Jan 12, 2023 | Uncategorized
Maybe polished concrete is not the first thing that pops to mind when someone mentions “being green.” Recycling, conservation, and slow fashion get lots of press, as well they should. Still, when the talk winds down at the end of the day, everyone’s standing on...
Dec 9, 2022 | Advice & Tips
Handheld trowels have been around for thousands of years, utilized especially in excavations, construction, and gardening. Then, in the 20th century, came the power trowel. Utilized in medium-to-large concrete surface projects, the power trowel is engineered with...
Nov 29, 2022 | Customer Highlights
In the spring of 2019, the first phase of a 1.2-billion-dollar modernization of O’Hare International Airport kicked off with grand expectations. Some of the many improvements included adding 10 new gates, renovating more than 750,00 sq/ft of the existing building, and...
Nov 28, 2022 | Advice & Tips
Tooling pads in the concrete surface industry have been used since the dawn of wet polishing through the rise of dry polishing in the ‘90s. While floor grinders have seen their share of evolutionary changes over the years, diamond tooling has evolved just as much....
Nov 10, 2022 | Advice & Tips, Featured Products
Concrete grinders, scarifiers, shot blasters and scabblers – these tools help contractors with the preparation of concrete surfaces. Whether it’s a repair job, new project, or decorative work, each machine has specific strengths that help professionals perform their...
Nov 2, 2022 | Advice & Tips
Imagine you’re at the premier surface prep convention and someone asks, “What’s better to take down a slab of concrete, a shaver or a grinder?” Viewpoints could vary, right? Chances are, there would be more opinions tossed around than beach balls at a Jimmy...
Oct 27, 2022 | Advice & Tips, Featured Posts
Last week, we realized we were in need of a nice-looking workbench for magnetic preload system assembly. When we started thinking of creative ways to use materials around the shop, we had a great idea. We came up with a tabletop made of materials that are 10x stronger...
Oct 26, 2022 | Advice & Tips
If you’ve ever seen Game of Thrones, you’ll know that when a character says, “Winter is coming,” that dangerous things are on the horizon. And if you haven’t seen the show, I’ll fill you in. They’re talking about zombies. And what could be worse than...
Oct 11, 2022 | Advice & Tips, Featured Products
Priming concrete is the all-important third step when painting concrete – right behind cleaning thoroughly to remove dirt and efflorescence (the white powder often found on damp concrete) and applying a sealer to inhibit moisture damage. For exterior and...
Sep 26, 2022 | Advice & Tips
“A man walks into a dairy farm pushing a concrete shaver with one hand and carrying a box of diamond blades in the other…” Could this be the beginning of a bad joke? Perhaps, but it could also be a concerned dairy farmer merely looking to upgrade his concrete floors...
Sep 12, 2022 | Advice & Tips
High-gloss finishes bring a visually appealing touch to concrete surfaces, one that’s especially popular in commercial projects but can be just as well utilized in residential applications. To achieve a high-gloss finish on concrete, you can either polish the surface...
Sep 7, 2022 | Runyon Roots
“Mechanic” Dan East is the quintessential Hoosier. A child of the 60’s, he was born in Beech Grove, at Saint Francis hospital, just down the street from the 19th century home that his grandparents had lived in since 1928. And he still owns this home. Dan was the...
Aug 15, 2022 | Advice & Tips
When finished adequately and maintained well, concrete surfaces should keep up a good quality visual appearance for several years. That said, many influences over time can cause concrete to crack, discolor, deteriorate, or become unlevel. Runyon Surface Prep has...
Jul 23, 2022 | Advice & Tips
The guidelines for staining concrete typically remain the same for most situations, the staining itself can be a relatively painless process once you know what you’re doing. How difficult the application is will depend on the circumstances of the project, like the...
Jul 12, 2022 | Advice & Tips
The best way to grind down concrete for any given project will depend on the amount of concrete you need to grind as well as the surface texture you want to leave behind. Some projects may require a simple walk-behind floor grinder with a modest tooling grit while...
