Method of forming surface seeded particulate

Abstract

An improved surface seeded exposed particulate concrete and method of making the improved surface seeded exposed particulate concrete is disclosed. Small particulate is sprayed over the upper surface of the concrete. The particulate may be sprayed using a material sprayer. The particulate may be uniformly sprayed to distances exceeding twenty feet. The particulate is mixed into a cement paste derived from the concrete mixture using floats. A surface retarder is then applied to cover the concrete surface. Subsequently, any surface film is washed from the surface of the concrete and the concrete is cured. The result is a surface seeded particulate with an exposed surface that is flat and is suitable for high traffic areas. The resultant surface may resemble stone, granite or marble.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This is a continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 653,671, filed on Sep. 2, 2003, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 058,912, filed on Jan. 28, 2002, now abandoned.STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH / DEVELOPMENT [0002] (Not Applicable) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The present invention relates in general to exposed particulate concrete, and in particular to an improved method for surface-seeding the particulates into the upper surface of the concrete. [0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,788 entitled SURFACE SEEDED EXPOSED AGGREGATE CONCRETE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a surface seeded exposed aggregate concrete characterized by the use of small, rounded aggregate, such as sand, being broadcast over the upper surface of concrete. The method disclosed results in a reduction in the size of the aggregate exposed on th...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018] The washing of surface film may include applying water to the upper surface of the concrete mixture and lightly brushing the upper surface of the concrete mixture. Preferably, the lightly brushing removes no more than five percent of the particulate from the upper surface of the concrete mixture.

Problems solved by technology

However, the application of the surface seeded particulate is a timely process.

Furthermore, uniformity of application is difficult to achieve for large surface areas.

Typically, it is difficult to achieve a uniform application for surface areas which require broadcasting of particulate beyond a distance of ten feet from the broadcaster.

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