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Frequently Asked Questions
Are they tiles or prefabricated blocks?
Neither of them. All Ideal Work floors are made up of monolithic paves realized on a single concrete placement and are therefore not subject to any depression nor settlement. That is the big difference compared to interlocking concrete or natural stone paves which turn out to be more sensitive to temperature shocks. Moreover, Ideal Work strives to root out every problem connected to weed growing among the stones. This is the reason why these floors are ideal for roads, squares, cycle tracks, pavements, pedestrian areas, shopping centres, hotels, campsites and funfairs (which normally require a big deal of maintenance).
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Do surface sealers provide floors with their colouring?
The task of surface sealers is to protect and seal the floor making it resistant to mildew, dust, slipping and absorption. Colour is provided by the combined use of a hardener (basic colour) and a releasing agent (shading). The hardener is mixed into fresh concrete thus giving the floor its basic colour and becoming as one with it. Ideal Work patterns and colours keep unchanged over the years as they are as one with the floor and not just overprinted.
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How thick should the floor be?
The floor thickness depends on traffic and on the type of loads that floors have to hold. This information will tell thickness and the type of concrete to be used. As an example, these are the thicknesses used in normal conditions: 8-10 cm for only pedestrian areas, 13 -15 cm for light-vehicle traffic areas (cars) 18 -20 cm for medium-heavy vehicle traffic areas (cars-trucks)
The above values are purely representative. Designers have the task to establish, according to loads (even sporadic) how tick and resistant concrete must be.
May I create a stamped concrete on a pre-existing footing?
Generally speaking, stamped concrete can also be created on a pre-existing footing. What is important in such cases is to carefully assess the quality and calculate the exact thickness of the footing. Stamped concrete must be at least 8-10 cm thick. However, your Ideal Work applier will be the right one to help you choose the most suitable floor.
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May I buy directly the products and realize my own floor by myself?
In order to realize high-quality architectural solutions, Ideal Work markets its products only by means of companies which have attended its training courses. The techniques to make a stamped floor or wall are simple, though they require some basic notions to achieve beautiful and long-lasting floors. Applying Ideal Work products without necessary expertise may lead to a low-quality result. This is the reason why according to our company policy we do not sell our products to unskilled people
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May a realize my own stamped floor close to salt water?
In those areas characterized by cold temperatures, frost and thaw cycles or close to sea water, apply AQUAPEL to your stamped floor, a special seal making the floor resistant to water and salt and to external agents.
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May I realize ramps?
There are some special cases where a floor has to hold very heavy working loads, such as garages, car park ramps and so on. There is no good reason not to give these places a much more pleasant look than with a traditional concrete floor. By treating this floor with special hardeners before stamping, Ideal Work does not only obtain the desired colour but gives also your floor a higher resistance to abrasion and wear than a traditional concrete.
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Is it necessary to cut the floor when making construction joints?
Any type of concrete floors included stamped floors requires to be cut. Cutting is necessary to make the concrete natural shrinkage and expansion possible thus creating expansion joints. For a concrete of approximately 10-12 cm in thickness, cuts (joints) must not be distanced more than 3 m from one another. Moreover, the sections obtained by means of joints must be as square as possible. Cuts can be masked by sticking a fretwork or a fringe which give the floor quite special effects.
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Could the colour of a stamped floor change if exposed to sun?
Ideal Work patterns and colours remain unchanged over the time as they are as one with the floor and not just overprinted. Moreover, they are resistant to ultra-violet rays as their surface is protected by Ideal Sealer.
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May I realize any type of colours?
Generally speaking, it is possible to realize any type of colour. Ideal Work has a range of 24 different colour hardeners and 17 releasing agents. Hence, a wi
de range of colours can be obtained. It is expedient to ask your Ideal Work applier all necessary information about the different combinations of hardener-releasing agent.
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How long does it take to realize a stamped floor?
Based on the season and the complexity of the site, a team of Ideal Work appliers is able to work on a site of about 200 square meters of stamp
ed concrete in 4-5 days. You could step on your concrete a few hours after completion, whereas heavy loads will be allowed when the normal curing time for concrete has elapsed.
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If, after some time, I had to decide to enlarge my floor, would I see any difference in colour between old and new concrete?
This is not the case, provided that the same hardener-releasing agent mix is used.
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