concrete
Commercial Flatwork
Precision flatwork for retail spaces, warehouses, and commercial interiors
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Commercial flatwork encompasses interior concrete floors and surfaces for retail stores, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and commercial buildings throughout Cleburne and Johnson County, TX. While structural slabs-on-grade provide the building foundation, flatwork refers to the finished floor surface including leveling, finishing techniques, surface treatments, and specialized applications like polished concrete that create functional, attractive, durable floors for commercial operations. From basic broom-finished warehouse floors to high-gloss polished retail floors, professional flatwork transforms raw concrete into high-performance surfaces meeting specific operational and aesthetic requirements.
Commercial flatwork in North Texas addresses diverse requirements across industries: distribution centers need laser-flat floors supporting narrow-aisle racking and automated material handling, retail stores require attractive, easy-to-clean surfaces complementing merchandise displays, manufacturing facilities demand chemical-resistant, abrasion-resistant floors withstanding industrial processes, and office buildings seek polished concrete offering modern aesthetics with low maintenance costs. Each application requires specific finishing techniques, surface treatments, and quality standards ensuring long-term performance under intended use.
Flatness and levelness are critical specifications for commercial flatwork, particularly warehouse and distribution applications. Industry standards measure flatness using Ff (floor flatness) and Fl (floor levelness) numbers: higher values indicate better quality. Standard warehouse specifications require Ff 25 / Fl 20 minimum, while high-bay narrow-aisle facilities demand Ff 50 / Fl 35 or better. Achieving these tolerances requires laser screed technology, skilled finishing crews, and quality control verification through comprehensive floor profiling after curing.
Our commercial flatwork services include precision floor finishing using laser screed technology for exceptional flatness, power trowel finishing creating dense, hard surfaces, polished concrete grinding and polishing to specified gloss levels, specialized coatings and sealers for chemical resistance or aesthetic enhancement, floor flatness testing documenting compliance with specifications, and repair services addressing surface defects, dusting, or damage. Whether you're developing a 500,000 SF distribution center requiring superflat floors or a 5,000 SF retail space needing polished concrete, professional flatwork expertise ensures floors perform as engineered while meeting aesthetic and operational requirements for Johnson County commercial projects.
Common Applications
Distribution Center Floors
Large distribution facilities in Johnson County require superflat floors supporting high-bay racking systems (30-40 feet tall), narrow-aisle forklifts, and automated material handling equipment. Laser screed finishing achieves Ff 50+ / Fl 35+ tolerances essential for rack stability and equipment operation. Power trowel finishing creates dense, hard surfaces resisting abrasion from constant forklift traffic. Floors are typically 8-10 inches thick with fiber or rebar reinforcement, using 4,000-5,000 PSI concrete for maximum durability. Strategic joint layout minimizes joints in traffic aisles while controlling shrinkage cracking. Chemical densifiers prevent dusting while improving surface hardness and abrasion resistance.
Retail Store Floors
Retail spaces throughout Cleburne increasingly specify polished concrete for attractive, low-maintenance floors complementing modern store designs. Polishing exposes decorative aggregates creating visual interest while achieving gloss levels from matte to high-gloss per design intent. Saw-cut patterns, dyed concrete, or decorative scoring create distinctive floor designs reinforcing store branding. Polished concrete provides easy cleaning (critical for food retail), excellent light reflectivity reducing lighting costs, and LEED credits for sustainable building certifications. Installation coordinates with tenant improvement schedules, often polishing existing structural slabs rather than installing separate flooring systems, saving time and money.
Manufacturing Facility Floors
Manufacturing operations require floors resisting chemical spills, heavy equipment loads, dynamic impacts, and abrasion from material handling. Heavy-duty trowel finishing creates maximum surface density and hardness, while chemical-resistant sealers protect against oils, solvents, and process chemicals specific to each facility. Floors may incorporate drainage slopes directing spills to collection points, embedded anchor points for equipment, and demarcation lines for work zones and traffic paths. Specialized applications include non-sparking aggregates for facilities handling flammable materials, or conductive flooring for electronics manufacturing. Proper floor design and finishing is essential as post-construction repairs disrupt production and represent significant operational costs.
Office Building Floors
Modern office developments in Johnson County utilize polished concrete for attractive, sustainable floors in common areas, cafeterias, and even office spaces. Polished concrete provides contemporary aesthetics aligning with modern workplace design trends while delivering practical benefits: easy maintenance, excellent durability, improved acoustics (when properly finished), and LEED certification credits. Matte to medium-gloss finishes work well in office environments, avoiding excessive glare while maintaining professional appearance. Floors can receive decorative scoring creating patterns or delineating spaces, integral color for custom appearances, or remain natural concrete color. Combined with radiant floor heating, polished concrete creates comfortable, energy-efficient office environments with minimal ongoing maintenance costs.
