Columbia Gateway’s redeveloped, first floor amenity space features conference rooms, lounge areas, gaming and a community kitchen. This space required a durable and high-end finish to accommodate heavy foot traffic. However, the architects knew that the existing concrete slab was not in the best condition, so they entrusted Hyde Concrete to place a polished concrete overlay.

The floor was divided into an asymmetrical pattern of two different finishes using brass divider strips. Since the designed brass divider strip layout did not correspond with the existing joints in the base concrete slab, the architect decided to keep the brass strips as designed and sawcut and caulk with a similar gray joint filler at the existing joints to help control cracking in our new overlay.

The client wanted one overlay finish to look as though it had salt and pepper aggregate exposure, while the other had to look as though it had medium aggregate exposure. This required us to source a unique aggregate mixture with just the right stone size and color, which we then incorporated into our overlay material to replicate the aesthetic of medium aggregate exposure.

Excellent coordination with all stakeholders helped this project run smoothly and successfully. The result was a durable, environmentally-friendly, and beautiful polished concrete floor.