the Dodge theater - IPCI - International Polished Concrete Institute

Journal
(6) Designers Corner (8) Case Study
From Saturated to Shiny
One polishers challenge to
create a polished surface out
of an oil-saturated facility.
Exposing your Aggregate Options
An exploration of the newest trend
in polished concrete.
Basic Bidding Principles
A quick reference for
beginning bidders.
The Dodge Theater
What’s inside: (2) IPCI News (3) The cutting edge (5) Tech tips
quarter 1, 2008
An Architects Perspective:
The IPCI
Dodge Theater I04 © Tim Griffith
IPCI
The
Journal
EDITORIAL
creative director: Sharon Harry
associate editor: Shannah Frye
staff writer: Rebecca Miller
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
president:
co-chair:
co-chair:
director:
Brad Padgett
Daniel Padgett
David Padgett
Daniel Grady
FEATURED WRITERS
featured writer: Pavel Getov,
Morphosis
guest writer: Erin O’Brien,
Perfect Polish
ON THE COVER:
A Special Thanks to NBBJ and (C) Tim
Griffith for Dodge Theater images.
NBBJ
223 Yale Avenue North
SEATTLE, WA 98109
PHOTOGRAPHER:
Tim Griffith: (415) 640-1419
To subscribe and become an IPCI
member, please visit us on the web
at www.IPCIonline.org or contact
our membership department at 866421-9550.
Article submissions should be sent to:
IPCI Editorial
PO Box 1174
Norris, TN 37828
[email protected]
The IPCI Journal is published four times
per year by IPCI, LLC, a subsidiary of
Concrete Polishing Technologies.
Opinions expressed are those by
authors or persons quoted, and
are not necessarily those of IPCI,
LLC. All text and illustrative material
is the copyright © 2007 by IPCI,
LLC. To request article reprints, or
reproduction permissions, please
contact the editor at 865-494-7881.
For additional information on articles,
products or information within this
magazine, please visit
www.IPCIonline.org.
p2: The
IPCI
Journal
News from IPCI
Shannah Frye
IPCI would like to thank our 2007 Advisory Council Members for their continued participation
in IPCI for 2008. We are also pleased to introduce our two newest members, Juan Porral of
Grimshaw (New York, NY), and Pavel Getov of Morphosis (San Francisco, CA).
This year, IPCI was pleased to host its annual Advisory Council meeting in Detroit, MI in
December. IPCI left this years meeting with a renewed sense of purpose, and a motivation to
ensure the growth of IPCI in 2008 to encompass more members, improve the resources we
offer, and to provide more educational seminars.
Be on the lookout in the upcoming months for the newest revisions to IPCI, from additional
training opportunities, to increased knowledge and resources!
Meet our advisory council
Holly DuMont
Dan Farmer
Matthew Lutz is
Scott Hatmaker
graduated from
currently works with
Lawrence Technological
Michael Brady, Inc., in
University in 1991 with
downtown Knoxville.
a Bachelor of Science
After graduating from
degree in Architecture.
the University of
She now works for the
Tennessee in 1982 with
Daimler Chrysler AAME
a bachelors degree
Building Group and has
in Architecture, Mr.
been using polished
Farmer has continued
concrete in her projects for years. Holly has specializing in spec writing. In addition to
being a member of AIA, he is a member
been an AIA member since 1996.
of CSI, and holds a Construction Specifier
Certification.
Assistant Professor,
School of Architecture
and Art at Norwich
University in Northfield,
Vermont. After
receiving his Bachelor
of Fine Arts at the
Historic Preservation,
Savannah College of
Art and Design, he went on to receive his
Master of Architecture, Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University.
Juan Poral, of
Grimshaw, received
his Master of
Architecture degree
from University
College London,
after receiving his
bachelors with honors
from the University
of Nottingham.
Mr. Poral joined
Grimshaw in 1996, initially working on the
competition winning proposal for Fundacion
Caixa Galicia Arts and Cultural Center, in A
Coruña, Spain. Juan moved to Grimshaw’s
US office in 2001, working as Project
Architect on the Miami Intermodal Center
project in Miami, Florida.
graduated from the
University of Tennessee
College of Architecture
and Design in 2001 and
is currently working as
an intern architect for
3g Studios Architecture
and Planning in
Knoxville, TN.
