Mitigation of Concrete Slab Chemical Vapors

January 29, 2020

How do I stop chemicals gas vapors from contaminated soils passing though a concrete slab? This is a question I get frequently from owners and environmental mitigation experts.

Background

Chemical contamination vapors tend to pass though a concrete slab and get into the air above. Stopping the migration of the gas through a slab is frequently a requirement of repurposing a space.

The following steps can be used to mitigate chemical vapors into your space above it. Without the right tools these vapors in the air from contamination under that slab can be quite pervasive.

Each job needs to be evaluated on an individual bases. The tools below make the solution less evasive.

Cracks through the Concrete Slab

The most direct way for soil contamination gasses to get in is through cracks. Cracks are the path of least resistance, so most of your vapors come through cracks in the floor. That is a very easy fix Product #684LV – Methyl Methacrylate Crack Healer and Sealer.

The #684LV has about the viscosity (thickness) of diesel fuel. That makes it easy to gravity feed into small cracks small porous areas of the concrete. It welds the cracks back together with a bond strength that is greater than the tensile strength of the concrete. In other words structurally you have the monolithic structure that the concrete was intended to be.

Expansion Joints

Expansion joints are the also a very direct route for vapors to come in. To seal these joints use Product #632 – Chemical Resistant Joint Filler. This is a highly chemical resistant joint filler. It will not only keep the vapors out. If there is going to be a chemical exposure to the surface there will it will stop the chemicals from attacking your concrete and further contaminating the soils below it.

Sealing the Surface of the Concrete Slab.

The next step is to prime the concrete with Product #12 Chemical Resistant Primer / Sealer.

This is where there is a couple of ways to go. You can apply an additional coat or coats of the #12 or go on to Coating the Concrete Slab below. Our optional translucent Synthetic Anti-Skid Fine may be added to the #12 if it is used in additional coats as a clear sealer.

The Product #12 Primer Sealer can also be mixed with silica sand and used as a patching material for potholes and otherwise damaged concrete if required.

Coating the Concrete Slap 

In many cases you will want to install a coating over the concrete slab.  There are a number of options for doing this but here are a few of the most common ones.  The biggest difference between these coatings is the chemical resistance. Please See Chemical Resistance Chart for a comparison of chemical resistance of the products below. All of these products are 100% solid, zero voc.  All of the coatings in this section are highly durable and resist the abrasion of traffic. 

UV Resistant Top-Coating

For jobs that will see direct sunlight.  It may be desirable to add an ultra violet (UV) Resistant top coating for the systems above.  

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Posted by Norm Lambert

Epoxy Sealing A Floor Drain

November 8, 2016

How to Seal Around an Existing Floor Drain with Epoxy

The Problem

A food processing facility owner writes, “I have a second floor production area that has a long stainless steel trench drain around the center of the room. We hose the area down with hot water, a crack is developing next to the drain that allows water to leak by into the room below.  The floor below my quarry tile is concrete.”

The Solution

  1. Remove tile around the drain.
  2. Remove the grout under the tile and clean back to clean solid concrete  www.epoxy.com/surfaceprep.aspx.
  3. Cut a V in the concrete next to the drain to increase the bonding surface to the drain. If you cannot cut a V chip away some of the concrete next to the drain.  In other words you are trying to cut away or break away the concrete around the drain to give more surface area for the epoxy to come in contact with. The additional thickness of epoxy (against the drain) gives you extra protection against leaks. The deeper you chip away next to the drain, the more bonding surface to seal against the drain. You need to be careful not to go all the way through the concrete. If you do you will most likely have to install a form around the drain with plywood or similar material (under the concrete)to hold up your epoxy when you go on to Step 7.
  4. Grind or otherwise abrasively clean the edges of the drain to remove the shine and roughen it up. It is not so important that you have deep scratches. It is necessary to totally remove all shine off the edge of the drain.
  5. Remove all dust, dirt and debris by vacuuming. If compressed air is used be sure it is oil free.
  6. Prime the edges of the drain with Epoxy.com Product #660 – http://epoxy.com/660.aspx  -Aluminum Filled Primer. Product #660 Universal Primer and Finish cures to a tack-free finish in 1-2 hours and can be recoated between 2 and 24 hours @ 75°F with 50% Relative humidity
  7. Mix a small batch of neat (just resin and hardener, not filler) Product #10 – www.epoxy.com/10.aspx. Use this mix to prime all areas that the patch (Step 8) will need to bond to. Apply this to all concrete surfaces as well as to the surfaces primed with  #660 Aluminum Filled Primer (Step 6).  You can either let the material in Step 7 set overnight and continue with the this step within 24 hours of priming,or you can move to the next step immediately. The purpose of this primer is to make sure there is a secure bond between the patch which will be a dry mix of epoxy and aggregate and the other surfaces that would otherwise be dry. This reinforces the bond line between the patch (in Step 8) and all surfaces it will need to bond to.
  8. Make a mortar of properly mixed Epoxy.com Product #10 and Epoxy.com Mortar Aggregate Product #82. Trowel the mix in to level the space between the drain and the remaining tile. Be sure to trowel the surface smooth. Allow to cure overnight.
  9. Do a squeegee coat of the properly mixed neat (no aggregate) Product #10 to seal the patch installed in Step 8.
  10. Allow to cure until it is hard to the touch, typically 10-12 hours at 75 degrees F.
  11. Within 24 hours apply a coat of Epoxy.com Product #2 – Chemical Resistant Epoxy Coating – www.epoxy.com/2.aspx.  Add optional but recommended Epoxy.com Anti-skid – https://www.epoxy.com/non-skid-additive-polycarbonate-aggregate.aspx  – to the #2 before applying it. Allow to cure hard to the touch.
  12. Repeat step 11.

