AUSTIN
INNOVATIVE SURFACES OF TEXAS
Innovative Surfaces of Texas, Inc.
CONCRETE BEAUTIFICATION: Pools, Patios, Walks, Driveways, Etc.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is I.S.T. Coatings?
A. I.S.T. Coatings is basically a colored concrete resurfacing material made of portland cement, silica sand, polymers and acrylic bonding agents.
Q. How thick is it?
A. We generally apply I.S.T. Coatings to new and old concrete from
1/16” to 3/16” thick, though it can be applied as thin or as thick as necessary, depending on the concrete.
Q. How do you Apply I.S.T. Coatings?
A. It is sprayed, troweled or stamped on.
Q. What does it look like?
A. It is a textured surface. The base coat, if necessary on old concrete, is sprayed in a smooth coat or poured and squeegeed on over the concrete. After that is dry, a texture coat is sprayed out of a hand-hopper with material covering 70-80% of the base coat in small drops. These drops are then troweled smooth and are comfortable to walk on. A colored finish coat is then applied.
Q. What colors does it come in?
A. We have a variety of colors to choose from, though we generally apply it in earth tones that are the most pleasing to the entire landscaping area. We also custom blend colors at a minimal price
Q. What is the life expectancy of an I.S.T. Coatings application?
A. It has the life expectancy of concrete. I.S.T. Coatings is actually harder than concrete in PSI strength.
Q. How long does it take to do a job?
A. It can take 1 to 4 days depending if it is new or old concrete, size of the job and weather conditions, etc. The base coat is allowed to dry for 3 - 6 hours. Then apply the texture coat, which dries in approximately 1 - 3 hours.
We then apply the finish coat, which dries in approximately 1-2 hours.
Q. How do you treat and control expansion joints?
A. All existing control joints should remain in the deck to allow for expansion and contraction of the concrete. They are not coated with I.S.T. Coatings
They are masked off. We can, however, apply I.S.T. Coatings finish coat to the joints so they will match in color with I.S.T. Coatings application. We replace worn out control joint for a minimal fee
Q. Is it cool to walk on?
A. I.S.T. Coatings is cooler than concrete, carpet or epoxy rock applications.
Q. Is it Kool Deck?
A. No, Kool Deck is a product, which must be applied to freshly poured concrete within 5 hours, I.S.T. Coatings can be applied to new or old concrete. In
addition, I.S.T. Coatings is a 2 or 3 coat system and is sealed with a finish coat, which makes it more impervious to stains. (See above)
Q. Will pool water stain I.S.T. Coatings?
A. No.
Q. Will I.S.T. Coatings fade?
A. No, the acrylics in the finish coat make I.S.T. Coatings resistant to fading.
Q. Can you correct drainage and low spots?
A. We can generally improve drainage, however, the degree of success is contingent upon the pitch of the concrete adjacent to the low spot. The low Spot will have to be looked at personally by an estimator to let you know what you can expect.
Q. How do you treat cracks in the concrete prier to the I.S.T. Coatings application?
A. Small cracks are filled with I.S.T. Coatings Polyurethane. Larger cracks are filled with mastic self leveling material to prevent moisture from seeping in and out of the cracks. Which also allows the flexibility for ground movement to prevent further damage to the concrete slab. Shrinkage cracks require no additional treatment.
Q. Will the cracks reoccur?
A. Though we do everything possible to treat cracks and to eliminate 90% of them, it is possible they may reoccur. If they do, it is usually always in the form of a hairline, which is not objectionable as it is largely hidden in the texture. However, if a crack becomes objectionable and is large enough to fill, we will repair it for you for a small service charge.
Q. What if something happens to my deck after the guarantee expires?
A. The material is reparable to its original state. We service all decks past guarantees. Extended warranties are available.
Q. Can you apply I.S.T. Coatings over painted concrete?
A. 60% to 70% of the concrete must be free of paint so the I.S.T. Coatings can breathe.