Pavel Getov
received a Master of
Architecture degree
from the Southern
California Institute
of Architecture
(SCI-Arc) in 1993,
and a Diploma of
Architect from the
Higher Institute of
Architecture and
Civil Engineering, Sofia, Bulgaria in
1988. He has worked with Richard Meier
and Partners, NBBJ and currently with
Morphosis on numerous nationally and
internationally recognized projects.
Exposing your Aggregate Options
A New Level of Tailored, Mosaic-Inspired Flooring
by Erin O’Brien, Featured Cutting Edge
here are
few flooring
applications
in the industry
today that are as
unique and adaptable as the polished concrete market is becoming.
Though aggregate exposure levels,
sheen choices, and color application
allow for endless options, the latest
trend today allows the designer to
be even more selective and creative with their visualized end-result.
This latest trend is the application
of architectural aggregates and
selective glass additives to create
a completely customized, mosaicinspired floor.
A few examples of some of these
visions are to use the chosen architectural aggregates in a specific
placement to coordinate with permanent fixtures in the building. Often
these fixtures are pillars, walls, or
shelving units. It is a popular choice
for designers to have the aggregates
disperse along the edges of these
fixtures, resembling a gradient that
radiates out from underneath them
and seamlessly blends into the rest
of the floor.
One designer recently requested
a look reminiscent of “polished
rocks washed up along the edges
of the water, blending into the fine
sands of a beach.” To create this
look, a cream finish was selected,
with granite chips dispersed in the
specified space, ranging in size
from 9/16” to 3/16” evenly broadcast
along the walled areas of the room.
The granite chips selected ranged in
color from charcoal to burnt umber,
while the concrete blended well in
its natural grey.
As with border stripes and colored
areas, these specialty aggregates
can be used to delineate areas and
separate spaces. For example, in
a retail grocery chain, one custom-
er considered using different hued
architectural aggregates to create a
fun traffic flow for shoppers in their
store, fading one shade of green
aggregate in the produce area
into a different hue in aisle ways.
This created a “path” for shoppers.
These types of area delineations
are increasing in popularity, and it
is increasingly common in polished
concrete design to see impressive
mosaics in lobbies of hotels or airports to create a grand entrance.
The choices of colors and composite
abound, with varieties and shades in
different ad mixtures becoming more
abundantly available. Each choice
will offer a different look. Glass
shards have become very popular,
and are perhaps one of the most
bold, with endless color options.
Glass shards work very well for striking designs,
and are available in sizes
ranging from
1/16” to 1/2”.
The polished
glass is going
to provide a
very bright,
glistening
look, and will
help achieve
a high reflectivity.
Quartz
is
another colorful option,
though
is
slightly more
subdued when
compared to glass. It is available in
a spectrum of shades, and can be
polished up to a very high sheen
or used in matte and satin finishes
for a more subtle look. Granite and
marble continue to be very popular
choices, and their color pallet is perhaps the most neutral and modest.
As with quartz, their sheen level can
be as high or as matte as desired,
but these will give the most naturalistic of appearances.
Any stone can be used to make a
designers creation come to life, but
to get the best variety on the floor,
a blend of architectural aggregate
sizes is encouraged to give the
floor visual interest and character.
Also, careful planning and coordination are required to ensure the
installation of the details are correct. Detailed specifications and
drawings will help to communicate
the designers vision to the installers, and prevent miscommunication.
It is suggested that the drawings
include specific coordinates and
precise illustrations to lay out the
exact pattern of the design. Along
with the drawing, it is recommend-
ed that the designer, concrete
installer and the general contractor
meet prior to the work commencement to clearly communicate the
project expectations and make
certain there is no confusion in the
Continued on page 4
p3: The
IPCI
Journal
Exposing your Aggregate Options
Continued from page 3
interpretation of the drawings or in
the placement of aggregates.
In the specification, it is necessary
to use a general (non-architectural
or decorative) aggregate in the mix
design to provide the strength of the
concrete. This general aggregate
will need to be pushed down into
the concrete mix with a mesh roller
to prevent it from surfacing during
the grinding steps of the polish.
After the floor has been bull floated
and pan finished, the architectural aggregate will then need to be
broadcast on the surface according
to the architectural drawings. Once
the specialty aggregates are placed,
the slab will need to be again bull
floated, then worked with a Fresno
trowel. It is best to cross float the
slab with both floats.
