Let face it, I am a typical man and colours don’t really interest me much.
I like to limit myself to the standards of White, Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.
I’m even not too sure about Indigo and Violet. . . What’s wrong with just saying Purple?
Don’t start on talking about colours like Aquamarine and Avocado as I will quickly get lost. . . and that’s before we mention the 100 different types of white, or ’50 shades of Grey!
The average project home builder has about the same sense of colour as me so if you want a particular colour here are some things you need to do:
Find out if the builder has a standard paint supplier or will allow the use of any paint manufacturer as early as possible.
Get that paint manufacturers colour charts and pick the colours and finishes (gloss, satin, matt etc) you want before the colour selection.
Make sure the full description of the colours are handed over preferably with copies of the colour cards stapled to the documents for reference.
Check the colours are correctly described in the contract documents.
Check the final finishes against the cards at the PCI inspection.
Did you finish up with a colour you hate on your house? Or just the wrong shade of white?
The other night on the television I saw (at least 5 times) an advert for anti-bacterial paint.
Here are five reasons why I think this is marketing hype, and I won’t be buying it:
Personal Experience
It might have been the ‘Good Old Days’ but my children, my wife and I have all reached adulthood in good health without these ‘Wonder Products’.
Increasing Allergies
Since these products became common in the Western World the rate of allergies has boomed. . . . Coincidence? . . . Some people don’t think so!
One of the suspects of the allergy boom is that reduced exposure to infections in early childhood can lead to an increased risk of allergy in later life.
Whats Wrong with Soap and Water
Various studies including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have failed to show there is no real advantage in these sort of products for everyday products.
The Risks of Anti-Bacterial Products
One of the most common antibacterial products is the chemical Triclosan. Studies have found that this can get into the environment which isn’t a good idea as it can harm plants and animals.
If it can harm animals what is it going to do to me long term?
Are We Creating Super Bugs?
Its interesting that Hospitals, the most enthusiastic users of Anti-Bacterial Products, seem to frequently have problems with so called Super Bugs like Golden Staph.
In case you are thinking I am coming over all ‘New Age’ I can tell you I am an enthusiastic supporter of immunisation, and anti-bacterial products in the right place. (e.g. Chlorine in public drinking water supplies has been proven to be a major health benefit)
Want to Save money by painting yourself ? . . . Check: DIY Painting first
Although a standard concrete can look good when polished there is also the opportunity to make the following changes:
Aggregate Talk with your specialist subcontractor who should be able to provide a range of different aggregates. (NB some porous aggregates such as sandstone and limestone are unlikely to polish up well)
Cement Paste In addition to the standard light grey a range of concrete colours can be provided with the addition of various oxide based pigments.
Typically if you want either, or both, of these options the slab will be laid with a layer of concrete with your selected finish as a final delivery of the pour, over a standard concrete.
Grind and Seal Finish
Suitable for indoor and outdoor concrete.
In this process the floor is generally ground twice . The floor can then be grouted (see below) followed by 2 coats of sealer to give the concrete a shiny appearance (The sealer will eventually wear and need to be sanded back and re-applied.).
There are typically between around 5 steps in the process.
An advantage of this process is that you are able to make it anti-slip by puting grit into the sealer. Great for around pools.
Mechanically Polished Concrete (MPC)
This high end process is really only suitable for inside concrete
This concrete polishing process the floor is generally ground twice depending, as above.
It’s then grouted (see below).
A densifier is then applied to harden the floors surface.
Next is up to 7 passes with diamond impregnated resin pads to get the desired shine (the concrete itself shines rather than a sealer which could scratch off).
Finally a penetrating sealer is applied to leave a stain resistant floor that that looks and feeling like glass.
The process has between 10 – 14 steps.
Aggregate Exposure
There are 3 levels of grinding exposing various levels of the aggregate commonly known as:
Nil Exposure –(less than 1mm) – Very little/no stone shows on the surface of the concrete (Difficult to achieve unless the concrete has been poured perfectly)
Minor/Random Exposure or Salt and Pepper Look (1-2mm) – Small amounts of aggregate visible on the surface – some areas may have minimal exposure while other areas some may have heavy exposure. – approx 1-2mm from surface.
