Select an appropriate concrete surface preparation profile (CSP) before applying a protective coating, sealer, or overlay to concrete

Steps

1. Reference ICRI Technical Guideline No. 310.2R ('Selecting and Specifying Concrete Surface Preparation for Sealers, Coatings, Polymer Overlays, and Concrete Repair'), and check icri.org/store for the current edition before citing a year, since the widely cited 310.2R-2013 edition may have been updated
2. Match the coating/overlay system's manufacturer-specified profile requirement to the ICRI CSP 1-10 scale (CSP 1 nearly flat through CSP 10 very rough, greater than 1/4 in. amplitude) rather than guessing a profile from experience alone
3. As a general guide, thin sealers/low-build coatings typically call for CSP 1-2, high-build epoxy/urethane coatings CSP 3-5, and thick polymer overlays/cementitious toppings CSP 6+ — but always confirm the specific target against the actual product data sheet, since requirements vary by manufacturer and product
4. Select a surface preparation method (shotblasting, scarifying, grinding, acid etching, etc.) capable of achieving the target CSP range, referencing 310.2R's method capability/limitation summary
5. Verify achieved profile against ICRI concrete surface profile comparison chips/plates rather than by visual estimate alone, and document the comparator result as part of substrate acceptance