Show TO PREVENT DUSTING OF CEMENT FLOORS i by albert M moyer 0 yer assoc alsoc am soc C E cement floors particularly in office buildings or warehouses which do not have the advantage of obtaining the necessary moisture from the atmosphere such as outside floors and sidewalks on which the dew falls at night if not properly protected and kept damp become prematurely dry and are therefore more or less porous and weak causing easy abrasion under foot traffic or what is commonly known as dusting care should be exercised in keeping such floors damp by covering with wet sand wet hay or straw for a week or more until the floor has properly har hardened denea it mis enis has not been done and the floors are found to dust under foot traffic the following remedy will be found very easy to accomplish economical and effective wash the floor thoroughly with clean water scrubbing with a stiff broom or scrubbing brush removing all dirt and loose particles allow the surface to dry as soon as dry apply a solution of one part water glass sodium silicate of 40 deg baume and three to four parts of water the proportion of water depending upon the porosity of the concrete the denser the concrete the weaker the solution requard stir well and apply this mixture with a brush a large white wash brush with long handle will be found the most economical do not mix a greater quantity than you can use in an hour if this solution is sufficiently thin it will penetrate the pores of the concrete allow the ithe concrete surface thus treated to dry As soon as dry wash oft off with clean water using a mop again allow surface to dry and apply the solution as before allow to dry and again wash off with clean water using a mop As soon as the surface is again dry apply the solution as before if the third coat does not flush to the surface apply another coat as above the sodium silicate which remains on the surface not having come in contact with the other al kalies in the concrete is readily soluble in water and can therefore be easily washed off thus evening up the color and texture of the floor that which has penetrated into the pores having come in contact with the other al kalies in the concrete has formed into an insoluble and very hard material harden hardening int the surface preventing dusting and adding mater materially a y to the wearing value of the floor |