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Presented by Norm Klapper PEC – Boulder, Colorado. URETHANE CEMENTS or EPOXY COATINGS FLOORING IN A BREWERY. Presentation Outline. Why coat concrete floors? When is the best time to coat? Contractor selection Concrete preparation Essential installation details, thickness
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Presented by Norm Klapper PEC – Boulder, Colorado URETHANE CEMENTS or EPOXY COATINGS FLOORING IN A BREWERY
Presentation Outline • Why coat concrete floors? • When is the best time to coat? • Contractor selection • Concrete preparation • Essential installation details, thickness • Urethane cement or epoxy topping? • Typical installation applications • Key physical properties of each formulation • Life cycle comparison and recommendations • Summary and conclusions
Issues Unique to Breweries • Wet, humid conditions • Presence of caustic and chlorine-based CIP and wash down agents • Thermal shock: cold floors (<50°F) washed with hot, 180 °F water • Presence of yeast which if trapped in crevices, cracks or under coatings can easily cause delamination • Tough food grade standards apply, regulated industry • Heavy wheeled traffic, impacts from equipment, kegs, fork lifts, pallet jacks • Operations usually 24/7, little downtime allowance • Public viewing or access to brewing areas and need for aesthetics in a production area • Health and safety for personnel, slippery conditions
Why Coat Concrete Floors? • Protection from Chemical Attack • CIP daily wash down, caustics, chlorine • Brewery waste products • Yeast, carbonic acid • Protection from Mechanical Wear • Impact • Wear from Pallets, etc. • Prevent cracking, abrasion
Why Coat Concrete Floors…..cont. • Provide Slip Resistance for Safety • Minimize wet, slippery conditions • Aesthetics • Provide an appealing and professional look • Cleanability & Maximize Service Life • Monolithic substrate and smooth transitions to drains
When to Coat? • New Floors Best • Open area • New Construction – BEST forContractor • No contamination • Floor, drains, etc. not compromised • No equipment legs • Old Floors • With existing coating? • REMOVE ALL – clean warranty • Without existing coating? • Use correct preparation techniques
Contractor Selection • Contractor MUST be certified by the manufacturer of the coating – suggest you verify • Contractor must have a proven track record of successful projects, delivered on time. • Contractor must offer a JOINT WARRANTY with the manufacturer which protects the Owner/End-User • Get References and check them!
Concrete Preparation • All coatings require competent and thorough surface preparation • Mechanical • Diamond Grinding • Scarifying • Shot Blasting • Crack Chasing • Detailing – Keyways, Drains, etc. • Profile MUST be equal to an SP5 – SP6
Concrete Preparation….cont. • All coatings require competent and thorough surface preparation • Chemicals are supplementsto mechanical techniques • Acid Etching • Chlorine or Caustic Sanitizing • Extensive hot water washing • Additional Techniques (Optional) • Flaming (Weed Burners) • High pressure air / vacuum for standing water removal
Timing of Installation • Concrete age & moisture content • 28 Day Rule • Vapor barriers under new slabs - VERY important • Moisture in Concrete • Run Calcium Chloride Test • Plastic Sheet Test – ASTM D4263 • Relative Humidity Meters (RH Meters) • High early concrete • Steel trowel finish • Cure and seal? – NOT recommended • removed entirely by mechanical prep techniques
Installation Thickness • All formulations available in…… • Thin film (3-15 mils) • Double broadcast slurries (1/8” - 125 mils) • ¼” troweled – BEST OPTION! • Slope to drain – as thick as needed up to 1” or more, (1/8” in 10’) – CHECK FLOOR FIRST! • Self-Leveling formulations – tougher on sloped floors • Berms – created using same materials or filler patch formulations – saves $ but takes longer • Cove or no cove? Spoon or “cant” type?