Technical Specifications
Flatness Standards (Ff / Fl)
Floor flatness (Ff) measures short-distance variations (2-foot increments) critical for racking systems and equipment operation. Floor levelness (Fl) measures longer-distance variations affecting overall drainage and appearance. Standard warehouse floors specify Ff 25 / Fl 20 minimum per ACI 117. High-bay narrow-aisle facilities require Ff 50 / Fl 35 or better for rack stability. Defined-traffic applications (forklifts following fixed paths) may require Ff 70+ in traffic lanes. Achieving higher numbers requires laser screed equipment, skilled finishing crews, and optimal concrete placement conditions. Testing uses digital floor profilers sampling elevations per ASTM E1155 standards.
Power Trowel Finishing
Power trowel finishing creates dense, hard commercial floor surfaces resisting wear and dusting. Walk-behind or ride-on power trowels use rotating blades or pans progressively densifying surface concrete through multiple passes. Initial passes use floating pans (typically 3-4 passes) creating smooth surface, while final passes use finishing blades (4-6 passes) burnishing surface to maximum density and hardness. Proper timing is critical. Troweling begins when concrete supports machine weight without gouging (typically when footprint depth is 1/8 to 1/4 inch). Each pass increases surface hardness, with final passes creating burnished finish resisting abrasion and dusting.
Polished Concrete Process
Polished concrete uses diamond grinding progressively refining surfaces to specified gloss levels. Process begins with coarse diamond grits (30-40) removing surface imperfections and laitance, exposing aggregate to desired depth (cream finish shows minimal aggregate, salt-and-pepper shows fine aggregate, full exposure reveals larger decorative aggregate). Progressive grinding uses finer grits (80, 120, 400) creating smoother surfaces. Liquid chemical densifiers (typically lithium silicate) are applied penetrating concrete, reacting with calcium hydroxide creating hard calcium silicate hydrate increasing surface density and hardness. Final polishing uses resin-bonded pads (800, 1500, 3000 grit) achieving specified gloss, from matte (honed) to high-gloss (mirror-like reflectivity).
Chemical Densifiers
Chemical densifiers penetrate concrete pores reacting with free lime creating hard, dense calcium silicate hydrate increasing surface hardness, abrasion resistance, and eliminating dusting. Lithium silicate densifiers are preferred for commercial applications due to superior penetration and effectiveness versus older sodium or potassium silicates. Densifiers are applied to cured concrete (minimum 14 days) after mechanical preparation exposing pores. Product is worked into surface using power scrubbers or buffers, allowed to react (typically 30 minutes), then excess is removed. Properly densified concrete resists dusting even under heavy forklift traffic and improves ease of cleaning and maintenance.
Joint Layout Design
Joint layout for commercial flatwork balances shrinkage crack control with operational requirements. Control joints are typically spaced 12-15 feet creating panels with length-to-width ratios under 1.5:1 (preferably square panels). For warehouse floors, joints are oriented minimizing crossings in main forklift aisles: joints parallel to travel direction perform better than perpendicular joints that can cause forklift impact and joint deterioration. Column joints are cut to all interior columns, while isolation joints separate slabs from walls, equipment pads, and other fixed elements. Some high-tolerance applications use post-tensioned slabs or shrinkage-compensating concrete reducing or eliminating joints in critical areas.
Concrete Mix Requirements
Commercial flatwork concrete typically specifies 3,500-5,000 PSI 28-day compressive strength depending on loading. Distribution centers use 4,000-5,000 PSI for heavy forklift traffic and racking loads, while retail or office applications use 3,500-4,000 PSI. Low water-cement ratio (under 0.45) is critical for surface hardness and reduced shrinkage. Air entrainment (4-7%) provides freeze-thaw protection. Slump is maintained at 3-5 inches: higher slumps reduce surface strength and increase shrinkage. Fiber reinforcement (3-5 lbs per cubic yard) provides crack control and impact resistance. Maximum aggregate size is 3/4 inch for good finishability and surface quality.
Surface Hardness Testing
Floor surface hardness is verified using Mohs hardness test or rebound hammer testing. Properly finished and cured commercial floors should achieve Mohs hardness of 5-7, while densifier treatment increases hardness to 7-9 (comparable to granite). Rebound hammer testing measures surface rebound energy correlating to surface hardness and density. Testing occurs after minimum 14-28 day cure period, with additional testing after densifier application documenting improvement. Hard surfaces resist abrasion from forklift traffic, reduce dusting, and improve cleanability critical for food processing, pharmaceutical, or clean-room environments.
Project Timeline
Concrete Placement & Initial Screeding
After slab base preparation and reinforcement installation (covered under slab-on-grade), concrete placement begins using coordinated ready-mix truck cycles. Concrete is placed in strips allowing laser screed equipment to work efficiently. Laser screed operates on pre-positioned rails or self-propels across fresh concrete, using rotating lasers establishing precise elevation reference. Screed automatically adjusts blade height maintaining proper grade and achieving superior flatness. This phase requires careful coordination between concrete delivery, screed operation, and following finishing operations.
