106 The Masterbu||der - September 2012 www.masterbu||der.co.

|n
F|oor|ng Surface Preparation
w|thout wh|ch even the most expens|ve
and techno|og|ca||y advanced coat|ng
system |s dest|ned to a||!
Whyispreparingthesurfacesoimportant?
Concrete suraces are prepared
beore |ay|ng down a topcoat not on|y
or super|c|a| reasons but a|so or
mechan|ca| reasons. There are qu|te a
ew reasons that cause a |oor system
to a||. Some ma|or causes are:
amous |oor|ng consu|tancy
owner once r|ght|y sa|d - A |n-
A|shed |oor |s on|y as good as
the surace |t |s |a|d on! Had |t not been
or the numerous |oor system a||ures
w|tnessed over the decades, th|s state-
ment m|ght not have been rece|ved
w|th such acc|amat|on. lt |s thus now a
common|y understood act that the key
to the success o any |oor system
starts w|th proper surace preparat|on,
1. Hydrostat|c Pressure
2. Therma| Shock
3. n-qua|||ed App||cators
4. The |ncorrect system |n the wrong
env|ronment
5. Most requent|y, lmproper Surace
Preparat|on
As h|gh as 80% o a|| coat|ng a||-
ures can be d|rect|y attr|buted to |nade-
quate surace preparat|on that aects
\0 0u|eou epo|l
3u|toce -|epo|ol|om to|
|mousl||o| ||oo||mg
-ey lo 3uccesstu| ||oo||mg 3ysle~s
107 www.masterbu||der.co.|n The Masterbu||der - September 2012
F|oor|ng Surface Preparation
coat|ng adhes|on. The purpose o sur-
ace preparat|on |s to remove a|| con-
tam|nants that can |nterere w|th adhe-
s|on, and to deve|op a surace rough-
ness to promote a mechan|ca| bond.
Th|s ensures that a coat|ng has max|-
mum adhes|on.
Understanding Surface Preparation:
Giveyour floors anewleaseonlife
Once coat|ng or po|ymer |oor|ng has
beense|ected |t |s essent|a| that the sur-
ace preparat|on o concrete |s done
correct|y, otherw|se opt|mum peror-
mance w||| not be obta|ned. Surace
preparat|on |s the process o remov|ng
preex|st|ng coat|ng(s), res|due, organ|c
matter, ox|dat|on, or other contam|nants
rom a surace, and |t can range rom a
bas|c w|pe-down or sand|ng to a tota|
str|pp|ng, us|ng too|s and equ|pment
des|gned spec||ca||y or the surace
and coat|ng at hand.
lt requ|res spec|a| p|ann|ng and
eva|uat|on o potent|a| hazards beore
work can beg|n. Th|s preparat|on o a
substrate |s done by mechan|ca| or
chem|ca| means to ac|||tate the proper
bond|ng cond|t|ons or the |oor system
to be |nsta||ed. There are many d|erent
|oor|ng products and systems each
w|th spec||c requ|rements or proper
|nsta||at|on, opt|mum perormance and
||espan, and warranty va||dat|on.
Add|t|ona||y, there are certa|n pro-
cedures that shou|d a|ways precede
the commencement o surace prepa-
rat|on work. S|nce commencement o
work const|tutes acceptance o the pre-
v|ous trades workmansh|p, |t |s |mpor-
tant to exerc|se due d|||gence pr|or to
beg|nn|ng prep work. lt shou|d be ver|-
|ed that the concrete |n|sh, |atness
to|erance, structura| |ntegr|ty, and cur-
|ng meet the pro|ect spec||cat|ons and
|ndustry gu|de||nes. Document any sur-
ace contam|nat|on, sta|n|ng, or other
cond|t|ons that cou|d negat|ve|y |mpact
the subsequent surace preparat|on
process and |oor|ng |nsta||at|on.