Jun 23, 2022 | Advice & Tips
Floor grinders, shot blasters, power trowels – amid the list of surface prep equipment at the heart of concrete work, there are several tools that go underappreciated and underutilized, even by experienced professionals. Runyon Surface Prep is a sales and rental...
Jun 16, 2022 | Advice & Tips
What makes a good rental product? What are the attributes surrounding one? Typically, we look for elements like the capability of longevity – without it, the investment is practically useless. Other attributes often include a build made of quality materials for...
Jun 7, 2022 | Advice & Tips
Refining floors for a quality polish is a vital step in finalizing concrete surface projects both large and small; commercial and residential. Commercial stakeholders rely on surface professionals to deliver a surface that reflects the integrity of their businesses...
Jun 2, 2022 | Industry Trends
Polishing concrete might be thought of as an art as much as a science. To be blunt, techniques exist that could be used to make a floor “appear” to be within contracted specs, even when it’s not. Most importantly, one cannot possibly verify that a job has been done...
May 31, 2022 | Industry Trends
Let’s be honest, when it comes to holding contractors to specs, it’s always been an uphill battle. Maybe you gather your most experienced employees and let them “eye the shine.” Or if you are fortunate enough to have a meter, someone crouches down to take a reading,...
May 15, 2022 | Featured Posts, Industry Trends
Every so often the winds of change blow across the industrial landscape with a variable, albeit undeniable strength. The industrial revolution was a clear example. Proliferation of computer technology might be another. But what our present generation will see as the...
May 2, 2022 | Advice & Tips
Unlevel or deteriorating concrete presents dangers for guests, so much so that public municipalities must adhere to ADA guidelines for sidewalk hazards. There’s also the issue of aesthetic appeal and maintaining integrity in commercial and public concrete surfaces....
Apr 25, 2022 | Advice & Tips
While regular maintenance can uphold your concrete surface’s structural integrity for a long time, there are cases when a refresh or a complete surface overall is necessary. This is never more true than with commercial concrete surfaces. Unlike residential surfaces,...
Apr 10, 2022 | Advice & Tips
City municipalities have had their hands full lately, many governing bodies are catching up with their pandemic to-do lists and others are still trying to figure out how best to adapt. Amid the whirlwind of issues, the everyday city challenges remain prevalent. We’re...
Mar 30, 2022 | Advice & Tips
The wet polishing method has been around for over a century. Concrete surface professionals use wet polishing to prevent the surface from overheating and add a measure of safety from hazardous silica dust. Wet polishing can also reduce unnecessary friction on diamond...
Mar 23, 2022 | Advice & Tips
You may be working on new floor applications for a commercial developer or maybe you’ve been hired to repair the concrete surface of a rec center. Whatever the case, different concrete coatings provide different functions. Some surfaces are meant to display a company...
Mar 7, 2022 | Advice & Tips
Power trowels are a must-have when it comes to concrete surface prep equipment. Not only can they help you ready your concrete during initial installation, but you can also polish your concrete with them. In fact, some ride-on trowels can hold up to 60 tools at once,...
Feb 25, 2022 | Advice & Tips
As you probably know, the quality of a good concrete surface installation depends heavily on the troweling step. Smoothing out the concrete finish and working out excess moisture from the fresh concrete will set up new flooring for long-term success and ultimately...
Feb 18, 2022 | Advice & Tips
Exterior concrete surfaces can be fickle, surrounded by influential factors like water and cold temperatures, and are more likely to be public property with specific design requirements. So, the best outdoor concrete surface equipment will have dynamic features and be...
Feb 10, 2022 | Advice & Tips
As is typical of most abrasive equipment and accessories, the effectiveness of your grind or polish relies heavily on the quality of your attachments. Yes, the variations in the grit of tooling will make a difference in the fineness of the grind. But some tools of the...
