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 Nearly all floor repair/topping failures are caused by one
or a combination of the following problems: inadequate surface preparation,
improper material selection, improper design or construction of the concrete
substrate, lack of correct construction detail treatment, or improper
application of topping/repair materials.
Preparation is the key to any successful installation. Over
80% of coating failures can be attributed to improper or in sufficient prep. It
is important to provide a clean surface free of contaminants and defects with a
profile or texture. Resinous and even inorganic floor toppings or overlays on
concrete rely on mechanical bonding for long-term, quality adhesion. This is
accomplished in 2 ways on concrete substrates:
First, concrete is a porous, heterogeneous composite. Its
pores or capillaries aid in the adhesion of the floor topping. Adhesion is
improved via the use of highly penetrating primers, preferably of the lowest
possible viscosity. The greater the depth of penetration, the better the
adhesion will be. But concrete porosity alone does not produce adequate surface
profile.
Second, mechanical adhesion is achieved in the concrete
substrate by roughening or profiling the concrete. The peaks and valleys formed
by roughening the concrete provide an anchor pattern to which the floor topping
can bond. This profile can be created by mechanical methods such as scarifying,
air abrasive blasting, water-jetting, milling, and shot blasting. Acid etching
is also used to roughen concrete surfaces.
Proper preparation of the substrate to be coated is often the
most critical step in achieving long term coating performance. This crucial step
is often misunderstood, trivialized, out-sourced or omitted completely by others
in the industry. Vanguard has the tools and equipment to prepare your substrate
properly to conform with NACE, SSPC and ICRI standards. We use a variety of
preparation techniques including shotblasting, scarification, diamond grinding,
ultra-high pressure water jetting and acid etching. Our expertise allows us to
achieve the required level of preparation while minimizing the negative impact
to the work area.
 Shotblasting Concrete
Shotblasting works much like sandblasting. A blast wheel
spinning at high speed throws steel shot at the concrete where it profiles the
floor. A vacuum system then draws the shot and concrete dust off the
floor. The heavy shot is recycled and the dust is draw into the vacuum. Shotblasting is far and away the most common form of preparation for horizontal
concrete surfaces.
Shotblasting Pros
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Shotblasting has the ability to effectively prepare
rough and eroded concrete as well as brand new concrete. It’s cost per square
foot is one of the most cost effective. -
As a dry process it allows for immediate
application of coatings shortening installation times. -
Individual machines are capable of preparing
1,000’s of square feet per hour and this can be compounded by using multiple
machines for large or time sensitive installations.
Shotblasting
Cons
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Shotblasting may remove too much concrete
especially with soft concrete or inexperienced operators. -
Some older machines leave overlap marks requiring
extra material or fill. -
Shotblasters may have difficulty removing flexible
or soft materials as well as high build coatings and resurfacers.
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Vanguard Concrete Coating
3030 Hillcroft SW
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49548
Phone: 616-742-1540
Fax: 616-742-3793
Ian@vanguardconcretecoating.com
© Copyright 2010-13. All
rights reserved by Vanguard Concrete Coating of Grand Rapids, MI. For residential floors our service area includes the Central, Southwest, & West
Michigan cities of Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Traverse City, Mount Pleasant, Midland, Bay City, Saginaw, Flint, Howell, Jackson, Lansing, Kalamazoo, South
Haven, Holland, Grand Haven and small cites in-between. For industrial &
commercial clients we service a larger area including Detroit & Ann Arbor, Ohio / OH,
Northern Indiana / IN, and Northeastern Illinois / IL cities.
Website
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Grand Rapids, Michigan
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