Chemical Resistant Epoxy Selection

October 20, 2016

Requirements for a Chemical Resistant Epoxy

Our Epoxy and Vinyl Ester product lines has extensive uses in Chemical Containment
and Chemical Resistance projects. The kind of product and systems we recommend are
based on a number of factors.  First we need to know exactly what you are doing:

  1. Are you patching concrete that has been damaged already? If so what is the extent
    of the damage?
  2. Do you need a secondary containment coating? If so what kind of traffic (if any)
    will this area see? Many of our systems will handle very heavy traffic.
  3. Are there any cracks that need repairing? If so how many lineal feet of cracks
    are there, what is the average depth and what is the average width. Repairing the cracks
    is the first step in making your project water and chemical tight.
  4. Are you looking to grout tile? We have chemically resistant Epoxy Tile Grout that
    has excellent chemical resistance.
  5. Is there any petroleum oil saturated concrete in the area. If so we have a product
    for that too.
  6. Is there any moisture vapor that is being transmitted through the floor?  We
    have solutions for that so please bring that to our attention when you contact us.
  7. Is this in an area where Static Disruptive or Conductive materials are needed (typically
    only in an explosive environment or where delicate electronics must be protected
    from static discharge).
  8. Total square footage of area requiring Chemical
    Resistant Epoxy or Vinyl Ester.

Then we will need to know some specifics about the chemical you are trying to protect
against:

  1. What is the specific chemical (or chemicals) that you are trying to resist against?
  2. What is the specific concentration of the chemical (or chemicals)?
  3. What is the duration of the exposure, before it will be cleaned up (if ever)?
  4. Is the exposure at an elevated temperature? If so what is that temperature, and
    how long will the chemicals be at this elevated temperature

If you have this information when you contact us, we can quickly help you to decide
what chemical resistant system is best and most economical for you.

Here is some additional reading that might interest you.

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For more information contact Epoxy.com Technical Support at info@epoxy.com or by calling us at 352-533-2167.

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Posted by Norm Lambert

Fixing Floor Damage with Epoxy

September 6, 2016

Industrial and commercial floors take heavy abuse. The older the flooring the worse shape it is in. Conventional wisdom says that such a breakdown of the floor is inevitable. There are steps you can take to protect your floor before it gets damaged. Once the damage has happened there are steps you can take to permanently repair most damaged floors.

Floor joints, are the source of many industrial flooring problems. The purpose of these joints (in original construction) is to give the concrete a controlled place for the concrete crack as it shrinks. They sometimes are called expansion joints. In theory they will expand when the concrete gets hot.Indoors, where temperature is somewhat stable, most of their function of these joints has ended after 28 days or so of concrete. Concrete does most of it shrinking in the first 28 days.

wheel across empty joint

A wheel across an empty Joint

The downside of these joints in the concrete is that it gives a place for the concrete to start chipping away. See the highlighted (in blue) corners in the illustration to the right. When wheels pass across the top it hammers the edge in the opposite side of traffic flow. This breaks off tiny pieces of concrete (again drawn in blue as a triangle at the edges of the concrete joint). The bigger the area chipped out earlier, the bigger and faster additional chipping happens. Time goes on and “pot holes”start to form in the concrete joint in direct proportion to the number of times wheels have hit a given spot.This can become a major trip and forklift hazard.

The best way to prevent this concrete damage is to fill the joints with Epoxy.com  – Product #11-100% Solids Flexible Epoxy Joint Filler for Saw Cut Joints. The #11 is semi-flexible so it still allows some joint movement but (unlike caulking) is firm enough to support the hard wheel as it passes over the joint, virtually

wheel across a filled joint

Wheel Supported by #11 as it passes over the joint.

eliminating the pounding and chipping effect on the sides of the joint. See in this diagram how the #11 supports the wheel as it passes over the joint.

For application on flat surfaces Epoxy Joint Filler for Saw-Cut Control Joints Product #11 can be poured or pumped from an Epoxy.com Binary Pumping Systems. In areas where cosmetics are important mask both sides of the substrate before applying the material.

If the areas are bigger you can use Epoxy.com Product #12  blended with silica sand to make a mortar to fill epoxy_joint_repairthe pothole, then re-cut your joint with a concrete saw as shown in the diagram here. The Product #12 can also be mixed with silica sand and used to repair areas in the center of a slab that might have started as a random crack or because of a chemical spill or due to impact damage.

If you need the epoxy mortar to set at a lower temperature and/or faster Epoxy.com Product #10 Epoxy Mortar Resin in fast or cold cure may be the best option.

Here is an outline of getting your flooring ready and some of the types of flooring we can offer you.

