# Help with Warehouse floor



## acrylicrecoating (Jun 16, 2008)

Ok here is what I have a huge warehouse floor it is concrete and part of it has been done and part of it has not. There is a sheen to it and on the part that has been done the customer used rustoleum (sp). My Sherwin williams rep came out to look at it and is going to give us his recommendations for product on Monday. 

Here is the hard part it is a food processing facility so preparation is going to be tough because we can't kick up a lot of dust.

We have done small projects like this before and have read in several of the magazines that this could be another outlet to what we do. 

Any suggestions from the pros out there?

Thanks


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## tsunamicontract (May 3, 2008)

acrylicrecoating said:


> Here is the hard part it is a food processing facility so preparation is going to be tough because we can't kick up a lot of dust.


Don't Grind it then :thumbup:

Hows that for help?

Maybe a 2 part epoxy with a catalized urathane (sp?) top coat on the whole floor (including previously coated)


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## TooledUp (May 17, 2008)

tsunamicontract said:


> Don't Grind it then :thumbup:
> 
> Hows that for help?
> 
> Maybe a 2 part epoxy with a catalized urathane (sp?) top coat on the whole floor (including previously coated)


Gotta watch which product is used if there's food prep nearby. The fumes would taint the food.


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## tsunamicontract (May 3, 2008)

TooledUp said:


> Gotta watch which product is used if there's food prep nearby. The fumes would taint the food.


True. I was assuming they would not be making food while the OP was painting though . . .
But C U might be too toxic I guess. Would look sweet though :yes:
Thats what they use on cars.


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## acrylicrecoating (Jun 16, 2008)

No they put items in containers and everything is sealed and it will be closed over the holiday.


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## scpainting (Sep 13, 2008)

rent a vacuum blaster. there are many different kinds depending on the square footage. the bigger the better. you should be able to sand/shot blast the floor with no dust. if there is a lot of sqft, there are some portable shot blasters that will blast over 2000s/ft /hr. for the paint use a 100% solids floor coating...0%voc


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## oakley (Dec 14, 2007)

If you need to etch it, look into the new acid gel etchers that are applied with rollers and brooms and scraped up.


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## NACE (May 16, 2008)

There are a few things that need to be considered. First, there you need to test for moisture. You can do that with a 3 mil piece of plastic taped to the floor for 24 hours. If there is a dark spot, there is moisture in the floor. Concrete should acclimate to 4% or less moisture content. There are two other popular methods for testing moisture including anhydrous calcium chloride test, for large floors, or a Tramex Non Destructive Moisture encounter. This is an insturment that measure moisture content in floors that is non-destructive. Just press it down in random areas and it will give you the amount. It is good to keep a record of what is recorded. If the floor exhibits moisture, then you need to know the amount. That may determine the coating system. Second, you need to test for curing compounds in the concrete. This is done by using an eye dropper of Muriatic acid on bare concrete in random areas. If the acid reacts, there is no curing compound present, if it does not react, a compound is present and the floor must be ground or the curing compound will prevent the coating from getting "in" the floor. Compounds and paint are not compatable. Concrete must be etched or ground to removed laitance, imputities, and open pours so the paint can get "in" the floor. If this is a food processing facility, you need to make sure that there are no oils, fats, grease, blood on the floor. Etching is labourous, dangerous, and not very effective if not done properly, has an aggressive odor, and will contaminate food surroundings. Acid needs to be neutralized too to return the pH of the concrete to more neutral. How do you dispose of acid? Can it be rinsed down the drain? Be careful, it attacks metal and electrical. Especially acid vapors attacking computer, phone, lights, electrical etc. You do not want this to happen. Grinding can be done to remove the slick surface with 16" grinding machines that have HEPA vacs attached. You will not put dust in the air, but may have some left on the floor. Concrete needs to have a minimum surface profile of 80 grit sandpaper for thin mil systems. Test the floor with some water to see if it sits on the surface or penetrates. In this situation, a waterborne polyamide epoxy may be your best system. It has a low odor, applies like latex paint, has 85% of the strenght of solvent based polyamides, and has excellent chemical and abrasion resistance. Can the facility be shutdown or does this have to be done at night, weekends, or holidays? Can plastic be used as a sheild in areas that dust would be a problem? What are the customers expectations? What kind of abuse will the floor receive? Will it have pallet jacks, fork lifts and trucks, or just high traffic and splash and spill of manufacturing processes? Are there any special chemicals or food ingrediants that the coating system needs to stand up to? What is the total square footage? Can you sub out a blasting contractor? Just some thoughts.


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## Formulator (May 28, 2008)

acrylicrecoating said:


> Ok here is what I have a huge warehouse floor it is concrete and part of it has been done and part of it has not. There is a sheen to it and on the part that has been done the customer used rustoleum (sp). My Sherwin williams rep came out to look at it and is going to give us his recommendations for product on Monday.
> 
> Here is the hard part it is a food processing facility so preparation is going to be tough because we can't kick up a lot of dust.
> 
> ...


 
I work at Rust-Oleum in R&D. I'm not in the concrete coatings business, but I would say that as far as a good interior coating goes, we offer a great one. The person you would want to ask (who I have a TON of respect for because he knows so much) would be a guy named Jeff Craig. 

Try [email protected] (that should be his email address). He can answer all of your questions and is the most knowledgeable person I can think of when it comes to things like this.

Carter


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