Project Considerations
C|ean|ng the |oor can be the most
woeu| o chores and most o us wou|d-
methods used w||| be determ|ned by
the |oor|ng product requ|rements, the
cond|t|ono thesubstrate, andthepro|ect
|og|st|cs. lt |s thereore essent|a| that
due cons|derat|on o the preparat|on |s
based onthe o||ow|ng |normat|on:
1) The compress|ve strength o the
ex|st|ng concrete substrate.
2) Mo|sture content or re|at|ve hum|d-
|ty w|th|nthe concrete substrate.
nt m|nd a sma|| m|rac|e to ease the
agony. lts the same reason that seduc-
t|ve new |oor c|ean|ng products and
systems are constant|y |ntroduced to
ent|ce us. The contractor must conduct
an assessment o the concrete surace
pr|or to preparat|on. The assessment
shou|d |nc|ude a check on the top |ayer
o the cement and whatever needs to
be removed rom the concrete surace.
For a certa|n pro|ect, the means and
Proper |oor preparat|on |s the |rst step |n creat|ng beaut|u| concrete |oors ||ke th|s one
O|| and Grease need to be removed pr|or to surace preparat|on
108 The Masterbu||der - 2012 September www.masterbu||der.co.|n
3) Surace contam|nat|on|.e: O|| pene-
trat|on, Grease, Swar bu||d up, O|d
coat|ngs, Adhes|ve and th|n based
under|ays - these a|| requ|re var|ous
methods o remova| to produce a
sound c|ean surace, pr|or to the
|nsta||at|ono subsequent |oor coat-
|ngs and topp|ngs.
Surace preparat|on can be per-
ormed v|a mechan|ca| or chem|ca|
means. Mechan|ca| preparat|on |s the
process o c|ean|ng, pro|||ng, or re-
mov|ng a surace rom a substrate
through phys|ca| means. Mechan|ca|
preparat|on |s the preerred method or
most poured |np|ace |oor systems.
When mechan|ca| preparat|on |s
not poss|b|e or requ|red, a chem|ca|
process canbe ut|||zed. Chem|ca| prep-
arat|on |s the process o us|ng chem|-
ca| agents to break down, remove, or
pro||e a surace. Chem|ca| methods
can be qu|te useu| but must be under-
taken w|th extreme caut|on. Proper
saety, d|sposa|, and use are cr|t|ca|
and best |et to exper|enced, qua|||ed
personne|. ln some |nstances, mecha-
n|ca| and chem|ca| processes can be
used|nconcert or max|mume|c|ency.
Modes of SurfacePreparation
Each surace preparat|on method
has spec||c processes and uses. The
o||ow|ng are the most common pro-
cesses that are |nvo|ved:
1. Shot Blasting/Dust-Free or Cap-
tive Shot Blasting |s emp|oyed to
remove the top surace o concrete |n a
contro||ed manner. A shot b|aster uses
stee| shot |n d|er|ng s|zes (270, 330,
390, etc.) to remove |ess or more o the
surace as requ|red. The |arger the num-
ber, the more aggress|ve the surace
remova| w||| be.
Among the many methods used,
th|s one |s the cheapest, most com-
mon, and the one wh|ch |s most eec-
t|ve. Th|s method a|so uses a dust
extract|on un|t. Dust |s prevented rom
mov|ng around |n the area |n order to
a||owthe work to cont|nue smooth|y. A||
dust and contam|nants are co||ected
by a vacuum system wh|ch perm|ts the
|mmed|ate app||cat|on o the coat|ng
system. A|| depos|ts o o|| or grease
must be removed beore shot b|ast|ng.
lt a|so e||m|nates dry|ng t|me and cost|y
d|sposa| procedure assoc|ated w|th
other surace preparat|on methods
and produces the h|ghest bond|ng
character among a|| methods.
2. Scarification - The concretes
deter|orated surace |s removed or
"scar||ed" |n th|s mechan|ca| process.
