CONTAINMENT Pits and Curbing/Sloping 

Here at HooverWells we are often contracted to coat or construct a wide variety of containment pits. These areas come in all shapes and sizes. From indoor to outdoor and small to large, containment pits require a certain level of expertise to be completed correctly. But what is a containment pit?

While working in existing facilities, we encounter a wide range of existing concrete conditions. The worst of which are oil saturated floors and pitted concrete surfaces with exposed aggregate. Concrete in this condition is on the verge of needing to be removed and replaced. Replacing concrete requires an extensive amount of downtime and cure time. This process is very expensive in both money and time. Downtime in production costs much more than simply taking the preventative steps needed to avoid having to replace the concrete.

When and Where to use General service epoxies vs. specialty coating systems

Expanding on our previous post on “How to select a flooring system for your facility,” we will now look at how to select a specific epoxy flooring system for your facility using the same three factors: the type of facility, the budget and the current condition.

But first, what exactly is an epoxy coating?

Epoxy flooring is the most efficient way to enhance and maintain your work environment, while still providing a durable flooring system that is abrasion/impact resistant. This epoxy is also known as polymers and is made up of different materials based on the epoxy’s function. (“Polymer” come from the Greek words for many + part.) The coating’s main purpose is to protect the concrete it covers but has many other functions like line-striping and static-resistance. Our Rez-Stone epoxy coatings transform even the worst floors into a clean and safe work environment.

Download our Rez-Stone Binder to help understand which floor system your company could use.

Type of Facility:

From automotive companies to chemical manufacturers, epoxy floor systems can be tailored to fit almost any environment. First, you will need to determine how much traffic your floor will receive and what the area will be used for. For instance, in the automotive industry we normally install our general service epoxy flooring systems such as Rez-Stone 9220, 9334 and 9500. For off-aisles or light traffic areas, we recommend a coating system such as our Rez-Stone 9220 or 9334 systems. In aisle-ways or high traffic areas, the Rez-Stone 9500 ¼” thick trowel applied system offers great wear-ability, durability and impact resistance.

THE 3 FACTORS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION

When selecting a flooring system for your facility, there are three factors to consider: the type of facility, the budget and the current condition of the substrate.

Type of Facility:

The first questions to ask yourself is: What are we doing in our facility? Asking yourself what the building’s use is will determine what type of floor system best suits your facility. For example, a food processing facility will require a different flooring system than that of an automotive manufacturer. Food industry flooring requirements are usually driven by government standards against bacteria and whatnot. On the other hand, the type of flooring in the automotive industry is driven by durability, impact resistance, safety and sometimes aesthetics.

WHAT IS CONCRETE POLISHING?

Being in the commercial and industrial flooring industry, we hear many different terms that can be confusing like shot blasting, DOI (Distinctness of Image) or RA (Roughness Average). Concrete polishing is the refinement of concrete surfaces using chemicals, metal bonded and resin bonded diamonds to achieve the desired finish. There is an endless amount of combinations between chemicals and metal/resin bonded diamonds to help obtain the desired finish. Our 40+ years of experience helps in understanding what is the best combination in your particular circumstance. The Concrete Polishing Association of America classifies finished gloss levels from 1 (flat) to 4 (highly polished) and aggregate exposure as A (little aggregate), B, C and D (large aggregate) depending on depth of desired surface cut.

THE MOsT CRITICAL STEP OF THE INSTALLATION PROCESS

Here at Hoover Wells, we pride ourselves on how we can maintain the superior quality of our work. Besides safety, nothing is more important than the floors we work on. With over 40 years of experience in the industrial flooring industry, we offer a unique, wide range of specialized services, but none of those services can be done properly without good preparation work.

Our Rez-Stone epoxy is the best out there, but no matter which material you are going to apply, the best epoxy in the world has a hard time adhering to substrates that have not been properly prepared. Imagine painting a wall that has been covered in drywall dust. Your now dusty paint-roller would barely be able to transfer paint to the wall. The paint that does get to the wall will end up patchy and flaking off. Similarly, if you put glue onto a smooth surface, it will have a difficult time adhering.  The glue needs some type of profile to adhere.  Dirt, grease, oil, preexisting coatings, sealers and many other substances inhibit epoxy from adhering to the substrate.