Polymer Floor & Wall Coatings: Selection, Preparation, Installation

and Troubleshooting

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

Coating Application

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

Slurry Application

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

Mortar Application

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

Urethane Cement Application

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

Wall System Application

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.