Lastly, it is imperative when placing
specialty aggregates in design work
at the surface of the concrete that
proper testing of FF numbers are
p4: The
IPCI
Journal
used to ensure the flatness of the
floor. Low spots in the floor may
prevent polishers from adequately
exposing the aggregates, leaving
an inconsistent finish.
With unparalleled flexibility and
creativity, as well as a bit of care
in placement, the trend for mosaicinspired flooring will continue to
flourish. As the aggregate varieties
advance, so will the convergence
of techniques in their use in polished concrete, untying designers
from any limitations in the vision of
their floor.
Basic Bidding Principles
A Quick Reference for Beginning Bidders
By Sharon Harry, Featured Tech Tip
ore
work
does not
necessarily
equal more money.
There are many disadvantages to overzealous bidding, and
over or under inflated prices per square
foot. If your bids come in too low to
make a profit, you lose money. If your
bids come in too high, you lose money
because you are not awarded the
job. Bidding and quoting is a fine-line
between sink and success, and carefully analyzing where your bid numbers
come from will help you to balance this
fine line.
Qualify BEFORE you Bid:
Bidding is a lot of work. From compiling
data, reading plans, pulling the leads-all
of these tasks require a time investment.
It is important, especially when growing
a small business, that all effort is used
in the most profitable way possible. One
of the mistakes often made by beginning companies is bidding too many
jobs and not being awarded enough of
them. Qualifying your projects and your
customers before submitting a quote
or bid allows your business to become
more productive, and helps to improve
your success rate.
•
•
Is polished concrete right for your customer?
What polish level can this customer
afford? (Take cues from the maintenance and landscaping of their building.
How much money do they invest in their
appearance?)
How complex is the project? Do you
have the proper machinery and experienced staff?
You don’t want to hinder yourself from
bidding, but prioritizing your leads and
first bidding on the ones that you are
most likely to land is a good strategy.
Keep track of your bid vs award ratio,
and adjust your bidding methods
accordingly.
be sure to assess the floor BEFORE even
considering putting a bid in. On new construction projects, this isn’t possible, but
even then, be sure to protect yourself with
clauses in the contract regarding quality
assurance for the flatwork. Ensure that
whoever walks the floor is extremely competent, as your entire bid will be based on
their analysis. Whenever possible, have
them bring back numerous photos and
samples of the floor. A simple misdiagnosis of a coating can cost thousands of
dollars in increased labor time, tooling, and
productivity.
Ensuring that risk is analyzed in the
price, and that customers expectations are clearly understood and
set, will reduce the threat of having
unpaid debt at the end of a project.
A seasoned sales person went out to bid
on a large project. He ensured there was
plenty of light, and carefully walked the
entire floor, documenting any problem
areas or patchwork that would be necessary. He pointed out everything to the
customer that would require additional
work, and returned to the office confident
in his evaluation. The polishing firm was
awarded the project and several months
later, their laborers were sent out on the
job to perform the work. Immediately a
problem arose. The coating which was
supposed to be a thin, easy-to-remove
paint, turned out to be a rigid layer of
mortar underneath a thin, easy-to-remove
layer of paint. Not only was the customer
surprised at the additional cost, but the
company required quite a bit more time to
complete the project. Luckily, the polisher
had established a good rapport with the
firm, and was able to redeem itself. However, costly mistakes such as this one can
be extremely harmful, especially to small
businesses starting out.
Budget your Project Costs:
If you do not fully understand what
a job is going to cost you, you
don’t know how much money you
will need to make to be profitable,
making the entire bidding process a
guessing game. A form or checklist
can be very handy when calculating
these numbers, as your cost does
not only include tooling and labor,
but also includes the cost of travel,
fuel, and equipment depreciation.
A realistic approach to these numbers is always best, but be sure to
include a healthy (but not exuberant)
overage in case of unexpected challenges. It is also a good idea to keep
track of your actual costs on every
job, and to analyze your projections
versus real costs, so you may fine
tune the exactness of your future
projections.
More complex = more risk.
