Implementing maintenance or repair work on high-trafficked areas of commercial, residential and industrial facilities can be a challenging project for facility managers, because of the volume of activity and people that access such areas on a daily basis.
For trafficked areas with concrete flooring, one of the frequent problems is a failure in damp-proofing, causing water to infiltrate the area. In such cases, the industrial floor coating to apply is often a rapid-set cement-based product. The rapid-setting coat sets in less than 2-3 minutes, and this functions critically to halt the further spread of water. Industrial floor coating products which are based on epoxy-modified polymers then seal the floor effectively, and have been known to withstand large amounts of hydrostatic pressure afterwards.
For new or freshly-laid floorings, there is a risk of acquiring osmotic blistering that not only mars the appearance of the surface but also affects the coating quality, leading to coating failure. To prevent this, industrial floor coating products need to be poured out in specified thickness to aid in curing. A measure of fine sand is then broadcasted to the surface and, within 2 days after application, finishing coats can be applied to complete surface resistance against osmotic blistering.
The next blog will discuss industrial floor coating applications for freeze-thaw and minimal-downtime trafficked area floorings.
