Over the last three decades or so, protection of concrete floors has become quite a sophisticated process of some type of protective surfacing or coating. The main aim is to protect the slab from contamination, or provide added benefits such as ease of maintenance. No other surface is subjected to more abuse than floors in a building, irrespective of whether it is industrial or residential. This article examines how to choose the best abrasion resistant coatings for floors.
Floors face all kinds of abuse such as impact, chemical attack, abrasion and shock. Concrete floors are not designed to withstand such continuous abuse. They are usually porous and have a tendency to accumulate dust due to wear and abuse. As a result if this, concrete floors need some kind of protection no matter where they are located. A problem occurs when determining the kind of protective coating to choose from the wide variety.
Total floor protection should form a basis of floor protection, both old and new. The step by step process of getting a coating will give the building owner something to guide him in the selection. To facilitate the search for an ideal application for floor coating, a process that is very complete has to be observed. One should however bear in mind that in addition to choosing the coating, the system must also be complete on a basis of thickness, applications and aesthetics.
Classification of coatings for concrete floors is by thickness, appearance, finish and polymer type. By following the selection process to the letter, the thickness together with appearance settings can be narrowed down. The classification according to polymer type can be somewhat hard, thus requiring help when making performance comparison and data review. Formulations for coating using polymers come in their thousands, with each of those varying from another significantly.
Some of the most commonly applied polymers are epoxies and polyurethanes. For each type, performance and data vary significantly. Urethanes are utilized for thin film to high build coatings, have outstanding abrasion and wear resistance, good gloss retention as well as excellent stain and chemical resistance. Some of the polymers have good elastomeric properties, making them ideal for waterproofing uses as a result of their low permeability. Most coatings made from urethanes contain solvents.
Epoxy formulations utilized in coating concrete floors are typically non-volatile, have good to excellent abrasion and chemical resistance, excellent adhesion, as well as remarkable mechanical properties. Some of its applications include crack repair, bonding adhesives, toppings, concrete coating and overlays. Recently, epoxy/urethane hybrids and combinations have given polymer materials excellent stress relieving, thermal properties as well as impact resistance.
There are a number of abuse areas that dictate what coating a concrete floor needs. One is chemical exposure, with types of chemicals and exposure being very important. When it comes to chemical resistance, materials differ widely, making the identification of exposure quite important. Common spills and splashes are far less critical when compared to constant immersion.
A fluctuation in temperature or thermal shock is a property to consider during the selection of abrasion resistant coatings. A bond loss may be caused by thermals shocks like floor steam cleaning.
Floors face all kinds of abuse such as impact, chemical attack, abrasion and shock. Concrete floors are not designed to withstand such continuous abuse. They are usually porous and have a tendency to accumulate dust due to wear and abuse. As a result if this, concrete floors need some kind of protection no matter where they are located. A problem occurs when determining the kind of protective coating to choose from the wide variety.
Total floor protection should form a basis of floor protection, both old and new. The step by step process of getting a coating will give the building owner something to guide him in the selection. To facilitate the search for an ideal application for floor coating, a process that is very complete has to be observed. One should however bear in mind that in addition to choosing the coating, the system must also be complete on a basis of thickness, applications and aesthetics.
Classification of coatings for concrete floors is by thickness, appearance, finish and polymer type. By following the selection process to the letter, the thickness together with appearance settings can be narrowed down. The classification according to polymer type can be somewhat hard, thus requiring help when making performance comparison and data review. Formulations for coating using polymers come in their thousands, with each of those varying from another significantly.
Some of the most commonly applied polymers are epoxies and polyurethanes. For each type, performance and data vary significantly. Urethanes are utilized for thin film to high build coatings, have outstanding abrasion and wear resistance, good gloss retention as well as excellent stain and chemical resistance. Some of the polymers have good elastomeric properties, making them ideal for waterproofing uses as a result of their low permeability. Most coatings made from urethanes contain solvents.
Epoxy formulations utilized in coating concrete floors are typically non-volatile, have good to excellent abrasion and chemical resistance, excellent adhesion, as well as remarkable mechanical properties. Some of its applications include crack repair, bonding adhesives, toppings, concrete coating and overlays. Recently, epoxy/urethane hybrids and combinations have given polymer materials excellent stress relieving, thermal properties as well as impact resistance.
There are a number of abuse areas that dictate what coating a concrete floor needs. One is chemical exposure, with types of chemicals and exposure being very important. When it comes to chemical resistance, materials differ widely, making the identification of exposure quite important. Common spills and splashes are far less critical when compared to constant immersion.
A fluctuation in temperature or thermal shock is a property to consider during the selection of abrasion resistant coatings. A bond loss may be caused by thermals shocks like floor steam cleaning.
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