Complexity Considerations
• Stress of the Floor
• Access to the Floor
• Coatings
• Edgework Required
• Unrestricted Access
• Aggregate to be Exposed
Calculate your Profit:
No one goes into business to break
even. Making a profit is always the
•
first objective for business. WhenJob Complexity & Risk:
If being awarded a complex project means ever bidding or quoting a job, it is
•
you will have to turn down easier, more important to calculate where your
profitable projects due to the time invest- profit margin should be to ensure the
ment required, you may want to take a success of your business.
moment to consider this. Some projects
•
that are complex, especially high profile Calculate your gross profit:
jobs, may be worth the additional effort if Total Revenue – Cost of Sales =
you can gain marketing and publicity, but if Gross Profit
taking on a complex project means monopAssess the Floor:
olizing all of your resources to accomplish
Always, always, always know what you the task, ask yourself, am I passing up
Continued on page 11
are walking into. Whenever possible, more revenue?
p5: The
IPCI
Journal
The Dodge Theater
A High Design Polish, Both Durable and Affordable
By Pavel Getov, Morphosis Architecture, Featured Designers Corner
hen
I
discussed
with IPCI what
would be the best
topic for an article
regarding
my
experience with polished concrete
as a designer, we decided that it
would be best to focus on a single
project. Looking back for a building
that best represents how polished
concrete can be a core design
feature to achieve high profile
architecture, yet still keep the
budget on track, the Dodge Theatre
quickly came to mind.
Designed by NBBJ and built by
Target General, the 180,000 sq.ft.
Dodge Theatre was completed
in 2002. It was envisioned by
the client, Theater Development
Management Group, to fill the need
for a mid-size venue in Phoenix that
could accommodate a variety of
functions: rock concerts, stand-up
comedy, Broadway and off-Broadway
shows, opera, and even boxing and
anniversary gatherings. The flexible
auditorium adapts to each function
through a variety of mechanized
devises, such as operable walls,
flexible seating configurations and
adjustable areas of the floor, varying
the arena’s capacity from 2000 to
6000 viewers. The lobbies provide
additional assembly space for table
seating, exhibitions and retail.
Of course, the task was to find a design
strategy that would achieve such a
high profile public space while still
remain on budget - an indispensable
requirement for the financial success
of this kind of venue. Through the
design process, the design team was
able to convince the owner that the
high-end materials that he expected,
such as limestone for the walls and
marble for the floors, would not
be compatible with the $29 million
construction budget and we would
have to start looking for a new kind
p6: The
IPCI
Journal
of aesthetic. Instead of lime stone
for the façade, wood flooring for the
auditorium, and marble for the lobby
floors, we proposed metal cladding
and exposed concrete flooring.
Polished concrete is an excellent
material for an auditorium floor. It is
easy to maintain, it is durable and it
is not expensive compared to other
traditional finishes. Additionally, it
does not necessarily contradict the
acoustical requirements. In this
particular case it actually helps with
the sound for rock concerts, where
the “this-one-goes-to-eleven” degree
of loudness is in fact welcomed.
Any negative echoing effect can be
mitigated with the use of upholstered
chairs. Furthermore, the savings from
going with polished concrete in lieu of
wood flooring or expensive carpeting
was used to upgrade the seating
to the level expected from patrons
attending the opera or Broadway show
performances.
While the use of polished concrete in
the auditorium space is significant, the
most successful material selection for
this project without a doubt was for
the grand lobby, a fifty-foot tall space,
glazed floor to ceiling. The floor of
this prominent interior public plaza
was initially intended to be terrazzo.
As the project progressed, while we
were selecting the right for the job
terrazzo subcontractor, the designers
from NBBJ and the contractors from
Target General found out that the
local aggregate used in the structural
concrete is naturally colorful. The red,
yellow, green, even blue pebbles are
normally overwhelmed by the grayness
of the cement. However, we began to
ask, what it would look like if instead
of gray, we used white cement for the
structural slab at the lobby area? After
consulting with the rest of the design
team and establishing that there
would not be other implications on the
structure, we started experimenting
with the material. Three samples of
concrete slab mock-ups, about 4’ x 4’
each were poured at the job site. They
were each ground to a different depth,
1/8”, 1/4” and 1/2” respectively. The
grinding revealed the richness of the
natural aggregate with a different size
and pattern at each of the samples.
The one with the 1/4” deep grind
was selected because of its balance
between the color and size of the
pattern and was applied to the entire
lobby of the project.
After the structural slab cured for
approximately four weeks, the initial
grinding was performed to remove
surface fines and exposed aggregate.