Th|s method uses a mach|ne wh|ch
gr|nds, cuts, sands, or breaks away the
top |ayer o the surace to expose a
c|ean, resh exter|or. The purpose |s to
obta|n a sound substrate or the |nsta|-
|at|on o the |oor|ng system. A|| depos-
|ts o o|| or grease must be removed
beore scar|y|ng. var|ety o scar|y|ng
equ|pment that range rom 8 |nch, 12
|nch, & 13 |nch w|de are ava||ab|e and
Shot B|ast|ng |n progress
Surace ater Scar||cat|on
F|oor|ng Surface Preparation
a spr|nk||ng can and then onto the sur-
ace. The spr|nk||ng can shou|d be
he|d c|ose to the surace to avo|d
sp|ash|ng the ac|d on ad|o|n|ng areas.
The ac|d so|ut|on |s spread onto the
surace and ag|tated |nto the concrete
w|thanac|d res|stant deck brush. Once
reacted, |t |s neutra||zed and r|nsed.
Ac|d |s hosed |n the area to be pre-
pared and two persons operate |n th|s
process. On|y exper|enced contractors
shou|d use th|s method.
5. Sanding - Sand|ng |s used to
smoothen the surace between coats
o a th|n ||m system to prov|de a more
un|orm appearance or to abrade an
ex|st|ng coat|ng. A |oor mach|ne w|th a
sand|ng attachment |ncorporates d|-
er|ng gr|t sand paper (36, 80, 120)
depend|ng upon the ob|ect|ve. Lower
gr|ts are coarser and are or rough|ng,
h|gher gr|ts are |ner and used or
smooth|ng. Th|s method |s perect or
re-coat|ng ex|st|ng |oors. Th|s process
can be done wet or dry and |s qu|ck and
|nexpens|ve.
6. Sand/ Hydro/ Air Blasting - E|ther
wet or dry b|ast|ng can be used. B|ast-
|ng o concrete requ|res remova| o
|oose and powdery concrete a|ong w|th
|a|tance. vacuum|ng or a|r b|ast|ng |s
requ|red to remove a|| sand and dust.
A|| depos|ts o o|| or grease must be
removed beore b|ast|ng. Pressure
wash|ng |s emp|oyed pr|mar||y on exte-
r|or pro|ects or aggress|ve surace
wash|ng/c|ean|ng.
Hydro-B|ast|ng |s emp|oyed to
aggress|ve|y remove a surace. n||ke
pressure wash|ng, hydro-b|ast|ng |s
oten cons|dered a demo||t|on opera-
t|on s|nce |t can exert extreme (over
20,000 ps|) pressure capab|e o who|e-
sa|e remova| o surace mater|a|s.
7. Chemical treatments - Extrac-
t|on (steam c|ean|ng) |s ut|||zed when
may be powered by e|ectr|c batter|es or
gaso||ne. A|| mode|s can be used dry
w|th dust co||ector or wet to contro| any
a|rborne dust.
3. Diamond grinding |s emp|oyed
to remove or c|ean the concrete sur-
ace. lt creates the perect pro||e or
th|n to med|um bu||d |oor|ng systems.
Th|s |s a "Dry Method" o concrete sur-
ace preparat|on. Tr|p|e head mach|nes
are used to remove undu|at|ons & con-
tam|nat|on on |arge area |ndustr|a| |oor-
|ng. D|amond gr|nders emp|oy hor|zon-
ta|, rotat|ng s|ng|e or mu|t|p|e d|sks to
remove coat|ngs, |eve| uneven suraces
and po||sh concrete s|abs. D|sks pos-
sess vary|ng aggress|veness based on
the d|sk surace, wh|ch can be dense
meta|s, carb|det|psor d|amondmater|a|.
Sma||er areas & edgework can be
carr|ed out w|th hand he|d gr|nders.
Both gr|nders use d|amond cupwhee|s
as the abras|ve and |ncorporate
shrouds and dust co||ectors (vacuums)
to keepthe process as dust-ree as pos-
s|b|e. Th|s produces a smooth and
c|ean surace wh|ch |s ready or sta|ns
and th|nm|| coat|ng app||cat|on.
