Concrete is the most commonly and widely used construction material for commercial building floors. While the decision to specify concrete is an easy one, the selection of the floor finish or coverings to be installed on the floor can be quite complicated. There are endless floor finishing options for new construction projects. Owners and designers […]
Rehabbing Concrete Floors: Coat, Cover, or Polish? Read More »
This article describes the failure of coatings applied to the concrete floors of a county detention facility. The structure is a multistory building with modular cells and concrete floors on each inmate level. The main structural floors were constructed of lightweight aggregate and the mezzanine floors constructed of a normal-weight aggregate. The facility was relatively
F-Files: Mechanisms of Failure- Failure at the Jail Read More »
KTA Video Learning Series – Concrete Moisture Testing Read More »
Concrete Floor Coatings Forensics Case History- Part 2 When examining a coating problem in the laboratory, background information gathered during discussions with the involved parties and information obtained during a field investigation help to direct the course of the laboratory investigation. The background information collected for this case was included in last month’s F-Files, “Concrete
Concrete Floor Coatings Forensics Case History — Part 2 Read More »
The field phase of this concrete floor coatings forensics case history included five steps: project familiarization and interview; moisture detection; coating thickness measurements; adhesion testing; and microscopic examination, sample collection and photographic documentation.This edition of the F-Files presents the field investigation undertaken to determine the cause of a concrete floor coating failure (Fig. 1). The
Concrete Floor Coatings Forensics Case History — Part 1, Field Investigation Phase Read More »
This is Part 2 of a 2-part series describing the instrumentation used to inspect the quality of cleaning and painting. Part 1 described the instruments used for determining the quality of cleaning and paint. Part 2 addresses moisture detection. The moisture content of the concrete should be determined prior to painting. In the author’s experience,
Tools and Techniques for Measuring Coating Quality- Part 2, Moisture Detection Read More »
No time for standard concrete slab moisture evaluations? Try these accelerated methods. Let’s face it; we live in an age where instant results matter. Assessing concrete floors for moisture is no different. Most owners, contractors and manufacturers agree that these assessments are necessary prior to installing flooring treatments to achieve quality results. Numerous resources exist to
But I Can’t Wait 3 Days Read More »
While it’s hard to put an exact price tag on what concrete-floor coating failures cost building owners, contractors and retailers each year, two things are clear. First, these failures, nearly all of them avoidable, happen a lot. Second, if it happens to you, it costs too much. Concrete is a complex material and many issues
Why New Coatings Fail on Old Concrete Floors Read More »
Fig. 1: A number of organizations provide written standards and guidelines for surface preparation Coatings are applied to commercial buildings to protect a variety of materials from corrosion and deterioration, and to maintain the brand and aesthetics of the structure. Three key factors must be addressed during design and construction in order achieve long-term coating
Industry Standards for Surface Preparation Read More »
Most of the past Cases from the F-Files have focused primarily (although not exclusively) on coating failures on steel. However, coating failures can and do occur on other substrates such as aluminum, wood, and concrete, to name a few. In this case, a warehouse concrete floor coating was exhibiting blistering only a few months after
The Contractor Who Almost Got Floored Read More »