Portland cement grout was troweled
onto the surface to finish the voids,
followed by finer grit diamonds, until
a polished, terrazzo-like surface was
achieved.
While successful, the process was
not without surprises. Once the
entire floor was polished, we noticed
an irregular, footstep-like pattern
while inspecting it from the balcony
of the upper deck. Eventually it was
discovered that one of the installers
had forgotten a tool while pouring
and went back to retrieve it. Although
the surface was perfectly smooth and
shiny, the pattern was different since
the larger gravel had been pushed
down where he had walked. There
were no more than a dozen of the
steps imprinted and even though
they were not visible except from a
particular spot on the very last balcony,
we decided to fix it. A local artist was
invited to hand paint the missing
gravel spots in the damaged areas.
Continued on page 11
Project Profile:
Name of Project:
location:
Dodge Theatre
Phoenix, AZ
total floor area:
number of floors:
client:
178,000
5
Theater Development
Mgmt Group/
America West Arena
architect:
interior design:
General Contractor:
Flooring:
NBBJ
NBBJ
Target General
advance terrazzo
Dodge Theater I10 © Tim Griffith
p7: The
IPCI
Journal
From Saturated to Shiny
A Challenging Polish on an Oil Saturated Floor
By Rebecca Miller, Featured Case Study
ischer Canada,
a world-wide
manufacturer of
stainless steel tubing,
supplies
many
industries around the
globe and prides itself
on providing the best
possible products
and processes to
clients. High profile
customers such as
GM and DaimlerChrysler tour the
facilities on a
regular basis, so it is
important for Fischer
to not only be state-of-the-art, but look
the part as well. With a combined total
of 320,000 sq. feet under roof, flooring
plays a huge role in overall appearance
and functionality. Fischer Canada
utilizes polished concrete for ease
of maintenance, cost-effectiveness,
aesthetic value and, most recently, the
application solved major flooring issues
in a facility remodel.
The first time Fischer Canada used polished concrete was in July 2006 when
the untreated concrete flooring in the
aisles of their Waterloo, Ontario, facility
was becoming problematic. “We weren’t
p8: The
IPCI
Journal
happy with the floors,” recalls Tom Prell,
Fischer General Manager. Due to the
oils and stainless steel chips created by
the manufacturing process, the floors
were, as Tom
relates, “In
really rough
shape… and
extremely
difficult to
keep clean.”
He goes on
to explain
that the company spent
a lot of time
and money
to clean the
flooring. “We
would have it scrubbed during the Christmas holidays, but it was expensive and
basically a futile effort.” In addition to the
time and expense of maintenance, there
was a major aesthetic problem with the
flooring. Prell says,” It was dirty … not
the image of a state-of-the-art automotive building.”
BNE Contractors, a Kitchener,
Ontario-based company, specializing
in resurfacing concrete flooring
helped Fischer
resolve their
flooring issues
by cleaning
and polishing
the concrete in
problem areas.
“BNE had our
solution,” says
Tom Prell, “the
floor was vastly
improved
… in tip-top
condition.”
Impressed by
the difference in
maintenance and
appearance from
their first facility,
Fischer decided to
call BNE for their
next facility expansion. Upon acquiring
the new building, they discovered oil
damage to the existing floors. “They
didn’t want to use epoxy over the
concrete due to inherent problems with
coatings,” says Chris Henderson, who
goes on to explain that because of all
the oil, an epoxy coating would have
been a disaster.
Though the proximity of location was
ideal, the building—and especially the
flooring-- needed major remodeling to
suit its new owners. The concrete slab
was in disrepair; heavy damage from
excessive oil saturation, pitting, joint
cracks, and slab undulation plagued
the building. Additionally, the soaked-in
oil had softened the concrete. In order
to create a facility that matched the
state-of-the-art company, the floors
had to be overhauled.
The building was formerly a screw
machine shop and the floor was,
as Prell relates, “Soaked in oil…
so slippery it was like an ice rink…
quite a mess. We called in BNE to
do their magic.” General Manager
of BNE Contractors Chris Henderson
recounts his first impressions of the
situation: “The screw machine shop used
a tremendous amount of oil…there was
so much saturating the floor that it looked
shiny and slick. It was the most oil I’ve
ever seen on a floor…
we had to proceed
with caution.”
the slab,” says Paul Giangualano,
Operations Manager and Fischer project
leader. BNE recommended spin-jetting
because, as Paul says, “The floor was
covered in 1/4” of standing
oil; it was a huge problem
and tough to walk in,”
Spin-jetting is an industrial
Many contractors
cleaning process that uses
might have looked
high-pressure water to
remove coatings such as
at the floor as a lost
cause, but not BNE.
resins, grease, and epoxy.
