Concrete joint sealants and joint fillers are different in both chemical formulation and intended use. Elastomeric Joint Sealants are cold-applied elastomeric single or multi-component materials used for sealing, caulking, or glazing operations on buildings, plazas, and decks for vehicular or pedestrian use, and types of construction other than highway and airfield pavements and bridges. The primary purpose of a joint sealant is to keep water, dirt, and debris out of the joint. Designed to be able to expand and contract along with the joint, sealants are relatively soft and flexible materials, typically polyurethane, silicone, or acrylic in composition.

Hard-wheeled vehicles, carts, and pallet jacks traveling over a sealant-filled joint will cause it to deflect, leaving the edges of the joint unprotected. Leading to edge cracking and spalling.

Traditional grouting has long been a labor intensive task that most people don’t look forward  to doing. While its clear that grouting is a crucial step in the installation process, it doesn’t always get the same attention as other steps in the installation process. However, it has to be done well in order for the total installation to be successful at attaining or exceeding the life expectancy of the installed equipment.

It doesn’t help that many times, the grouting is in question. It’s a task that always seems to be a point of contention between parties during a project. It comes as the last step prior to major process installations or just prior to start-up.  Everyone seems to be holding their breath waiting on the results from QC or 3^rd party inspectors. So how do we grout equipment to get the very best chance of

When placing concrete and cementitious concrete repair mortars, especially in hot and dry weather, evaporation rate is one of the most critical factors to take into consideration. The evaporation rate is the rate at which moisture is being lost from the concrete or mortar surface, which affects a few elements of a concrete or repair mortar placement. If the evaporation rate is too high, water is leaving the surface too rapidly, and creates difficulty during finishing operations. Equally important is that a high evaporation rate during placement and initial curing greatly increases the likelihood of plastic shrinkage cracking in the concrete surface. Plastic shrinkage cracks leave a concrete surface vulnerable to the future intrusion of water and chlorides and leave the surface with an overall unpleasant appearance.

Evaporation

When it comes to grouting or concrete repair, everyone knows that the mixing determines your pace. Conventional mixers, required mixing times and basic packaging all combine to slow your production during installation. Let’s face it, you can only mix so much so fast in a conventional mortar mixer.

If your project is going to require a lot of material to be placed in a short time, you’ll have to mix more and faster to get it done within the owner’s schedule and still make money. There are other options available. The question from most contractors is, “Can we do it?”. In this article, you’ll learn about unique equipment and special packaging that will give you options you hadn’t considered before.

Traditionally. Grouts and concrete repair mortars are purchased

Sometimes you just don’t have the time to repair your floors and keep up with your production schedule. Especially if the damage is extensive and spread over a larger area than what you’d “patch” on a regular basis. In most cases, it’s more cost and time effective to repair rather than replace if the damage is localized.

While making these larger repairs may seem more difficult, it’s almost easier to address provided you use the right materials and can prepare the area without needing to rent any equipment.

Take a look at this step-by-step guide for a common large repair with epoxy mortar.

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There are far too many repair options to cover them in a single email. So, we’ve picked two options for a very common issue. Look around the mill and you’re sure to see this one. A large piece of concrete cracked off the corner of a foundation. It may be on the floor or even still holding on to rebar or an anchor bolt. Here are two easy fixes for this condition that won’t take long to do.

Option 1

Clean separated piece of concrete and area if came from. Make sure they are both free of dust. Then liberally apply Ultrabond 1 epoxy adhesive to the surface of the piece coating it completely. Press the piece into the area it came from. Use a couple of clamps or a piece of lumber to hold it until hardened.

Option 2

Clean the area that has been exposed and saturate it with water to pre-soak the surface.

So, you’ve determined that you need to re-grout a pump, but it’s not something you do very often. Refresh your memory with the guide below.

1. Make sure you choose the right grout for your application.

Utilize available application guides or call an expert to have them walk you through the selection process.

2. Prepare your foundation for the best bond.

This may mean roughening the surface by bushing or chipping and even pre-soaking with water depending on the grout you’ve chosen.

3. Form the area to be grouted.

Make sure your forms are sealed well enough that they could hold water.

4. Use the right mixer.

Make sure you use a mixer with the right mixing action for your grout. Violent action for cements and low speed for epoxies.

5. Fill the forms to insure

Owners, designers and general contractors demand high quality, along with rapid installation. For contractors installing self-leveling underlayment (SLU), this means new approaches are needed to complete work faster and more efficiently.

With ever-growing pressures to complete buildings on tight schedules, flooring and subflooring contractors often feel pinched from multiple sources. Modern flooring materials such as tiling and the associated adhesives are advancing to dry faster than before, and various construction trades demand access to rooms sooner. Owners, designers and general contractors demand high quality, along with rapid installation. For contractors installing self-leveling underlayment (SLU), this means new approaches are needed to complete work faster and more efficiently. Pumping of SLU can help address these challenges.