For additional question be sure to contact Epoxy.com Technical Support at 352-533- 2167 or email us at info@epoxy.com

Be sure the Epoxy.com Lable is on your product.

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Posted by Norm Lambert

Care of Epoxy Floors

November 1, 2016

Epoxy Flooring Systems and Coatings

Daily Maintenance of Seamless Flooring and Floor Coatings

  • Sweep the floors daily.epoxy_chip_flooring_263s
  • If abrasive particles  are present they should be removed by mopping with common household detergents and rinsed completely.  Be sure not to use the detergent at a concentration higher than that recommended by the manufacturer of the floor cleaning material.  Be sure to test any cleaner that you haven’t used before on a sample of the Seamless Flooring Material or Seamless Floor coating.  You may want to be sure to prepare these samples as you are installing the floor so they will be available to you at a later time.
  • Promptly remove grease, and other contaminants from the surface of the floor
  • Be sure to rinse off all chemical solutions that may attack the surface.

Weekly Maintenance of Seamless Flooring and Floor Coatings

Smooth Systems

All seamless flooring and floor coatings should be mopped on a regular bases with a neutral soap or detergent, and completely rinsed. Be sure not to use the detergent at a concentration higher than that recommended by the manufacturer of the floor cleaning material.

Be sure to test any cleaner that you haven’t used before on a sample of the Seamless Flooring Material or Seamless Floor coating.

Mop should be rinsed often. Synthetic mops tend to work better on textured surfaces than cotton mops. The water should be changed frequently as well. Smooth floors are easily cleaned this way. It may be necessary to give extra care to areas that are subject to heavy traffic, hard rubber wheels, and steel wheels that leave marks. In these situations you can use the methods used for textured floors for these more difficult to remove contamination.

Textured Systems

Textured systems may require the use of a stiff bristled brush or floor scrubber to reach to bottom of the anti-skid texture.  Severe problem areas can be treated as follows:

Grease Removal

Grease is typically removed by Tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) or other commonly available biodegradable cleaner. Contact Epoxy.comTechnical Support Department with your specific questions.

Removing Dairy Products

Dairy products should be removed immediately as they may cause staining on some types of seamless flooring and seamless floor coating systems.

Tire Marks Removal

Scrub the area(s) with a stiff bristled brush and using the same biodegradable floor cleaner that you are using to mop with.

Stubborn Dirt or Stain Removal

When you are trying to remove stubborn dirt or stains,allow the biodegradable cleaner to set in the area for a little while longer and do the work for you. Then completely rinse to area to remove the cleaner and the dirt.

Chemical Spills

You should always rinse strong chemicals as quickly as possible completely from the surface. Chemicals allowed to dry on the surface typically become more concentrated as they dry.  That may cause the chemical to get concentrated enough to stain or even attack the seamless floor or seamless floor coating.

Waxing and Polishing of Seamless Flooring and Seamless Floor Coatings

Epoxy.com Epoxy and Urethane Seamless Flooring and Seamless Floor Coating Systems are very shinny and so waxing or polishing are not necessary.  If a floor is very old, or has seen extremely high traffic this shine may dull.  If it does then you can wax or polish the floor with standard commercial products that are designed for that purpose. Better yet, if this happens, you may want to renew or refinish your system – see below.

Renewing and Refinishing Seamless Flooring and Seamless Floor Coating Systems

Epoxy.com Epoxy and Urethane Seamless Flooring and Seamless Floor Coating Systems are designed to withstand heavy traffic and wear.  However, if there is enough traffic and/or abuse to cause the system to loose its shine, or show visible signs of wear, you may wish to restore the floor by “re-glazing” it.  Before re-glazing a flooring system or coating system you need to do the following:

  • Remove all wax, oil, grease and other contaminants from the surface
  • Lightly sand to break the shine
  • Consult with Epoxy.com Technical Support Department for the proper material to re-glaze you floor.  Be sure to follow all directions for installing the re-glazing material.

When in doubt contact Epoxy.com Technical Support at: info@epoxy.com or call us at 352-533-2167. You can also visit our website 24 hours per day at www.epoxy.com

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Posted by Norm Lambert

Chemical Resistant Epoxy Selection

October 20, 2016

Requirements for a Chemical Resistant Epoxy or Vinyl Ester

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.

Leave a Comment » | Care and Maintenance of Epoxy, Chemical Resistance, Chemical Resistant Epoxy, Chemical Resistant Paint, Coal Tar Epoxy Coatings, Epoxy, Installation, Novolac, Questions and Answers, Tile Grout | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Lambert

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