Repair of a dusty concrete floor covering 30,000 m² (Warehouse near Warsaw)

Dust from a concrete floor in a warehouse is not just an aesthetic problem, but above all a logistical one. In this project, we show how the RetroPlate system addressed the issue of carbonation across a vast area of 30,000 square meters.

Challenge: Dusting caused by carbonation

In 2010, the top layer of concrete in a rented central warehouse belonging to a paper products distributor near Warsaw suffered significant deterioration. The cause was carbonation – a chemical process caused, among other things, by exhaust fumes from heaters and trowels during construction.

The symptoms were critical:

The floor kicked up dust with every vehicle and pedestrian movement.
You could scratch the concrete with your fingernail.
Dust was settling on the merchandise (paper), which was unacceptable to the customer.

Solution: The RetroPlate system and Mark Wetherell’s expertise

We chose the RetroPlate system as our repair method. This technology is based on a chemical formula developed by Mark Wetherell, a world-renowned expert who revolutionized the market for densifiers (densifiers). At the heart of the system is the RetroPlate99 – an aqueous sodium silicate solution that reacts with free lime, transforming soft concrete into a hard, consolidated surface structure.

Stages of repair work:

Wet concrete grinding: We removed the weakened layer of carbonated cement paste.
Application of sodium silicate: We used RetroPlate99 to chemically densify and harden the substrate.
Multi-stage polishing: This process sealed the pores of the concrete, giving it abrasion resistance and an attractive sheen.

The final result

The project, carried out at the turn of 2010 and 2011 on an area of 30,000 m² was a complete success. Concrete grinding combined with the application of sodium silicate is an effective repair method that can also be used on outdoor concrete surfaces where dusting has been observed.