The company with
On the Fischer project, the
15 years of combined
goal was to remove large
experience and 30
volumes of oil from the top
restoration specialists
surface of the concrete
knew the job was big,
slab. Using spray patterns
but had the tools and
and rotating spray arms, the
skills to tackle the project. Chris explains:
spin-jetting machines inject the slab with
“This project took a lot of specialized
very hot water, at pressures exceeding
knowledge…in complexity level it was
5,000 psi. Chris Henderson explains
close to a ten. It took all the knowledge
that in conjunction with detergents, the
we had and some we didn’t!”
spin-jetting emulsifies and suspends oil,
pulling it out of the slab. The spin-jetting
removed the initial heavy oil saturation,
Before the team could even consider
polishing the floor, there was the oil to
and allowed the team to come in and
contend
with. “The oil had been there 10
start
the remediation
process.
BNE_polishedConcrete_7x4.8125:Layout
1 1/16/08
1:37 PM
Page 1
or 15 years…went nearly right through
Epoxy removal was the next step
as the screw machine shop had
installed extra coatings in high traffic
areas. “There was about 2,000 sq.
ft. worth of traffic topper,” says Paul
Giangualano, so BNE used coating
removal tooling, including a diamondbladed ShaveMaster, to scrape the
floor. Paul explains that the removal
was not exactly easy saying, “1/4 inch
of epoxy removal is an art.”
With the floor’s surface prepared, BNE
started grinding with a rectangular
medium-bond 40-grit diamonds
to open up the floor. They soon
discovered that the concrete had been
tremendously softened from the oil.
“We had to switch to a round 40 grit
for soft concrete,” says Henderson.
However, before they did, the team
had to tackle pitting, cracks, and
joint repairs.
Continued on page 10
POLISHED CONCRETE FLOOR SYSTEMS
retail
commercial
industrial
519 743-7324
www.concretepolishing.ca
p9: The
IPCI
Journal
From Saturated to Shiny
Continued from page 9
Some heavily pitted areas needed
shotblasting to prepare the divets to
be filled with clear epoxy. Giangualano
explains that due to the oil still in the
slab, the team had to get the epoxy
primer in immediately. “We couldn’t
just wait around or until the next day,”
he explains.
Cracking and
joint repairs
called for two
types of fixes,
depending on
the extent of
damage. BNE
used
semirigid Polyurea
on up to 3/4”
divides. Over
3/4” required a mortar mix . Several
of the joints were so damaged by oil
that they had to be cut out before they
could be filled. Henderon explains,
“We needed to cut deeper to get to
white concrete.” Post floor-repair, it
was time to get back to grinding—this
time with a harder tool. Chris says
that there were undulations of slabs
poured at different heights. Between
the oil issues and the height variations,
BNE ground between 1/4 and 3/8 of
an inch to get to sound concrete.
The second 40-grit revealed a new
problem. “Every time we would
grind, more oil would come up,” says
Chris, “so after each pass we had to
for Polishers
p10: The
IPCI
Journal
degrease the surface.” Using a powerscrubber and citrus-based detergent,
BNE cleaned up the excess oil.
Due to the amount of oil and the
subsequent softness of the concrete,
Paul Giangulano explains that they
decided to put down a lithium based
product to pre-densify
the surface. Though it is
not a usual step in BNE’s
polishing process, Paul
says they thought it would
be best because, “Hard
gets better results. The
tighter the floor is, the less
oil leaks out.”
They degreased again,
and then got right back to
polishing with a medium-bond 150-grit.
Another power-scrubbing session was
followed by a 100-grit—then they laid
down a sodium silicate densifier. The
final passes with 200, 400, and 800grits were interrupted by intervals of
degreasing. “All in all we did 6 or 7
passes with the power scrubber,”
says Chris Henderson. After a finish
with a raw power-washer, the floor
was complete. Though the project
had a lot of complications for onsite
management, it took BNE only five
days of working around the clock
to take the Fischer building from oil
field to warehouse-ready.
