polymer floor & wall coatings: selection, preparation, installation and troubleshooting
TRANSCRIPT
System Selection Criteria
• Physical: Light foot traffic or heavy mechanized traffic?Industrial process or laboratory/clean room?
• Chemical: Cleaning agents, process chemicals, combinations.
• Temperature: Freezers, steam washdown, extreme ambient temps.
• Electro-static: High-voltage equipment, static-generating machinery
• Value Engineering: Floor design for the immediate environment Multiple issues occurring over one area
When designing a floor and/or wall system, selection of products will depend upon working environment and severity of use.
Systems
• Coatings• Slurries• Mortars• Urethane Cement• Wall systems
When designing a floor and/or wall system, selection of products will depend upon working environment and severity of use.
Coatings
Advantages:• Inexpensive• Aesthetics• Cleanability• Concrete protection• Chemical resistance*
Disadvantages:• Resistance to physical abuse• Repair of poor substrate
conditions• Less product for the same
amount of surface preparation• Life-cycle costing
What is a Slurry?
Resinous coatings filled with aggregate (approximately 2 parts aggregate to 1 part resin) which is applied at 1/16” to 3/8” in thickness.
Advantages:• Great value/installed cost• Significant improvement to
abuse compared to coatings• Non-skid applications• Resin-rich systems
Disadvantages:• Moderate to good resistance to
physical abuse• Will not resurface poor
concrete• Thermal shock resistance• Downtime
What is a Mortar?
Resinous coatings filled with aggregate (approximately 4 or 5 parts aggregate to 1 part resin), which is applied by trowel and finished. The systems range in thickness from 3/16” to 3/8”.
Advantages:• Resistance to physical abuse• Resurface poor concrete• Thermal shock resistance• Life-cycle costing
Disadvantages:• Cost• Skill level required for
installation• Resin-aggregate ratios• Downtime
What is a Urethane Cement?
Urethane emulsion combined with cement and silica sand (approximately 3 parts aggregate to 1 part resin), which is raked and finished at ¼” to 3/8” thickness.
Advantages:• Great resistance to physical
abuse• Bond in wet environments• Thermal shock resistance• Fast installations• Chemical resistance
Disadvantages:• Aesthetics• Cost• Limited colors• Skill level required for
installation
Wall Systems
High-build coating systemsFiberglass reinforced epoxy systemsFlexible epoxy wall systems
Advantages:• Chemical resistance• Wash-down resistance• Impact resistance• Gloss retention• Cleanability• Aesthetics
Disadvantages:• Cost• Substrate imperfections• Downtime
Concrete Requirements: Mix Design
• Standard mix design:
• Topical treatment: Seamless, film-building sealers, form release
• Fiber reinforcement: Coatings, self leveling floors 3/16”
• High early mix design:
• Concrete additives: Plasticizers, Gill 33
Proper concrete mix design can produce a slab that is ideally suited for bonding to a polymer topping.
Successful Concrete
• Sub grade
• Vapor barrier
• Water to cement ratio
• Aggregate selection and gradation
• Finishing
• Curing
• “At-use” environment
• Surface preparation
• Moisture testing
• Control conditions of installation
• Dew point vs. surface temperature during installation
Concrete Concerns
• Moisture vapor transmission
• Levelness of installation
• Drain height
• Lightweight concrete
• Fly ash pozzolans
Moisture-related issuesImproper treatment of moisture-related issues can result in blisters,
delamination and potentially a complete floor system failure.
Moisture Measurement: A simple calcium chloride test will determine the presence and force of any moisture migrating through the slab. Acceptable levels vary with each system and manufacturer.
Causes: Fast-track construction schedulesMix design (wet pour)Topical treatments (slow hydration)Pouring slab in a panGround or soil conditionsHumidity inside vs. outsideChemistry changes in flooring products
Treatments for Moisture ProblemsThere are several techniques/products available for the
prevention and remediation of moisture-related problems.
• Slab design: vapor barrier, mix design
• Time: may not be on your side
• Temperature and humidity control
• Topical vapor barriers (Aqua Armor, Koester, FloorSeal)
• Product or System: water-based products, thin “breathable” coatings and urethane cements
Scheduling & Planning for Work
Heat: Temperature must be at least 55*F for coatings and toppings. 65*F to 75*F is ideal for most systems. Room/slab temperature directly affects coverage rates of product.
Light: The presence of finished lighting impacts application schedules, cure time and aesthetics of finished floor.
Power supply: 220v 3-phase, 60 Amp. or 480v 3-phase, 30 Amp. Installation equipment pulls total of amperage when starting up, and will blow breakers.
A timely and efficient mobilization requires room preparation and proper communication between Project Management,
Flooring Contractor, and all other trades.
Scheduling & Planning for Work
Other Trades: Damage to floors, walk off job site, power, lighting
Effect on existing operations: Product odor, contamination of inventory, work areas adjacent to application, fire, safety
Effect on facility operations and return to service.
Slab Preparation
Chemical process: Effective in the removal of adhesives, oils, animal fats. Acid etching, stripping, detergents.
Mechanical process: Shot blasting, grinding, scarifying, scabbling.
Water process: Water jet blasting is entirely dust free. Consider its effect on product selection and time of application.
Dust Control: All slab prep machinery is connected to vacuum with HEPA filtration.
Wrap-up
Return to service: Maximum allowable shut-down time can dictate the type of system and product selected. Quick-cure polymers, such as MMA and urethane concrete systems can greatly reduce application time and return facilities to service in a matter of hours.
Application rates: Installation rates will vary with required prep work, system selected, product manufacturer and schedule. Per-foot rates can range from $2.00/ft. up to $12.00/ft. or more.