Case Studies
Alameda Data Center Project Polished Concrete Flooring
Installer: Performance Floor Systems, Inc.
The Challenge
• Renovation on an 80-year-old facility
• 80,000 sq. ft. wide-open area on 4th level
• Substrate was in poor condition, not adequate for state-of-the-art data and server equipment
• End user wanted a polished concrete finish but existing substrate not suitable for polishing
• Confidential project with strict security clearance
The Situation
ARDEX, along with Mark Pryor and Warren Wilson of Performance Floor Systems, Inc.—an ARDEX LevelMaster Elite® installer—recommended the ARDEX Polished Concrete System™ for this high-performance installation. The system’s integrated products and processes delivered a perfectly flat, durable surface required for the state-of-the-art server equipment. Using the self-leveling ARDEX PC-T™ topping, the substrate was poured flat and level, allowing for a smooth finish suitable for sensitive fiber-optic and data cables. To accommodate the open floor plan, the PC-T was placed in large sections with high-frequency pumps, ensuring efficient installation and virtually invisible transitions between 10 poured sections. The overlay was then polished to a 400-grit finish, and with PC-T’s 6,100 PSI compressive strength and ability to polish within 24 hours, the space reopened to other trades ahead of schedule—ultimately finishing 30 days early.The Solution
Given the challenges, scope and parameters of this project, Aaron Christianson of ARDEX, Mark Pryor and Warren Wilson, both of Performance Floor Systems, Inc., recommended the ARDEX Polished Concrete System™ for this installation. Performance Floor Systems is an ARDEX Levelmaster Elite®, a network of ARDEX-endorsed, substrate preparation specialists in North America.
The ARDEX Polished Concrete System™ provides an integrated system of products and processes to install and process a polished overlay with high-performance, reliable and repeatable results. Due to self-leveling properties of the PC-T topping, the substrate was able to be poured flat and level, which was a strict requirement for the state-of-the-art server equipment. In addition, the proposed finish needed to be extremely smooth to install critical, fiber-optic and data cables which could not be damaged because a single section of compromised cable on a project of this scale could take weeks to discover and repair.
To accommodate the completely open floor plan of this space, the PC-T was poured in large sections, using high frequency pumps which increased installation efficiency. This installation approach resulted in transitions between each of the 10 poured sections that are virtually invisible. After placement of the PC-T, the overlay was polished using graduated polished tooling up to a 400-grit resin. Because the PC-T has a high compressive strength of 6,100 PSI and can be polished within 24 hours, the general contractor was able to quickly open the space up to other trades, keeping the project ahead of schedule by 30 days.
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