10-16 hours for 100,000 SF slab (concurrent operation)
Bull Floating & Initial Floating
Following laser screed, bull floats (large hand-operated or ride-on floats) level minor surface imperfections and embed larger aggregates slightly below surface. This occurs while concrete remains workable (typically 1-3 hours after placement depending on temperature). Floating creates smooth surface ready for final finishing operations while avoiding over-working that can bring excessive paste to surface causing weakness and dusting.
Concurrent with placement, 2-4 hours after screeding
Power Trowel Finishing
When concrete hardens sufficiently to support weight (typically 3-6 hours after placement), power trowel machines begin finishing. Initial passes use floating pans creating smooth, level surface, followed by multiple passes with finishing blades creating increasingly dense, hard surface. Four to eight trowel passes are typical for commercial floors, with final passes occurring when concrete is firm enough that trowels burnish rather than gouge surface. Timing is critical, starting too early overworks weak concrete, while starting too late misses the finishing window. Edges and penetrations receive hand troweling.
4-8 hours depending on concrete set time and floor size
Curing
Immediately after final troweling, curing compounds are applied preventing rapid moisture loss critical in Cleburne's hot, dry climate. Liquid membrane-forming curing compounds are sprayed at specified coverage rates, creating vapor barrier retaining internal moisture for proper strength gain. Critical floors may receive wet-curing using soaker hoses or damp blankets, or insulating blankets if cold weather threatens. Curing continues minimum 7 days, with longer periods for high-strength mixes or floors requiring maximum surface hardness.
7-14 days
Joint Cutting
Control joints are saw-cut within 6-24 hours after placement (timing depends on concrete hardness and sawing method). Joint layout is precisely planned minimizing joints in forklift aisles while creating panels with favorable dimensions controlling shrinkage cracking. Joints are cut to 25% of slab depth using early-entry or conventional saws. Proper timing prevents random cracking while avoiding raveling from premature cutting. Joint layout significantly impacts forklift operation and floor maintenance.
1-3 days following placement
Floor Flatness Testing
After initial curing (typically 7-14 days), floors undergo comprehensive flatness testing using digital floor profilers measuring elevations at precise intervals. Data is processed calculating Ff (floor flatness) and Fl (floor levelness) numbers documenting compliance with specifications. Testing typically occurs along traffic aisles and critical racking locations. If floors don't meet specifications, grinding or other corrective measures may be required. Most properly finished floors in Cleburne easily exceed specified tolerances.
1-2 days for testing and reporting
Polishing or Surface Treatment (if applicable)
For polished concrete floors, grinding begins after minimum 14-28 day cure period. Diamond grinding tools progressively refine surfaces starting with coarse grits (30-40) removing surface imperfections and exposing aggregate, then finer grits (80-400) creating increasingly smooth surfaces. Chemical densifiers are applied during polishing, penetrating and hardening concrete. Final polishing pads (800-3000 grit) create specified gloss level. Alternative treatments include densifiers for dust-proofing, sealers for stain resistance, or specialized coatings for chemical protection.
3-7 days for polishing, 1-2 days for densifier/sealer
Cleburne & Johnson County Considerations
Climate Impact on Finishing: Cleburne's hot, dry summer climate creates challenging conditions for concrete floor finishing, particularly large warehouse floors where evaporation rates can exceed 0.5 lbs per square foot per hour when air temperature exceeds 95°F, relative humidity drops below 30%, and wind speeds exceed 10 MPH. This rapid evaporation shortens the finishing window, increases plastic shrinkage cracking risk, and can prevent achieving proper surface density if concrete hardens before troweling is complete. We mitigate these challenges through multiple strategies: scheduling large pours for evening or night hours when temperatures moderate and humidity rises, using evaporation retarders applied to fresh concrete surface slowing moisture loss during finishing, installing temporary wind breaks or misters reducing evaporation rates in extreme conditions, and ensuring adequate finishing crew size maintaining pace with concrete placement. Winter presents opposite challenges: when overnight temperatures drop below 40°F, we use insulated blankets maintaining minimum 50°F concrete temperature during critical early curing period ensuring proper strength gain and surface hardness development.
Johnson County Distribution Center Boom: The explosive growth of distribution and logistics facilities along the Chisholm Trail Parkway corridor has created strong demand for superflat floor finishing in Cleburne and Johnson County. Modern distribution centers require Ff 50+ / Fl 35+ floors supporting narrow-aisle racking systems maximizing warehouse storage density: specifications that require laser screed technology and experienced finishing crews. This growth has attracted specialized finishing contractors to the area and increased local expertise in high-tolerance floor construction. However, peak construction seasons (spring and fall) can create crew availability challenges, making advance scheduling essential for large projects. We maintain relationships with multiple specialized finishing crews ensuring capacity for Johnson County projects while providing backup options if scheduling conflicts arise.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Learn More →Service Areas
We provide commercial flatwork throughout Cleburne and Johnson County:
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