The key to effectively dying concrete is prepping the surface with cleaning tools, etching agents, and then sealing the dye after application to protect the quality of the color. Concrete dye can completely change the tone of a space. Eliciting warm or cool colors can...
Are you looking to learn how to paint concrete floors or a garage floor? Painting a concrete surface is more than just applying paint with a brush, it requires a systematic and professional approach to ensure a stable and effective job. It also means using the...
So, what is a garage? Defined by Merrian-Webster; it’s a shelter or repair shop for automotive vehicles. Sounds simple, right? A place to put your car. But nothing says a garage must have that stained, grey, cracked and/or damaged cement floor that is all too...
If you’re looking for a durable and long-lasting flooring option, concrete is a popular choice for commercial and residential projects. However, ensuring that you’re using the right concrete floor coating is essential for your floor’s longevity and...
Floor grinders, shot blasters, power trowels – amid the list of surface prep equipment at the heart of concrete work, several concrete finishing tools go underappreciated and underutilized, even by experienced professionals. We drafted this post to highlight the top...
Increasing in popularity in many different settings, polished concrete has become a flexible flooring alternative, from industrial warehouses to modern homes. Let’s explore the benefits and drawbacks of polished concrete by reviewing these five essential things...
Cleaning concrete floors in an industrial setting demands a specialized vacuum designed for the task. Fortunately, industrial vacuums for concrete floors have the power, efficiency, and filtration needed to handle heavy-duty cleaning jobs. This article explores...
Hailing from the hills of Southern Indiana, Drew Turnbull is a Hoosier through and through. A child of the 90’s, he was born in Bloomington; home to IU, Breaking Away, and John Mellencamp. But because his father was from Michigan and his family originally from Canada,...
When Friedrich Nietzsche asserted that “what separates two people most profoundly is a different sense and degree of cleanliness,” he couldn’t have known how prophetic his words would be. For instead of people, the same can be said of restaurants and bars today. With...
Are you planning to work on a concrete surface? The correct concrete surface preparation starts with the right equipment. The proper tools will help boost your efficiency and prevent the need for extra work. Whether a small or large project, inside or outside,...
Floors are not immune to scratches or stains, but you can remove stains from polished concrete and restore them using the proper tools. If you have any scratches or discoloration on your polished concrete, use diamond polishing pads and specially formulated cleaners...
“Runaround” Rob Harris has truly grown up on the move. Born in sunny West Palm Beach, Florida, back in ’95, he moved first to California, then back east again to Georgia, and then finally ended up in Indiana, all before he’d made it through kindergarten. The...
Thomas Edison once said, “The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.” And as history has shown him to be exceptionally clever, it stands to reason that protecting the brain and head might be a good idea, especially in dangerous environments. And now,...
If you’re looking into polishing concrete with a power trowel, we can help. The concrete flooring experts at Runyon Surface Prep have been big proponents of this method for years. In fact, we even developed an innovative magnetic preload system to streamline the...
When acquiring a shot blaster, one question is whether to purchase or rent the equipment. Both options have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. However, your choice will depend on your specific needs and circumstances. Let’s explore the pros and cons of...
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...
Originally designed to meet the demands of the film industry, Ram Board has since become a leading name in floor protection, including Ram Board for concrete surfaces. What is Ram Board? Ram Board protects concrete floors (among other floor types) from damage...
To protect polished concrete long-term, you’ll need the three vital sealers: penetrating, semi-penetrating guards and topical sealers, the main categories of stain protectors for polished concrete. Overall, each has its own features and benefits, and its own required...
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...
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...
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....
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...
Luckier companies and contractors have a little wiggle room for business expenses at the end of the year. There’s no better way to use up that budget than with concrete equipment that you can deduct from your year’s taxes via Section 179. Runyon Surface Prep offers an...
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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
“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...
