SUPERIOR FLOORING FOR SA’S BIGGEST DIY HYPERMARKETS
The fourth Leroy Merlin store in Fourways, North of Johannesburg, recently opened its doors to resounding success. These do-it-yourself hypermarkets are based on a concept of offering customers all their DIY needs under one roof.
Covering a massive 10 000m², the flooring for these hypermarkets form a key component in their offering, as it is where customers shop, experience and interact. To deal with the meandering foot traffic through the various DIY sections – featuring every possible DIY tool, product and accessory you can think of – the store’s flooring had to deliver superior aesthetics while being extremely durable and hardwearing.
Concrete expertise
Given the specifications and scale of this project, the preferred service provider for the concrete flooring was local company, CHC-SA concrete floors PTY Ltd, with 27 years of concrete construction experience, and its managing partner, Chris Howes.
“This is the second Leroy Merlin store flooring that we have installed. The first was their Boksburg store and we are privileged to have been contracted for the Fourways store as well,” says Howes.
“The project offered not only the challenge of being such a large space but needed to excel both from a functional and aesthetic point of view, as the entire concept is one of an open plan hyperstore filled with the best in DIY solutions.”
The project
The flooring component of the 14-day project started with the placement of CHC’s laser screed to ensure accurate placement and levelling for the application of a dry shake colour floor hardener, which is applied to the wet concrete.
The floor was then mechanically power floated and finished and needed to cure, using water and a plastic covering. Once the curing was complete, MACTOOL’s premium lithium densifier for concrete surfaces was applied. It reacts with the concrete to produce insoluble calcium silicate hydrate within the concrete pores.
The floors were completed using MACTOOL’s diamond concrete polishing pads to achieve the overall look and shine, including improved scratch removal, thereby achieving the required appearance and durability as per the client’s brief.
Strategic partnerships
For this project, CHC-SA concrete floors called on the expertise of their longstanding partner MACTOOL, to whom Howes says they often turn to for solutions and smarter ways of doing things. “Both companies are built on a relationship-based foundation, creating much needed synergy and mutual support,” says Howes.
When asked why MACTOOL, Howes notes, “It is simple – they are good people. MACTOOL is open to innovation, they are solutions-focused and willingly share their expertise as part of their offering, which is why we keep going back to them. It has resulted in a long-standing partnership ensuring that we deliver the best outcome for our customers, while continually improving what we do.”
Casting concrete
Asked about the most important aspect of casting concrete, Howes says, “Without a doubt, it is that the concrete is cast by competent contractor, coupled with a consistent supply of quality concrete and using the right type of aggregate.”
He noted that these are vital steps, especially in large scale projects. For quality concrete, Howes and his team called one of their preferred suppliers, Scribante Concrete, with whom they also have a longstanding relationship.
The project was completed on schedule, on budget and fully met the specifications of the brief. Howes concludes with the following words, “Our 27 years of experience with concrete has resulted in us being a leading contractor in this space. However, we could not have achieved our success without the dedication and commitment of every person on the team, including the support of service providers such as MACTOOL.”