Whole Foods Market — Indianapolis, IN

E5® eliminated traditional curing steps and gave finishers back control—accelerating access to the slab while meeting polished-floor expectations.

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Project Snapshot

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Ready-Mix: Shelby Materials
General Contractor: Ryan Companies
Concrete Polisher: VTI
Recommended System: E5® Internal Cure (at batch plant) + E5® Catalyst (topical)
Schedule Gain: Immediate access; up to 7 days saved vs. wet curing.

About Whole Foods

Whole Foods Market is a U.S. grocery chain founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, known for pioneering natural and organic food retail. The brand enforces strict ingredient standards—no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or hydrogenated fats—and emphasizes sustainability and quality. Acquired by Amazon in 2017, Whole Foods operates hundreds of high-traffic stores where polished and decorative concrete is integral to the guest experience and store operations. As a premium retailer, it demands durable, hygienic, and visually consistent surfaces across sales floors, prep spaces, and back-of-house.

The Challenge

Retail environments demand fast schedules and clean substrates. Traditional wet curing slows the critical path and topical curing membranes can jeopardize flooring warranties or add costly removal steps. The team needed polished-floor performance without extra chemicals or delays.

The E5® Solution

E5® Internal Cure was dosed at the plant and E5® Catalyst was applied topically during finishing. Together they replaced wet curing and eliminated separate hardeners/sealers—improving workability for placement/finish, increasing abrasion resistance, and supporting high FF/FL floors. Crews gained faster, safer access to proceed with build-out.

Products Used

Built-In Performance: The E5® System Behind the Results. This project’s outcomes weren’t accidental—they were engineered into the slab. By pairing the right admixtures and surface systems, we delivered internal curing, faster access, and a harder, more resilient finish that stands up to real-world demands.

E5® Internal Cure

Dosed at the batch plant, Internal Cure provides true internal curing—keeping mix water available for continued hydration and eliminating the need for wet curing or topical curing compounds. Crews get easier pump/place/finish, faster safe access to the slab, and improved FF/FL consistency for polished retail floors. The result is a denser matrix with reduced shrinkage risk and fewer schedule-killing callbacks.

E5® Internal Cure

E5® Catalyst

Applied topically in conjunction with Internal Cure, Catalyst creates a micro-grout that reduces drag and stabilizes the surface during finishing. It increases pozzolanic reactivity at the surface to form an extremely hard, dense, abrasion-resistant wear layer—ideal for polished and dyed floors in high-traffic retail. Catalyst also supports moisture and pH control at the surface, helping protect adhesives and finishes while accelerating turnover.

E5® Catalyst

Schedule

The project team aimed to compress the critical path by eliminating wet curing and avoiding separate curing compound application and removal. Concrete needed to be pumpable, placeable, and finishable in tight windows so trades—refrigeration, racking, electrical, and tenant build-out—could mobilize quickly without slab restrictions. Using plant-dosed admixtures and a coordinated finishing sequence reduced steps, helped crews gain earlier safe access, and limited schedule risk from weather variability or rework tied to moisture-related floor issues.

Performance Needs

Whole Foods required a polished retail slab with high FF/FL for long aisle runs, consistent gloss, and a blemish-free appearance under bright lighting. The surface had to resist abrasion from carts and pallet jacks, tolerate routine cleaning chemicals and occasional food-related spills, and minimize dusting/efflorescence. Moisture and pH control at the surface were also critical to protect coatings or adhesives used in designated zones, while maintaining low-VOC, hygienic conditions suitable for food prep and back-of-house operations. Long-term durability (reduced shrinkage and permeability) was essential to limit maintenance and callbacks.

Project Overview

The team used the E5® system to simplify curing, eliminate curing compounds, and improve production. Workability gains supported better finishing, while internal curing and the Catalyst surface treatment delivered the polished-floor performance Whole Foods required.

How E5® Elevated Performance

By removing wet curing and topical membranes, E5® reduced steps, labor, and risk. Crews reported faster access and a denser, harder surface that stands up to retail abrasion—meeting or exceeding owner expectations.