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Concrete Walls

From Bond Breakers to Sealants: Anathema to Painting of Concrete

Buildings, Coating Assessment, Coating Failure, Coatings, Commercial, Concrete Walls / By

Concrete is a very utilitarian construction material used to create highways; bridge decks; construction blocks; tilt-up wall panels; floors on grade or elevation; tanks; secondary containment structures; kitchen countertops; textured, stamped or molded reliefs; and more … amazing. Consider the overall “natural” appearance of concrete and how dull it would be if all concrete structures were available …

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Tools and Techniques for Measuring Coating Quality- Part 2, Moisture Detection

Buildings, Coating Standards, Commercial, Concrete Floors, Concrete Walls, Inspection, Instruments, Moisture / By

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, …

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Tools and Techniques for Measuring Coating Quality- Part 1, Cleaning and Painting

11 Comments / Buildings, Coating Standards, Commercial, Concrete, Concrete Walls, Dry Film Thickness, Inspection, Instruments, Surface Preparation, Surface Profile, Wet Film Thickness / By

When you spend money on a product or service, you expect quality, regardless of the cost.  If you purchase the most inexpensive Chevrolet that is made, you still expect quality.  While the braking system in the Chevrolet may be less sophisticated than a Mercedes, the brakes better work and exhibit quality commensurate with its design.  …

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Industry Standards for Surface Preparation

Buildings, Coating Standards, Commercial, Concrete Floors, Concrete Walls, Inspection, Instruments, Surface Preparation / By

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 …

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Moisture Intrusion

Moisture Intrusion: The Achilles Heel of Single-Wythe CMU

Buildings, Coating Assessment, Commercial, Concrete Walls, Inspection, Instruments, Moisture / By

This is a continuation of the article published in the January/February 2013 issue of Durability + Design, “Repair The Building Before You Repair The Paint.” In that article, a number of building repairs associated with single-wythe concrete masonry units (CMU) were discussed – repairs that should be undertaken before additional coating is applied, including problems with …

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Repair The Building Before You Repair The Paint

1 Comment / Buildings, Coating Assessment, Coatings, Commercial, Concrete Walls, Moisture, Roofs / By

When the paint on the exterior of a building exhibits heavy fading, chalking, or peeling, the typical solution is to clean and overcoat, but painting alone may not achieve the desired result, and in fact, it may be destined to fail. Because a number of building-related issues can affect the performance of the coating system, …

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