concrete is a versatile material whose design can
be readily adapted to enable the use of recycled,
secondary or replacement materials.

‡
Tarmac concrete products offer the ability to conform with a wide-ranging number of assessment criteria in both
BREEAM and LEED. For more information contact Tarmac sustainability team.

* Our BES 6001 certificate number for our readymix concrete products is BES 559207. 22
PEOPLE PLANET

Safety and health Climate change

Our people Environmental stewardship
Community involvement Resource efficiency

PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS

Economic value Sustainable supply chain

Governance and ethics Innovation and quality
Communication Sustainable construction
23
OUR SUSTAINABILITY
STRATEGY
Sustainability is about securing long-term success for our business, customers and
communities by improving the environmental, social and economic performance of
our products and solutions through their life-cycle. This means considering not only
the goods we purchase, our operations and logistics but also the performance of our
products in use and their reuse and recycling at the end of their life. By doing this, we
can understand and take action to minimise any negative aspects, while maximising
the many positive sustainability benefits our business and products bring.

FOUR THEMES
Using this ‘whole life’ thinking we have
engaged with our stakeholders to develop our
sustainability strategy. The strategy defines the
main sustainability themes and our key priorities,
Twelve key priorities
those issues which are most important to our Twelve commitments
business and our stakeholders. It sets out our Twelve 2020 milestones
commitments to transform our business under
Forty four other performance targets
four main themes: People, Planet, Performance
and Solutions.
Our 2020 milestones are supported by
Building on progress already made, we have set a range of other performance targets.
ambitious 2020 milestone targets for each of our This hierarchy helps make it easier to build
key priorities. These ambitious targets have been understanding, drive improvement and
set to take us beyond incremental improvement enables us to report progress in a meaningful
programmes to business transforming solutions. and measurable way.

24
 REFERENCES

1. BS 7976-2:2002, Pendulum testers – Part 2: Method 10. Tarmac - Toptint – Contractors’ Method Statement for
of operation Polished Concrete
(Available on request)
2. BS 13892-4:2002, Methods of test for screed
materials – Part 4: Determination of wear resistance 11. Aston Services - Abrasion Resistance of Two Test Slabs:
A report for Tarmac (2011)
3. Concrete Polishing Association – Glossary of (Available on request)
definitions
www.concretepolishingassociation.com/glossary.php 12. Portland Cement Association: Concrete Thinking for a
sustainable world – Indoor Air Quality
4. United States Environmental Protection Agency www.concretethinker.com/solutions/Indoor-Air-Quality.
(EPA) – An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality aspx
www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
13. BS 8204-2:2002, Screeds, bases and in situ floorings –
5. The Mineral Product Association and The Concrete Part 2: Concrete wearing surfaces – Code of practice
Centre – Thermal Mass Explained (2012)
14. Aston Services – Slip Resistance of Two Test Slabs
6. Marceau, M. and Vangeem, G. – Solar Reflectance Report for Tarmac (2011)
Values for Concrete (Available on request)
Concrete International, August 2008
15. Health and Safety Executive – Assessing the slip
7. Health and Safety Executive – Thermal Comfort resistance of flooring: A technical information sheet
www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/thermal/index.htm (2012)
8. Concrete Society Technical Report No. 34 - www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/geis2.pdf
Concrete Industrial Floors: A guide to design 16. Reinforced Concrete Council – Fabric Energy Storage:
and construction (2014) Using concrete structures for enhanced energy efficiency
9. Aston Services - Consulting Material Engineers (2001)
www.astonservices.co.uk

25
17. European Concrete Platform – Concrete for energy-efficient 24. ISO 14001
buildings: The benefits of thermal mass (2007) www.bsigroup.co.uk/en/Assessment-
and-Certification-services/Management-
18. GreenSpec® – Thermal Mass (2013)
systems/Standards-and-Schemes/ISO-
www.greenspec.co.uk/thermal-mass.php
14001/?gclid=CO6WrLnSgrMCFcrItAodVhwAUA
19. The Concrete Centre – Utilisation of Thermal Mass in Non-
25. GreenSpec® - Thermal Mass (2013)
Residential Buildings (2006)
www.greenspec.co.uk/thermal-mass.php
20. The Mineral Product Association and The Concrete Centre
26. G.P.Hammond and C.I.Jones (2006) Embodied
on behalf of The Sustainable Concrete Forum: Concrete
energy and carbon footprint database,
Indusry Sustainability Performance Report 4th Report: 2010
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
performance data
University of Bath, United Kingdom
21. GreenSpec® - Reducing the Impact of Concrete
www.greenspec.co.uk/greening-of-concrete.php

22. Green Book Live

www.greenbooklive.com/search/scheme.jsp?id=153

23. The Carbon Trust

www.carbontrust.com

This catalogue is provided for information purposes only. Tarmac expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind,
whether express or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability and validity of the content and accepts no liability for any
loss or other commercial damages incurred as a result of using and relying on the information provided. There is no
partnership between Tarmac and the companies mentioned in this catalogue. All products and intellectual property
rights of these companies are only used for identification and information purposes and remain, at all times, the
exclusive property of their respective owners.

26
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