Designed for life, crafted for beauty.

Self-compacting concrete or self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is a highly flowable, non-segregating form of concrete that is ideally suited for use in thin 1½” to 2″ toppings. Although the “recipe” varies slightly from different suppliers, in each case the high flow is achieved through the use of next-generation chemicals.

These chemicals include superplasticizers (SP), viscosity-enhancing admixtures (VEA) and water-reducing agents (WRA). The result is a very fluid (high viscosity) mix which is placed without the need for vibrators.

These chemicals also achieve the high flow without the need for adding large amounts of water, which often has deleterious effects on the hardened concrete. In the hands of skilled placers, this specialty mix provides an excellent high-strength substrate for virtually any flooring.

Although SCC Concrete was not new to the concrete industry, it was MA Concrete, in collaboration with several Ready Mix Suppliers who pioneered its development and modification for use in thin toppings. Trials began in 2001 and by 2005 SCC Concrete had become the industry standard.

SCC Concrete arrives on a job site in a conventional concrete mixer truck and is pumped to the placing location with a standard concrete pump. The outside operation appears similar to regular concrete, but that’s where the similarity ends. Once poured onto the floor, the concrete is “jigged” into place with the use of specialty tools (jiggers) that create a wave in the material which is propagated through the concrete. It is the combination of the wave propagation (the addition of very low frequency vibration) and the highly fluid nature of the material which tends to level the surface. This method has the unique advantage of automatically adjusting the depth, regardless of the levelness of the subsurface. The result is a flat floor, ready to meet most flooring tolerances.

Gyp-Crete® is a light-weight specialty concrete used as a floor underlayment in wood-frame and concrete construction. It has properties that make it ideal for sound reduction, fire ratings and radiant heating. Its main advantage over cement-based concrete is that is dries with virtually no cracks due to shrinkage. Also, Gyp-Crete® weighs around 35 pounds/cu. ft less than regular concrete which represents a reduction of 23% in weight over conventional or SCC concretes. Once placed, it is possible to nail through the topping into the sub-floor without it chipping. Gyp-Crete® toppings can be installed as thin as 3/4″ over wood floors whereas SCC Concrete is limited to approximately 1 1/2″ in depth.

We provide supply and installation services for Gyp-Crete®.

Correct surface preparation is the key to a successful result. The majority of failures of toppings and coatings are the result of improper preparation of the subsurface and failure to follow the Manufacturer’s requirements for establishing the correct mechanical profile (CSP number system). Once the surface is properly profiled, correctly installing the specified bonding agent is critical.

We provide supply and installation services for all types of surface preparation.