Dry Shake Hardener: What Is It, Why Use It, How To Use It

What is dry shake hardener？

Due to its crystalline structure, dry shake hardener is a very hard particle (mohs hardness 7/10).

It is therefore used as a surface reinforcement for highly stressed concrete slabs and as a surface reinforcement for floor slabs.

The surface hardness of these structures is increased by adding a few millimetres of dry shake hardeners surface wear layer (manually or mechanically sprayed).

This wear layer comes in the form of a powder and consists of a mixture of hardening aggregates, cement and other additives (adjuvants, quartz concrete stain, microfibres).

The hardener particles used have a defined particle size determination (e.g. 0 – 3 mm).

For hardening aggregates, the following distinctions are made:

• Mineral particles such as quartz (mineral silicates), porphyry, granite, flint… Used when the surface stress is moderate.
• Abrasive particles (corundum, silicon carbide, emery) and metal particles (mild steel, mild steel, cast iron) are used for more demanding industrial floors.

Scope of application

It is used for the concrete floor with abrasion resistance and impact resistance and dust reduction, such as warehouse, dock, factory, parking lot, maintenance workshop, garage, warehouse shopping mall, residential streets and paths, dock and the place where uniform color is needed to improve the working sanitary environment and beauty, while there is no corrosive medium.

Why use Dry Shake Hardener

All commercial, manufacturing and warehouse floors require high-quality work surfaces that provide long-term durability, high abrasion resistance, dust resistance, low permeability and safety. Dry shake floor offer the best price compared to other concrete treatments or finishes in most industrial applications. Key features and benefits of dry shake hardeners include: Installation time savings, enhanced durability, improved the aesthetics of floors, reduce investment.

Reduce investment

Dry shake floors can save economic investment and has a very efficient cost performance. The material cost and reduced labor cost in the initial stage of construction are relatively low. Low maintenance costs and long life cycles minimize plant shutdowns and lost operating costs. In conclusion, dry shake hardeners provide short and long term cost savings.

Time saving

The dry shaking method for fresh concrete reduces the number of construction steps and finishes the concrete surface in one step. Floor surfaces and architectural concrete slabs are finished within 8 – 12 hours of concrete being poured. 24 hours later the surface is walkable and the desired strength is largely achieved after 3 to 7 days.

Environmentally friendly and easy to maintain

Dry shake curing compounds have no volatile organic substances, avoiding fire and health safety. In addition, the floor is easy to maintain with a dry shake surface and can be used with ordinary cleaners. The seals also provide additional surface protection against dust and contribute to environmental hygiene.

Robust and durable

Dry shake flooring offers excellent durability. The durability of dry shake curing compounds is determined by the abrasion resistance of the pouring head and its adhesion to the substrate concrete. The dry shake floor surface provides the concrete with a tough and durable surface that will not be damaged by other construction operations. The application and proper finishing of the dry shake reduces concrete porosity and reduces the absorption and potential damage from chemicals such as oil and grease. Highly durable concrete floors minimise maintenance and repairs, operational downtime and overall facility costs.

Improve the aesthetics

Dry shake hardeners not only improve performance, but also contribute to the aesthetic design of the facility. Dry shake hardeners combined with inorganic pigments can produce floors in a variety of colours, even very light shades of colours such as yellow and white. Light-reflective flooring can illuminate work spaces, increasing productivity and reducing lighting costs.

How to use dry shake hardener

Concrete Foundations

The strength of the concrete should be c25 or above, the water to ash ratio should be below 0.50, the concrete slump should be controlled at 70-100mm, the concrete mix should be minimised segregation and water secretion should be controlled.

In order to ensure sufficient fluidity of the concrete mix and to facilitate construction, it is recommended to add appropriate admixtures to the concrete.

The base concrete should be placed and compacted to the standard of good concrete, taking care to be precise in size and to minimise floating.

The surface of the hardener should preferably be constructed at the same time as the structural layer of concrete.

Special attention should be paid to the corners of the grassroots concrete construction blocks to ensure that the concrete is compacted and additional reinforcement should be taken.

Construction Guiding

The technique consists of pouring a concrete pavement and applying hardening granules ( to prepare the dry shake hardener for the finish to be used) to the fresh concrete surface.

The application of these floor hardener aggregates can be achieved by manual or mechanical spreading.

As a guide, the amount of mineral granular curing agent is 4 – 6 kg /m2 and the amount of metal granular curing agent is 5 – 8 kg /m2.

The wear layer is then incorporated into the surface of the new concrete by mechanical surface treatment.

This consists of several successive smoothing passes using a power float.

As a result, the wear layer combines perfectly with the smooth concrete to form a monolithic slab that is perfectly smooth and flat.

Conclusion

Dry Shake Hardener is widely used in industrial floors and has received good reviews. Through this article, we have not only gained more understanding of this material, but also mastered a lot of construction skills.