Industrial Epoxy Flooring Case Study
With industrial epoxy flooring being a highly technical subject, one of the best ways to show its benefits is via case studies. To this end, we present to you today a case study about a meat processing plant in an old. We hope you find it informative and inspiring.
The Background
The meat processing plant in question had a scheduled inspection in their calendar forecast. One of the items listed at a previous inspection was a “future repair” to the flooring.
The concrete floor was an antique in a very old building. It was degraded, with many delaminating coatings, mostly bare, had ghastly stains of animal grease, soil, and other unnamed substances, and was a slip risk!
The owner had used various flooring materials but they all failed in the harsh plant conditions.
His latest attempt would be by a specialist. They would execute effective concrete preparation, use appropriate products and have a specialized team of professionals executes the preparation and installation.
The Challenge
The project had been left until very near to the inspection date so time was short. There was a single free weekend for concrete preparation, flooring installation and cure!
The temperature of the workspaces was between 7 deg C and 12 deg C. Standard floor coatings are best laid at 12 deg C. A temperature colder than that retards the curing time.
There was a strong presence of condensation so the floor was mostly very moist.
In food and beverage facilities, there is the use of acids, salts, and various chemicals which severely reduces the lifespan of concrete hence the cracks and other damage. Within this damage, you would find the mold and other pathogens multiplying rapidly.
Regularly steam-cleaning did take place in certain areas for sanitizing and grease break down. This exacerbates the damaging of the floor due to that degree of thermal shock.
The existing substrate was a risk of not being easy to adhere to/bond to.
The initial decision was to nominate a moisture-compatible, quick-curing, robust floor coating with a fierce bonding action.
Decision Factors
The team opted to go for a solvent-free, low emissions system, that could be applied directly (after prep) to concrete and could allow the skipping of the primer step (time), to make for a more timely epoxy application process as well as to test the readiness of surfaces without primer.
The product chosen would cure in 6-8 hours in the first phase. To make it ready for full traffic a finishing catalyst is added.
The moisture tolerant product would cope with a damp slab, expanding/contracting with the concrete, extreme temperature cycling including steam cleaning and have superior chemical resistance for the industry acids and alkalis.
In addition, it has antimicrobial properties as pathogens rarely get a foothold into these types of floorings.
Implementation
The team degreased the floor and executed mechanical repairs and preparation overnight. Subject to the assessment of each area’s substrate condition, the product was laid.
A floor-to-wall canted cove base was built and top coated.
Where requested by the owner, and with advice from the team, skid-resistance installed where necessary. With the extra catalyst, the floor was ready for work on Monday morning.
It was sanitary, safe, ready for new traffic surfaces in less than 72 hours and the inspection was a breeze!
If you need tough, sanitary, cost-saving, stress-reducing industrial epoxy flooring speak to our friendly team today by calling 905-259-2927 or through Email. Diotte Coating Services is an all-around service provider that prides itself on personalized customer service, reliability, and the highest quality standards.