|
THE CHALLENGE: The 2,600 sq.ft. floor of an elementary school cafeteria was VCT installed over a part concrete, part wooden base. Serious termite infestation had seriously damaged the wooden area resulting in uneconomically high maintenance costs with no permanent solution in sight. Permanent repair of the floor had to be accomplished during a three week Christmas period when the facility was unoccupied.
THE SOLUTION: The damaged wooden floor and substructure was demolished and removed and replaced with quick curing 7-sack concrete. VCT tiles were removed from the existing concrete area.
The entire floor surface was abrasive blasted using a centrifugal blaster after a 10-day curing period for the new concrete. Following this surface preparation a custom color vinyl chip BIO-FLOR™ 182 seamless epoxy system was installed using school district maintenance personnel. This system comprised a mixture of colored vinyl chips incorporated into a clear BIO-FLOR™ epoxy binder applied over a pigmented BIO-FLOR™ epoxy base. The extremely rapid cure time of the BIO-FLOR™ 182 system and complete freedom from odor simplified the installation and permitted the return of chairs and tables to the cafeteria the day following application of the final glaze coat.
BIO-FLOR™ 182 has been installed in over a million square feet of all types of flooring including concrete loading docks, plywood decking, asphalt planking, VCT and VAT encapsulation. Its special properties of extremely rapid curing, absence of odor and hazard free formulation make it particularly suitable for use in facilities which have to be occupied by other trades during flooring installation. A typical flooring installation takes less than 24 hours from beginning of surface preparation to release for unrestricted service including forklift traffic.
|
RESULT: The termite plagued wooden floor has been replaced with a termite proof concrete floor finished in a low maintenance, seamless and extremely attractive epoxy surface. Previous experience with this system promises the new installation will retain its high gloss and slip resistant texture for many years of trouble free service. Applications made over five years ago on VAT prepared only by stripping according to OSHA guidelines are still in perfect condition after extreme exposure to continuous forklift traffic in busy materials handling facilities. The seamless BIO-FLOR™ 182 surface is resistant to all disinfectants including strong bleach and satisfies USDA requirements for flooring exposed to incidental food contact.
For more information regarding this project contact:
Jeff Longmore, Technical Director
Thin Film Technology, Inc.
P.O. Box 580669
Houston TX 77258-0669
Phone: (713) 910-6200
FAX: (713) 910-6210
Email: jeff@thinfilmtech.net
|