Urethane Cements / Epoxy Coatings • ALL providers of URETHANE CEMENTS have similar formulations • ALL have similar: • Working Time • Temperature Resistance • Chemical Resistance • Bond Strengths to substrates
Urethane Cements / Epoxy Coatings • In Contrast, EPOXY COATINGS all have great variations in formulations • WIDE VARIATION in all characteristics • Working Time • Temperature Resistance • Chemical Resistance • Bond Strengths to substrates
WHY THE CONTROVERSY? • Great variations in epoxy formulations and therefore varied application success • Many offered non-resin rich, top-coated (grout-coated) dry systems with high compressive strengths (>10-15,000 psi, 2-3x’s concrete!) • Harder, more brittle materials with less thermal shock resistance, reduced life spans (1-2 years!) • Urethane cements “took up the slack” and offered viable alternatives • Similar coeff. of thermal expansion to that of concrete, less likely to delaminate under thermal shock
WHY THE CONTROVERSY….cont • Early epoxy failures led to: • Rise in Polyesters, Vinylesters, Methylmethacrylates (MMA) – all with high odor • Followed by lower VOC, more resin-rich epoxies, more impervious to liquids and subsequent failures. • Newer, high performance epoxy formulas which maintained resin-rich, LOWER compressive strengths and greater chemical resistance, thermal shock resistance • Flexibilized epoxies have been around decades longer than Urethane Cements and these have had wide success
COMPARISON of URETHANE & EPOXY TOPPINGS 1 (Assumes 1/4" Thickness, Flexible, Resin Rich Epoxies, Average Values)
COMPARISON of URETHANE & EPOXY TOPPINGS 2 (Assumes 1/4" Thickness, Flexible, Resin Rich Epoxies, Average Values)
COMPARISON of URETHANE & EPOXY TOPPINGS 3 (Assumes 1/4" Thickness, Flexible, Resin Rich Epoxies, Average Values)
COMPARISON of URETHANE & EPOXY TOPPINGS 3 (Assumes 1/4" Thickness, Flexible, Resin Rich Epoxies, Average Values)
Similar Installation Techniques • Mixing – virtually the same • Troweled – hand or power-troweled • Screed method – using screed boxes or bars • Slurry system in one or two lifts • Uses more resin compared to troweled • Finished “as-troweled” • Final coat back-rolled, seeded, top coated or not top coated • Neither system requires top coating • Top coating mostly for aesthetics
Installation Characteristics • OPEN (WORKING) TIMES • Urethane Cement – open time, 15 minutes • Epoxy Topping – open time, 45-60 minutes • CURE TIMES • Urethane Cement – cure time, 8 hours (Fixed, not changeable) • Epoxy Topping – temperature dependent– cold cure (6 hours), fast cure (8 hours), regular cure (14-18 hours)
Final Textures & Colors • Optional Textures – determined by type and size of sand media • Silica Quartz • Aluminum Oxide • Grit / Mesh Sizes – from 16 to 30 • Trade off between slip resistance and cleanability – VERY subjective • Strongly suggest sample texture offered for evaluation and approval purposes • Maintenance and safety concerns need to be balanced
Recommendations? • URETHANE CEMENTS • Higher temperatures >220 degrees F • Chemicals at higher temperatures • New construction for open areas due to less open time for working/application
Recommendations? • EPOXY TOPPINGS • Reasonable temperatures – 180 degrees max • Cost concerns – easier to apply, smaller crews, with usually somewhat lower installed cost • Single step – finishes with higher gloss, no top coat
SUMMARY • Both urethane cements and epoxy coatings provide excellent concrete protection and safe working surfaces • Urethane Cements are formulated virtually the same – • Epoxy Coatings vary greatly • Epoxy Coatings (resin rich) have greater open times and are easier to apply – also do NOT require a top coat to finish with high gloss • Can be applied in one-step, less time
SUMMARY…..cont. • Urethane cements usually require a primer coat while resin rich epoxy coatings do not and therefore can be applied in ONE-STEP • Epoxy Toppings have a lower operating temperature when compared to Urethane Cements • Epoxy Toppings have greater bond strength to a wider range of substrates
SUMMARY Epoxies vs. Urethane Cements • Both are “flexibilized”, resin rich ¼” and will do the job • Urethane cements when temps > 212°F or if hot acids hit floor (>140°F-160°F) • Epoxies have better damp adhesion • Epoxies have better adhesion over quarry tile • “As-Troweled” epoxy better gloss than urethane cement troweled system • If aesthetics are vital & downtime not critical – best method for both is slurry/topcoat
Conclusions • Choose the right product for the project • Base your decisions on working conditions, service conditions, temperature, aesthetics • Choose suppliers with a proven track record only – in similar brewing applications • Choose ONLY reputable contractors, not necessarily based on lowest price • Base your decision on technical documentation and not marketing hype • Get a solid, clear and unambiguous warranty statement