[fredonian]

Greetings all, and thank you for reading. I'm seeking suggestions from viewers for possible alternatives for mimicking a concrete floor over some recently installed 3/4" poly-concrete floor panels. I'm currently re-doing the bathroom floors in my (2nd floor) downtown loft space and since the building is an 80 years old historical landmark and the floor support system is primarily wood, I'm not wanting to use real concrete out of fear of weight issues. I've thought of covering the tile backer subfloor (with plywood underlayer) with an ample coat of thin set leveling compound and afterwards sealing it with a clear resin epoxy floor covering. Seemingly I think this would give somewhat the desired effect, but due to my limited knowledge and experience, for all I know I could be setting myself up for failure. I thought I would ask on here beforehand and see what everyone thought or might suggest. Thanks again for your time-Charles

 

[ccarlisle]

One solution? your situation may well call for a 1/4" concrete overlay which consists of exactly that: a one-quarter inch thick layer of a cementitious product containing polymers for strength. After all, that industry was based on repairing concrete with something more amenable to putting down in interior situations - but at the same time using something harder than the original substrate.

Unfortunately, it's not a DIY project, IMO in order to get the best results because it involves somewhat more complicated techniques and products and the technology is not mass-market. I don't like acrylic cement systems personally, but that's a technology that's out there too

Perhaps look up "concrete overlays" where you are and have technician come in and give you an idea.