4. Acid Etching - Ac|d Etch|ng |s
emp|oyed or moderate pro|||ng or
c|ean|ng o a concrete surace. Mur|-
at|c or phosphor|c ac|d |s typ|ca||y
d||uted |n water to ach|eve the des|red
eect. The ac|d so|ut|on |s poured |nto
110 The Masterbu||der - 2012 September www.masterbu||der.co.|n
D|amond gr|nd|ng |n act|on
Scrap|ng o a water proo|ng membrane
F|oor|ng Surface Preparation
remov|ng sta|ns or |ne contam|nants
rom a surace. By |r|ng steam through
a vacuum system, contam|nants are
sucked out o the surace pores.
Emu|s||cat|on |s the |east harsh orm o
chem|ca| treatment. lt genera||y emp|oys
c|trus based agents that are capab|e o
d|sso|v|ng cur|ng compounds or ||m
orm|ng acry||c membranes. Str|pp|ng
|s used to remove ex|st|ng coat|ngs or
sea|ers rom a concrete surace. The
agent |s app||ed to the coat|ng and
chem|ca||y attacks |t, break|ng down |ts
compos|t|on.
Benefits andLimitations
Eachprocedure oers d|erent ben-
e|ts and possesses spec||c ||m|ta-
t|ons. Wet methods shou|d on|y be
emp|oyed where mo|sture |s not a con-
cern and ad|acent areas w||| not be
aected by water |ntrus|on. Certa|n
mechan|ca| processes have very spe-
c||c power requ|rements and use |arge
equ|pment that can be d||cu|t to
maneuver |n some pro|ect cond|t|ons.
Chem|ca| processes may not be su|t-
ab|e |n occup|ed ac|||t|es or |ocat|ons
many a t|mes.
Proper surace preparat|on proce-
dures w||| meet a|| o the |oor|ng prod-
ucts requ|rements as we|| as serve the
best |nterest o the pro|ects needs. The
most cr|t|ca| actor |n the se|ect|on o
surace preparat|onmethods |s the rec-
ommendat|on o the |oor coat|ng man-
uacturer.
Regular Maintenance: Vital for long
termwelfare
There |s not a surace ava||ab|e that
canbe used w|thout c|ean|ng and ma|n-
tenance and rema|n |n opt|mum cond|-
t|on. Typ|ca||y, the |oor |s sub|ect to the
most abuse |n any norma| bus|ness.
Keep|ngthe |oor |n goodcond|t|on takes
a ||tt|e orethought and a cons|stent
eort. The |rst step to ma|nta|n|ng |oors
|s prevent|ng as much so||, debr|s, and
potent|a| damag|ng agents rom be|ng
|ntroduced to the env|ronment |n the |rst
p|ace. lnter|or and exter|or wa|k-o mats
can m|n|m|ze the amount o sand, water,
and ore|gn matter that are tracked
onto the |oor. L|m|t|ng contam|nants
w||| s|mp||y the ma|ntenance process.
Once prepared, care shou|d be
taken to prevent so||, sta|n|ng, or con-
tam|nat|on on the surace pr|or to the
|n|shed |oor|ng |nsta||at|on. S|nce prep-
arat|on |s genera||y perormed or the
|nsta||at|on o a |oor system, ma|nte-
nance w||| be d|ctated by the |n|shed
|oor|ng spec||ed. Obv|ous|y, a proper|y
se|ected coat|ng system w||| out|ast an
|mproper|y se|ected system under the
same cond|t|ons. But w|th correct sur-
ace preparat|on, the proper|y se|ected
coat|ng system de||vers max|mum per-
ormance through an even |onger ser-
v|ce ||e, urther reduc|ng the annua|
cost o protect|ve ma|ntenance.
112 The Masterbu||der - 2012 September www.masterbu||der.co.|n
s|ng a system o gr|nd|ng, po||sh|ng and bu|ng or ma|nta|n|ng and restor|ng the |oor
Hydro B|ast|ng or surace preparat|on
F|oor|ng Surface Preparation