Patterning tape doesn't stick

Concrete Construction, June, 2003

Q. My company installs thin decorative concrete toppings. We frequently use fiber tapes to create patterns in our work, but the tape we have been using doesn't stick when it's hot. Do you have any suggestion about a brand or type of tape that would work?

A. If the tape you are using doesn't stick to paper in hot weather, it's indeed time to find a different product. The best method is to try several brands and see which one works best, but there may be other reasons your tape is not sticking to the surface. It's customary to place a "trowel coat" on the slab first to provide a joint color to the finished product. If there is too much moisture content in this coating when you are trying to apply the tape, it will not stick. Either waiting longer or passing a torch quickly back and forth to dry the surface could solve the problem.