Commercial Archives

Air Leakage and Moisture Intrusion in Single-Wythe Masonry Walls

Leave a Comment / Buildings, Commercial, Moisture / By Harold Decelle and Matt Durbin

While water is life-sustaining to humans, it is detrimental to buildings; especially ones made from single-wythe concrete masonry walls. It causes paint to fail, cracks to form in mortar joints, and blocks to spall. These deficiencies are unsightly and reflect poorly on brand, and over time, moisture intrusion can result in the complete deterioration and …

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Use of Fire Resistive Coatings in Building Construction

2 Comments / Buildings, Commercial, Fireproofing / By Jay Helsel

Fire resistive coatings generally refers to a broad group of materials known as sprayed fire resistive materials (SFRM). These coatings provide protection to structural steel in buildings and other structures by serving as an insulative layer in the event of a fire. The coatings are rated by how long they provide such protection, typically from …

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Problem Solved: My Paint Looks Bad — Can I Prove It Has Faded?

Leave a Comment / Buildings, Coating Assessment, Commercial / By Ken Trimber

As a building owner, if you begin to suspect that the paint on your building has faded and become dull, your next concern may be whether there is a way to prove that has occurred. Additionally, you will want to know if you have any recourse with the manufacturer if those assumptions are correct. Most …

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quality of coating application leak detector

Localized Assessment of Air Leakage in Building Air Barriers

Leave a Comment / Buildings, Commercial, Concrete Walls, Inspection, Instruments / By Ken Trimber

ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Energy Standard 90.1-2010 and the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code require that building envelopes be designed to limit uncontrolled air leakage into and out of buildings. Air leakage in buildings is controlled at the time of construction by installing air barrier systems. ASTM E1186-17, “Standard Practices for Air Leakage Site Detection in Building Envelopes …

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What is Scrub Resistance of a Paint and Why is it Important?

Leave a Comment / Commercial, Lab Testing / By Julie Glover

In the paint industry, the property of scrub resistance is measured as the ability to resist wearing or degradation of a dried paint film. The wear or degredation is assessed either visually or by weight loss, when using a scrubability instrument or an abrasion tester. According to the ASTM test methods governing scrub resistance testing, …

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Wind-Driven Rain Resistance Testing of Exterior Coating Systems

Leave a Comment / Buildings, Coating Assessment, Commercial, Concrete Walls, Lab Testing / By Kevin Brown

Controlling moisture intrusion from blowing rain is a fundamental part of designing a functional and durable building. Driving rain is typically the largest source of bulk moisture for above-grade building assemblies.1 Inadequate wind-driven rain resistance can lead to moisture intrusion in building assemblies that are intended to stay dry, causing problems for building owners and …

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Measuring Gloss Retention in the Coatings Industry

Leave a Comment / Buildings, Commercial, Lab Testing / By Cheryl Roberts

Background The gloss level of a coating is selected primarily for aesthetics. Choices can range from flat to egg shell, satin, semi-gloss and gloss. Industrial protective coatings are not always available in each of these five levels. The gloss of a protective coating changes over time; these changes may be caused by aging of the …

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Challenges Encountered with In-Process Cleaning and Painting of Buildings

Leave a Comment / Commercial, Concrete, Instruments, Surface Preparation / By Ken Trimber

There are many challenges associated with cleaning and painting commercial buildings. Questions often arise regarding surface preparation, application and final thickness or appearance. Three of the many questions our consultancy group has encountered during the cleaning and painting of buildings are addressed in this article. The questions should be familiar situations to those in the …

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Determining the Presence of Asbestos in Commercial Buildings

Leave a Comment / Commercial, Health & Safety / By Dan OMalley

When planning and designing building renovations and additions, facility upgrades and demolitions, consideration needs to be given to determining whether asbestos-containing materials (ACM) are present in the areas of proposed work. Lack of pre-planning for the assessment of the spaces for ACM can lead to significant scheduling delays as well as cost overruns or change …

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The Significance of the Permeability of Paints

Leave a Comment / Buildings, Commercial, Concrete Walls, Lab Testing / By Cheryl Roberts

Permeability of Applied Paints & Coatings… Do I want a permeable coating or not? The answer to the question posed is based on the substrate and the service environment. All paint and coatings are permeable to water, just to different degrees. A high resistance to permeability is likely desirable for lining applied to the interior …

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