Full exposure (5mm) – this is where you can see all the stones on the surface.
Grouting
Any insitu concrete will have some defects such as small ‘air’ voids or small cracks.
To get the best finish they need to be filled with grout.
With a natural cement concrete grouting may be carried out with a cement paste in the case of a grind and seal.
If you have a coloured concrete a better grout result is achieved by mixing a latex based product with the concrete dust from the grinding procedure to get a better colour match. This procedure should always be done for mechanically polished concrete.
Summary
There are a lots of options when thinking about ‘Polished Concrete’ so make sure that you understand the options and specify exactly what you want.
Some people say “Why not paint our new house ourselves rather than pay the builder and save money?”
Well I have done plenty of painting of individual rooms over the years but I wouldn’t attempt a new house!
A figure I have heard from an amateur doing the surface preparation and painting of ceilings and walls only (not the woodwork) is around 180 hours for a 300 square m house.
Even if you have got a 200 square house its still 120 hours before you start on the woodwork. Add the woodwork and it will probably be at least another 60 hours.
Assuming there are two of you painting for 6 hours per day that can be over 7 weekends. This consequences are:
If you want the painting doing before you move that could be paying another couple of months rent where you live. That will eat into any savings from doing it yourself.
If you do it after you move you are going to be living in a mess for around 2 months. All your spare time will be used up painting, while all the other jobs that you find when you move, will have to wait.
About the only painting I would do myself would be painting a feature wall. Even then I would have the decorator do the initial painting of the wall. This would mean:
There would be no rush to paint.
All the surface preparation would be completed.
If you are going to paint yourself here are a few hints:
Invest in some good brushes and look after them.
Don’t try painting with a brush out of a big tin of paint, drop it and it makes a huge mess! Decant it into a half litre container.
For painting large walls a roller is the way to go. I regard these as disposable as they are difficult to clean well. You can wrap it with cling film and it should be OK to use the next morning, longer and plan on using a new roller.
Get some of those disposable overalls with a hood, because you are going to spill paint, and its worse if it gets in your hair.
When you have put the top securely on a paint can store it upside down, this stops it getting a skin on the top.
Make sure you get plenty of drop sheets or builders plastic on the floor.
See the Selection / Pre-Start Guide for more to think about when finalising your new home
If you read up about energy efficiency you will come across the expression ‘Thermal Mass’ . . . . . . but what is it? . . . . . and how does it work?
Materials with Thermal Mass
The most common materials with Thermal Mass in new houses are; Concrete, Stone, Slate, Tiles and Brick. In some cases water tanks can also be used to provide Thermal Mass. (But not easy to use as evaporation can reduce the effectiveness, and the resultant humidity can cause damp)
A key characteristic of these materials are they are dense(heavy) and have the ability to absorb excess heat and then release it in cooler periods.
Thermal Mass need to be exposed. Covering with carpets or timber floors insulates them and prevent it from being as effective.
Heating
The trick is to put either ‘Free or Low Cost Heat’ or ‘Spare Heat’ directly into the thermal mass which is released to keep your house warm longer.
Free or Low Cost Heat
Direct winter sunlight on a floor or a wall is a great source of free heat. Just make sure you have Properly Designed Shade to keep the summer sun out.
Sources of low cost heat are things like using off-peak power, or excess solar power. This can provide either direct heating, or run heat pumps circulating hot water into a slab.
Spare Heat
Each time a wood heater is filled with wood it should initially be run with the vents fully open to minimise build up of creosote and soot in the flue . Without a thermally massive surround to help absorb the excess heat you can quickly over heat your room.
Any exposed thermal mass that is not heated may feel cool to the touch as it will be no warmer than the room temperature. However as the room cools this thermal mass will still release its heat back into the air to slow down the rate the room cools down. (This is known as ‘Thermal Lag’).
