The tile buster, available from Kennards Concrete Care , is a device normally used to prise thickly embedded tiles from concrete floors. The tile buster saved the day when an unusual magnesite topping had to be removed from an 1800 square metre slab.
Kennards Concrete Care came up with the solution for Barassi Constructions, which was converting a former clothing factory outlet into an office-retail complex, after testing several options.
Two tile busters were mounted on the head of a floor scraper that was attached to a tracked mini loader. They cut deep, clear lines through the magnesite, breaking the tension between the closely bonded particles that came away in chunks.
Magnesite is a soft, cork-woodchip type material that was used as a levelling compound on concrete slabs during the 1960s and 1970s. Barassi Constructions needed to remove this flooring before grinding and polishing the floor.
When thicker sections of magnesite were encountered the scraper was unable to penetrate deeply enough, even with multiple blades in use. A section of the floor was then soaked with water to see if this would resolve the issue, but it had the opposite effect and produced a bog which made it hard for the mini loader to function and grip.
After more testing the tile busters were mounted on the scraper head and applied to the thickest area and achieved immediate success. Once the surface had been cut by the tile busters the scraper blades could be re-fitted and the job was finished with ease.
Alan Barassi, of Barassi Constructions, said he was a regular hirer from Kennards Concrete Care and was confident they would come up with a solution.
“Konrad Stempniak, who liaised with us on site, was very helpful and went out of his way to find the quickest method,” Alan added.
Angus Kennard, founder of Kennards Concrete Care, said the job was another example of the specialist division’s aim to solve customers’ problems, not just hire equipment.