I can easily calculate how much material you will need for your floor.  The patching will take a little more effort and some estimation of the geometry of the repairs from you:

  1. Joints
    1. Fill joints with Epoxy.com Product #11 – epoxy.com/11.aspx.If there is spalling at the joint see “pot hole” repair below.
  2. Pot holes
    1. Fill shallow areas with a blend of Epoxy.com Product #12 – epoxy.com/12.aspx -And Epoxy.com Product #71 – www.epoxy.com/71.aspx fumed silica
    2. Fill Deep areas with a blend of Epoxy.com Product #12 and product #82 Mortar Blend Aggregates
  3. Priming
    1. Oil Saturated areas (if any) – Epoxy.com Product #201 – epoxy.com/201.aspx
    2. Areas with moisture vapor transfer issues (if any – see epoxy.com/surfaceprep.aspx ) with Epoxy.com Product #830 – www.epoxy.com/830.aspx
    3. All areas not subject to the items above primed with
      1. Epoxy.com Product #12 – www.epoxy.com/12.aspx or
    4. Epoxy.com Product #899 – www.epoxy.com/899.aspx.
  4. Floor Coating – High Build
    1. High build all purpose epoxy floor coating:  Epoxy.com Product #1 – epoxy.com/1.aspx or
    2. High build mid range chemical resistant epoxy floor coating: Epoxy.com Product #2 – epoxy.com/2.aspx or
    3. High build highly chemically resistant epoxy floor coating: Epoxy.com Product #633 – epoxy.com/633.aspx
  5. Seamless Flooring
    1. Chip Flooring – epoxy.com/chips.aspx or
    2. Solid Colored Standard chemical resistance Flooring
    3. Product #24 Pigmented mortar – www.epoxy.com/24.aspx and silica sand
      1. Top coated with Product #1 – www.epoxy.com/2.aspx  or
    4. For high chemical resistance Epoxy.com Product #2 – epoxy.com/2.aspx
    5. Epoxy Quartz Flooring – www.epoxy.com/15.aspx.
  6. Chemical Resistant Epoxy Flooring
    1. Product #630 and silica sand – www.epoxy.com/630.aspx
    2. Product #633 and silica sand – www.epoxy.com/633.aspx 

Still not sure? Email epoxy.com Technical Support info@epoxy.com  call us at 352-533-2167. We will help you select the right product for your job. We can also help you estimate how much of it you need, and quote you on those quantities.

You can also visit us at www.epoxy.com 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

 

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Posted by Norm Lambert

Patching Vinyl Ester Floors With Novolac

July 28, 2016

A customer writes:

“We have a dairy processing and packaging facility that was built circa 1994.  At the time of construction we chose to install a flooring system which was vinyl ester based with fiberglass mat.  The floor has held up quite well in areas where it had a good bond.  The failures we have seen are in areas that covered either an expansion joint or control joint in the concrete.  In these areas the flooring has delaminated from the concrete.  Where possible we have made a clean cut through the flooring to an area where we had a good bond and left the concrete exposed.  Other failure areas are around floor drains.  We have made repairs with quick curing epoxies in the past but these don’t seem to bond well to the existing vinyl ester flooring. 

“Having a manufacturing facility with only one down day limits our ability to make substantive repairs.  During a search for low or no VOC  flooring systems I you folks.”

I have personally made many thousands of square feet of floor repairs that sounds exactly like the issues and conditions that you are describing.

Here is what I did to permanently resolve the issue, at least in the patched areas.

  1. Cut back the edges of the delaminated areas back to a point where the vinyl ester is well attached.
  2. Prep the concrete under the failed area and the edges of the old material – epoxy.com/surfaceprep.aspx.
  3. Prime with Epoxy.com Product #12 – epoxy.com/12.aspx
  4. Install a trowel coat of Epoxy.com Product #630 – epoxy.com/633.aspx and
    1. Epoxy Mortar Blend aggregate #82 Mortar Blend Aggregate
    2. Allow to cure hard to the touch and cool.
  5. Glaze with a neat coat of Epoxy.com Product #633 with optional Anti-skid – http://epoxy.com/non-skid-additive-polycarbonate-aggregate.aspx

Please email your additional questions to norm@epoxy.com or visit http://www.epoxy.com .

Leave a Comment » | bonding, Care and Maintenance of Epoxy, Concrete Repair, Epoxy, epoxy concrete floor patch, epoxy concrete repair, Installation, Novolac, repairing concrete with Epoxy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Lambert

Epoxy Over Epoxy

June 28, 2016

A customer writes: “I installed your Product #1 All Purpose Epoxy Coating on our floor about 20 years ago.  The floor is not warn out or pealing.  It does have scratches where pallets with nails sticking out the bottom has scratched the surface. I want to change the color to our company color anyway, so I want to re-coat the whole floor. How do I proceed from here?”

You will want to sand the existing floor removing all the shine.  It sounds like there was quality installation and surface prep, since you have no lifting or pealing. If you should have any that is loose you need  to completely remove loose coating .  Solvent wipe with Xylene. Lets solvent dry and apply your epoxy normally.

CAUTION:  Epoxy doesn’t like sticking to epoxy unless you do your surface prep meticulously.  I always recommend doing a test patch to test your surface preparation before you proceed with doing the rest of the floor. This can be done by placing a small test patch or patches. Let them harden overnight and then try removing them with a putty knife, screw driver of similar method to insure it is well bonded.

For more information please contact Epoxy.com Technical Support Department by email at: info@epoxy.com or by phone 353-533-2167.

Leave a Comment » | Epoxy, epoxy education, Installation, seamless epoxy flooring system, Seamless Epoxy Flooring Systems, Surface Preparation, Waterproof Seamless Flooring, Waterproofing | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Lambert

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