Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Concreate and Tile?

Concreate

Tile

Natural look and feel

Digital images with consistent pattern repeat

Micro beveled tongue and groove edges resulting in no grout lines

Grout / Grout lines can be hard to clean

Soft under the feet

Feels hard under the feet/ Fragile items dropped on the surface probably will break

Easily and inconspicuously repaired

Difficult to repair

Short down time from install to use of floors about 4 to 6 hours

Typically 24 hours after installation before you can use your tile floor

Zero offset transition to wood

Complicated transition to wood floors

installation costs are lower

The Cost of porcelain tile installation is normally higher compared to installing Concreate floors. In addition, purchasing cement backer boards, mortar and grout will result in extra expenses

Wall panels are light weight and easy to install with fast curing glue

Thin set and grouting is used to install tile on the walls just like the floor

What's the difference between Concreate and polished or poured concrete?

Concreate

Polished or Poured Concrete

Easy to install /Adhesive tongue & Groove

Time consuming multi step application process. Grinding itself takes 3 days for medium sized jobs.

Walk on Ready within 3 hours of install

Drying and curing process of 72 hours with poured concrete

Install on any floor over wood or concrete subfloor

Install only on ground floor with concrete subfloor

No cracking or pitting

Cracks from sub floor transfer to polished concrete surface.

Easily repaired with Concreate repair kit

Repairs are unsightly when possible

Liquid and chemical stain resistant, no sealer required

Concrete can stain easily, surface needs to be sealed after installation, and during regular cleaning regiment

Easy to maintain with a natural oil soap

Requires daily dust mopping to keep surface free from dirt that will dull and scratch surface. weekly cleaning and application of sealer

Easy transition from Concreate to wood flooring

Transition to wood flooring will be raised at transition site

Concreate comes in 3 finishes with no coating required

Decorative concrete floors need to be finished with an epoxy coating that can be compromised by scratching. Scratches in finish can cause dirt collection and possible water penetration of the finish.

Controlled shades represented by samples

Shade variance in finished color due to climate and curing conditions

Semi gloss finish

Glossy finish

Soft under feet

Feels hard under the feet/ Fragile items dropped on the surface probably will break

Insulation and acoustic properties

Creates a cold and echo prone environment

What is Concreate flooring?

Concreate is an interior decorative polished concrete floor plank available in 3 colors, with the addition of a smoked white oak, and a combination oak top layer backed on concrete. The planks are 47¼” x 11¾” x ½” and micro beveled.

What is it made from?

There are 2 layers of concrete. The base layer makes up 75% of the plank, which is magnesium oxide cement with layers of recycled textile. This gives the base a pliable strength. The top layer is a micro fiber concrete, air cured and finished with 3 coats of high solid natural oil.

Is it Green?

Magnesium oxide cement has been named as one of the world’s most sustainable building materials. It uses 50% less energy to manufacture that traditional cement used in other concrete floors. It is mixed with water, natural minerals and recycled natural fibers. With no toxic chemicals, it is fully biodegradable and virtually VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) free.

How is it installed?

Concreate is a ready-made micro beveled panel. Its tongue & groove system fits together with no grout in between the planks. It must be fully bonded to a structural, stable and flat subfloor using Concreate adhesive.

Is it easy to install?

Concreate is relatively easy to install with the correct tools and experience. A sizeable room can be installed by an experienced fitter in a day and can be used right away. Installation is dust free. It can be installed on most subfloors including suspended wooden floors. It is important that the subfloor is stable and level, and that a 1/5″ expansion gap is left round its perimeter as a precaution against seasonal movement which can occur in any structure.

Is it durable?

Concreate is very durable, castor resistant and ideal for high traffic areas. It is important that the planks are unpacked correctly and handled with care prior to installation as the edges of the planks can be chipped. Once installed correctly, it is virtually impossible to damage the durable surface. If a damaged plank is installed, it can be easily repaired with Concreate powder repair kits.

What is it finished with?

It is finished with 3 coats of high solid WOCA (WoodCare Denmark) Danish Oil specially designed to coat the open pores of concrete making it resistant to water and stains.

Is it waterproof?

Concreate is water resistant so it is ideal for all rooms.

Is it stain proof?

Concreate is stain resistant. The oiled surface will withstand red wine, coffee, and other likely spillages. It is advised that all spills should be cleaned with a damp cloth as quickly as possible. Concrete has open pores, so if a stain like red wine is left for too long, it could enter into the surface. This is easily treated with WOCA cleaner and spot remover. Once the stain is gone, simply apply some maintenance oil to the affected area.

Does the floor require maintenance?

Concreate is sealed with oil, which keeps it water and stain resistant. With repeated washing the topcoat of oil will need replenishing to keep the floor looking new.

