Tire Tough

The Best One Tire & Service located in New Haven, Indiana called out to Martin Riley Architects and Briner Building, Inc. to renovate and update their high traffic lounge area. This space was calling for a clean and contemporary interior; a space away from tires and automotive grease where customers could unwind and lounge while waiting for their automotive services. This space was once dark since the floor was covered with black stamped concrete. Our team got on board to create a flooring system that would be both durable and attractive for this lounge space. While the client originally decided on polished concrete floors (a great choice for high-traffic areas), we were immediately confronted with a small problem; the floor that was desired was a smooth-cream finish and the unleveled floor was not allowing for even polishing. As the team began grinding off the existing concrete overlay, they quickly found that the existing uneven flooring material would not give way to the desired cream and smooth appearance. Large stone aggregate began showing up in some areas while other areas remained cream. After the design team agreed to the cream concrete overlay, they selected their custom gray color to complement Best One’s brand and new color scheme. Our trained craftsmen then began to hand trowel a 1/16” overlay over the newly leveled floor. After the hand troweling application the team sanded down any high ridges to reveal a smooth, yet slip resistant, concrete overlay. The floor was topped off with a three-coat, two-part catalyzed satin water-based urethane; the final touch for durability and protection. To prevent random cracking in the overlay, the team then re-cut in the existing control joints and filled the cuts with an elastomeric joint-fill product to complement the floor’s overall color. The end result was a custom masterpiece which displays unique color movement and tone variations. This hand-troweled flooring solution is a great product for those looking for a unique, artistic, and hand-crafted look. The smooth troweling paired with variations in the color movement allow each cream overlay to be as individual as your design style. Check out our skilled craftsmen laying down this unique flooring system and some more photos below.