Paul says it wasn’t easy but, “Luckily,
I have capable guys working for
me who are well-versed in turnaround.” He continues, “The results
are fantastic … a night and day
difference from the beginning.”
Tom Prell of Fischer concurs. “The
floors are in great shape. They
reflect light, look bright and clean
… they give a totally different
optical impression.” He also
comments that the maintenance
has proven to work well for them
as any tire marks or spills wipe
right up. He says that no matter
what happens throughout the day
it only takes one cleaning during
the night shift to get them back
in mint condition. “It’s a greatly
improved aesthetic, no doubt
about it.”
for Architects
The Dodge Theater
Continued from page 7
The lesson learned is not that art
is the solution to all construction
mistakes, but rather that involving
the concrete installer is crucial for
a successful implementation of the
polished concrete surface.
The polished concrete flooring of
the Dodge Theatre is the first interior
feature that prepares the visitors
for the magical performances in
this outstanding venue. It is seen
through the glazed lobby walls as
a natural but cultivated extension
of the concrete sidewalks and
plaza surfaces of the exterior. It
enhances the daylight and reflects
the shine of the city lights on a
show night.
white cement. Through
cooperation among the
architect, contractor,
and owner in the effort
to provide a building on
budget, yet with a high
quality and outstanding
architecture, the process
of finding a design and
construction solution
deriving from the richness
of the local materials, set
the tone for the rest of
the project, and for other
projects to come.
Its dramatic effect was entirely
achieved by inventively using
the natural color aggregate and
paying a small premium for the
Bidding Basics
Continued from page 5
Ensure you Cover Overhead:
Just bidding your project costs plus
profit will not make your company profitable. All of the time and effort made
toward keeping the doors open also
needs to be accounted for, and your
margins must be sufficient enough to
absorb these costs, such as your nonbillable labor (i.e., accountants, salesmen, etc), insurance, rent, supplies, etc.
Understanding what it costs you to keep
your business operating will help you to
bid responsibly, and as competitively as
possible, without hindering your profit
margin.
This calculation should be
done frequently (at least once a year)
as inflation, increased purchases, and
business growth or shrinkage occur.
Non-Billable Overhead / # of Billable
hours in a year
Include Line Items & Extra Charges:
Be sure your quotation and subsequent
contract have clauses in them identify-
ing any areas of concern. Though you
may have a wonderful rapport with the
GC and the flatwork installers, it will
never fail that once the actual polishing
begins, you will come across something
unexpected. Be sure to include line
items for any expenses that may arise,
such as multiple mobilizations, additional patchwork required, repair after
project completion due to damage from
other contractors, etc. Going the extra
step to document any of these line items
could save you down the line!
Set your Customers Expectations:
Natural variations in the floor that are
unavoidable and commonly considered
part of the character of the polished
floor can become seen as imperfections by the perfectionist client, and can
cause much more labor to meet that
client’s expectations. Throughout the
entire bidding process, from initial meeting, to the assessment phase, to the
actual polish, be sure to take the time
to speak with your client and educate
them on the polishing process. Do not
be afraid to point out problem areas
and discuss your customers expectations. When you present a mock-up
sample to the client, do they understand the overall aggregate may have
a charming, mottled appearance, or
are they expecting only small aggregate throughout the slab?
A customer decided to have his warehouse area polished to a high sheen for
a rehab project. The polisher assessed
the floor, carefully pointing out several low
spots in the concrete that would result in a
lower sheen level. The customer understood, and moved forward with having
the polishing done. At the completion
of the project, the customer noticed that
the sheen level in the low spots was not
quite as glossy as the remainder of the
floor. Disappointed in this, the customer
complained. Luckily, the polisher had
documented the numerous conversations
he had had with the client regarding these
spots, and once reminded of these conversations, the customer was satisfied.
p11: The
IPCI
Journal
Have you tried our
Metal Bond Diamonds?
Aggressive and affordable,
we dare you to compare We think you’ll like the results!
Take advantage of 10% off our standard metal bonds
through March 14th!
Contact us at:10#PYr/PSSJT5/
rXXXHPDQTDPN
10% discount off list price metal bonds
applies to16, 40, 80, and 150 grits.
PO Box 1174
Norris, TN 37828
ph: 865.494.7881
Toll Free: 1.866.421.9550