THE PROBLEM
The power floated concrete slab in the lorry showroom was proving difficult to clean and not in keeping with the high standards that our client operates at.
Lorry Showroom Epoxy Resin Flooring in Norfolk
THE SOLUTION
We proposed the application of an epoxy self smoother from Conica as a resin floor that would provide them with both the durability and aesthetics that our client desired.
Initially to ensure excellent adhesion to the concrete slab the floor was prepared by method of vacuum contained track blasting. Power floated concrete is an extremely dense substrate and the top polished layer must be removed in order to allow the epoxy resins to penetrate the concrete matrix and gain adhesion. Track blasting also perfectly profiles the floor providing a uniform mechanical surface profile for optimum adhesion of the new resin flooring.
Following preparation it became apparent that the floor was reinforced with plastic fibres. Whilst these assist in preventing crack formation in the concrete, their protrusion from the concretes surface presents and issue for the application of resin floor.
These were removed by means of burning using roofing torches to prevent them ‘wicking’ through the new epoxy flooring.
As part of our standard quality assurance the moisture content of the slab and the climatic conditions were tested prior to the application of any epoxy flooring materials. If the moisture content is too high or the climatic conditions incorrect the epoxy resins will not adhere correctly, resulting in a resin floor that will likely de-bond and not meet our clients expectations.
To confirm that the fibre removal had been effective a test area was primed and sanded as per the same procedure for priming the whole floor.
When applying epoxy self smoothing resin floors it is best practice to apply two coats of primer or ‘double prime’. The reason for this is to ensure that the slab is fully sealed as any entrapped air within the concrete slab can cause pin holing in the new epoxy flooring.
Two coats of Conica 115 were applied by method of squeegee and roller a practical coverage rate of 0.3Kg/m2. In between these two coats any minor defects were filled using a twin component filler prior to the application of a second primer coat.
The second primer coat was fully blinded with a fine 0.1mm – 0.3mm quartz aggregate to further help prevent pin hole formation and provide an excellent mechanical anchor the for the new epoxy self smoother
Great care was taken when applying all epoxy resin flooring materials on this project due to the high ambient temperatures. Our team waited until the slab temperature was stable or falling before applying any resin materials. The reason for this is that a rising slab temperature can cause entrapped air to expand, causing pin holing in each coat that can continue through to the finish.
Conica 570C was then applied using a notched rake and trowel to a thickness of 2mm. Once the epoxy resin self smoother had been spread on the floor it was thoroughly de-aerated using a spiked roller.
Finally expansion joints in the slab were reflected through the new epoxy flooring as per best resin flooring application practice. Many other contractors omit this critical step, which leads to cracking in the epoxy flooring when the slabs move through thermal cycling.
The recut expansion joints were sealed using a polyurethane jointing compound to ensure a seamless finish.
