MC-Bauchemie MC-Floor IC
A reactive lithium silicate that hardens, densifies and dust-proofs concrete slabs from within, without adding a single micron of surface film.
What is it?
A clear, water-based lithium silicate solution from MC-Bauchemie that chemically reacts inside cured concrete to harden and densify the slab.
Where is it used?
Warehouse and logistics floors, manufacturing plants, cold stores, food-processing areas, car park decks and any slab being prepared for polishing.
Why use it?
It permanently stops surface dusting, lifts abrasion resistance and raises floor hardness without an applied coating that can peel, blister or wear off.
How is it applied?
Flood the prepared, cured slab, keep it wet for 30-60 minutes, remove residue, and apply a second thinner coat once the first has reacted.
About MC-Bauchemie MC-Floor IC
MC-Floor IC is MC-Bauchemie’s reactive lithium silicate floor treatment, supplied as a clear aqueous solution that soaks into cured concrete rather than sitting on top of it. It is not a paint, sealer film or topping. Once inside the slab it reacts with the free lime left over from cement hydration, converting soft, dust-prone material into additional hard, dense calcium silicate. The result is a floor that is harder and tighter at the surface but looks and measures exactly as it did before treatment, because nothing has been added on top.
For engineers and facility owners this matters because the treatment cannot delaminate. A great deal of floor grief in Indian warehouses and plants comes from coatings that debond under fork-lift traffic, moisture drive or thermal cycling. MC-Floor IC sidesteps that failure mode entirely, since the hardening happens within the concrete matrix. It suits both brand-new slabs that need to be made durable before they go into service and tired existing floors that have started to dust, powder or lose their finish under wear.
The technical insight
The mechanism is a controlled pozzolanic-type reaction. Cured concrete always contains unreacted calcium hydroxide (free lime), a relatively soft and water-soluble by-product of cement hydration that is the usual culprit behind surface dusting. When MC-Floor IC penetrates the capillary network, its dissolved lithium silicate reacts with that free lime to precipitate insoluble calcium silicate hydrate, the same binder phase that gives concrete its strength. This new gel fills fine pores and micro-channels, so the pore structure tightens and surface hardness climbs from a typical Mohs 5-6 for plain concrete to roughly 7-8 after densification. Lithium is chosen over sodium or potassium silicate deliberately: the lithium ion is small and does not promote alkali-silica reaction, so the treatment densifies without introducing the ASR risk that heavier alkalis can carry. Because the reaction consumes free lime and leaves no film, the floor can subsequently be diamond-polished to a mechanical sheen once curing is complete.
Where it is used
- Hardening and dust-proofing new industrial slabs before they are commissioned
- Rescuing existing warehouse and factory floors that have begun to dust or powder
- Base densification ahead of mechanically polished concrete finishes
- Logistics centres and distribution hubs under continuous fork-lift and pallet-truck traffic
- Cold storage and food-processing floors where a coating would be undesirable
- Manufacturing and assembly plant floors needing higher abrasion resistance
- Multi-storey car park decks and ramps exposed to tyre wear
- Occupied or operational facilities where a low-odour, water-based treatment is required
Key advantages
- Densifies from within, so there is no film to peel, blister or delaminate
- Permanently reduces surface dusting and powdering
- Raises surface hardness from roughly Mohs 5-6 to 7-8
- Improves abrasion and wear resistance under heavy traffic
- Dries clear with no significant change to floor appearance
- Lithium chemistry densifies without triggering alkali-silica reaction
- Water-based and low odour, suitable for occupied and food-contact areas
- Leaves the slab ready for later diamond polishing
Limitations & considerations
- It is a densifier, not a decorative or high-gloss coating; sheen comes only from mechanical polishing
- Existing curing compounds and laitance must be ground or shot-blasted off first or penetration is blocked
- Slab should be at least 28 days old, and 60 days is preferred, before treatment
- On very dense or steel-trowelled slabs less free lime is available, so the hardening effect is reduced
- It improves an existing sound floor but will not repair cracks, spalling or structural defects
- Coverage varies widely with slab porosity, so trial areas are needed to confirm consumption
Selection & best practice
Start with the substrate. Diamond-grind or shot-blast the slab to remove any curing membrane, sealer or laitance and open the surface, then vacuum clean. Confirm the concrete is at least 28 days old (60 days is better) and free of standing water. Flood the first coat evenly using a mop, microfibre applicator or low-pressure sprayer and keep the surface wet for 30 to 60 minutes, working any dry patches back in so the silicate has time to react rather than dry out. Once the liquid stops being absorbed, remove residue before it films off, then allow 4 to 24 hours before a lighter second coat. Where the floor will be polished, wait at least 48 hours of curing before running diamond tooling. Always apply to a trial area first to gauge true consumption and appearance on that specific slab.
Specifications
| Product type | Reactive lithium silicate concrete densifier and hardener |
| Base chemistry | Aqueous lithium silicate solution (Li2SiO3 / Li2Si2O5) |
| Appearance | Clear to slightly hazy liquid; dries clear |
| Coverage, first coat | Approx. 4 to 8 m² per litre |
| Coverage, second coat | Approx. 8 to 15 m² per litre |
| Number of coats | Typically 2, with 4 to 24 hours between coats |
| Minimum concrete age | 28 days minimum; 60 days preferred |
| Surface hardness | Increases from approx. Mohs 5-6 to 7-8 after densification |
| Polishing | Diamond-polishable after minimum 48 hours curing |
Industry use cases
Warehousing & Logistics
Hardens and dust-proofs high-bay and distribution floors so fork-lift and pallet traffic no longer kicks up concrete dust onto stored goods.
Manufacturing & Heavy Industry
Raises abrasion resistance on plant floors, extending slab life under trolleys, tooling and point loading without a coating that can fail.
Cold Storage & Food Processing
Provides a hard, low-dust, water-based treatment for hygiene-sensitive areas where an applied film would be a contamination or debonding risk.
Polished Concrete Finishes
Acts as the densification step for architectural polished floors in showrooms, retail and offices, tightening the slab before diamond polishing.
Car Parks & Vehicle Decks
Toughens multi-storey deck and ramp surfaces against continuous tyre abrasion while keeping the exposed concrete look.
Frequently asked questions
Is MC-Floor IC a coating or a sealer?
Will it make my floor glossy?
Can I apply it to an old, dusting warehouse floor?
How old should the concrete be before treatment?
How much will I need for my floor?
Does Space Arc supply and apply MC-Floor IC across India?
How we position MC-Bauchemie MC-Floor IC
MC-Floor IC sits in MC-Bauchemie’s MC-Floor industrial flooring range. Where a slab needs more than densification, MC-Bauchemie’s MC-Floor epoxy and polyurethane systems provide a full built-up floor coating or screed instead of an in-depth treatment, and MC-Bauchemie surface repair mortars are the right partner where the slab first needs patching before densifying. Within the Fosroc range we distribute, Nitoflor LH is the direct lithium silicate equivalent, while Nitoflor Hardtop and Lithurin cover dry-shake and liquid hardener alternatives for new pours. For clients who want a decorative or chemically resistant finish rather than a densifier, we can instead specify a Fosroc Nitoflor or Sika epoxy floor system. Talk to Space Arc and we will match the treatment to how the floor is actually loaded and used.
Fosroc Nitoflor LH — Choose Nitoflor LH when the project is already specified around the Fosroc system or needs Fosroc’s documented ASTM C779 abrasion data, as it is the direct lithium silicate equivalent to MC-Floor IC.
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