How do I clean the floor?

Regular cleaning can be done with vacuum brush and water with a little detergent. This may gradually strip the oil from the surface, so ideally WOCA oil soap should be used. A capful with each wash is enough to condition the floor and keep the oil levels up.

How often will it need maintaining with oil?

In time with regular washing, the floor may need a maintenance oil application. In a kitchen where it may be washed once a week, a Concreate floor will need an application of maintenance oil in 12-18 months. In a bedroom or living room where it is rarely washed, it may never need re-oiling.

Is it difficult to maintain?

Compared with a wood floor, Concreate is relatively easy to maintain with oil since it is porous. Simply wash the floor to remove any dirt then apply maintenance oil with a buffing pad in reachable areas gently working it into the surface. Remove excess oil with a lint free cloth. In large areas this can be done quickly with a buffing machine.

Is it cold underfoot?

Surprisingly, the surface of Concreate is very tactile and not cold to the touch. It absorbs ambient temperature and stores it as a thermal mass. This means that it can heat up quickly and maintains room temperature.

Can I use it over underfloor heating?

Concreate is ideal for underfloor heating as it is able to radiate and store heat. Once required room temperature is reached and the thermostat turns off, the floor will maintain the heat.

Can I use it outside?

Concreate products are designed for interior applications only.

Does it come with a shiny surface?

It is not standard, but an extra coat of WOCA oil can be applied and machine buffed with a patina disc to create a shinier surface.

Is it slip resistant?

Yes, and also fire and mold resistant.

Does it require sound insulation?

Concreate has superior sound impact absorption when installed with Concreate adhesive, which contains cushioning rubber granules. This means that sound is not reflected into a room causing an excessive echo. When installed on a first floor or in an apartment where extra sound insulation is required, Concreate can be fully bonded to a high-density rubber underlay which gives an overall impact sound reduction of <18db.

Is Concreate guaranteed?

Concreate is covered by a 35 year residential and a 5 year commercial warranty.

Can Concreate be installed on a wall?

Concreate wall panels measure 47¼” x 23⅝” x ⅛” and are very lightweight. They can easily be cut with a sharp blade and can be installed with Concreate Wall Adhesive on any flat surface.

Fire Rating

Concreate wall panels are Class A fire rating

The floor planks have an international designation of Class Bfl-s1. International method of testing varies and the comparison is not always 1:1 to the US ratings but architects may refer to this report for determination

Concreate Wood is rated B-s1 , t1

Slip Resistance

The following tests related to Slip Resistance and specifiers may determine whether the results meet their requirements.

1. Standards Australia Test Method AS 4663-2013, (similar to ASTM E 303)
2. ANSI A137.1-2012 Section 9.6.1 (Wet Dynamic Coefficient of Friction – DCOF)
3. DIN 51130:2014 Ramp Test
4. Thermal Conductivity Test

Slip Resistance Documentation
Thermal Conductivity [PDF]

Strength

Our planks are strong! When properly installed – i.e. fully bonded on a solid subfloor – the planks can withhold the weight of a 6,000 lb forklift!

Flexibility

Our planks can take significantly more flex than any ceramic or porcelain tile!

Sound Insulation

The floor planks have a sound rating of XXX and planks may be installed over sound isolation mats or cork underlayments. The sound rating of wall panels are comparable to drywall.

Got a Raised Floor?

Our flooring must be fully bonded. That said, as long as there is some sort of subfloor and there is attention to the leveling requirements, it’s totally doable. There needs to be something for the adhesive to adhere to and the raised floor system needs to be structurally sound.

Check out the NGTI installation in Amsterdam. The Concreate flooring was laid over an entire raised floor system. All of the electrical runs underneath the floor with a series of access panels built into the design.

NGTI Video
NGTI Gallery

Does the drywall need to be primed?

If it is new or has a lot of paint work, no priming required. Adhesion to an already painted wall though is subject to the type of adhesive used and the type of paint on the wall. It is better to work with a clean none treated wall, gypsum board or plywood when possible.

Installation over an Epoxy Floor?

Doable! Here are some recommendations:
1. Adhesive used for this job must be tested for good adhesion to the epoxy or tile
2. If the adhesion is poor, polishing with 50 grit grinder may be considered to improve adhesion
3. Any loose epoxy or tile must be removed and the right primer should be applied on bald spots

My wall panels are not installing flush.
If this happens, it is likely a sub-wall issue. Our products are manufactured within a specific tolerance and it is most likely that sub-wall is uneven. For a completely flush installation, you could have it installed like tile using thinnest, a job that needs to be performed by a tile installer opposed to a millworker. Another possible solution is to push the panels in using a nail gun and cover the holes with grout.