Your concrete isn’t just exposed to general wear and tear like a plant floor or warehouse. Your concrete takes a beating from steam, traffic, metal totes and the chemicals you’re processing. You need repair materials that can take it.

Here a few things to consider when planning your next repair project.

1. The chemical exposure

What is the predominant chemical or mix of chemicals that this area will have to stand up to? Your material will have to withstand exposure to these chemicals for a specified time.

2. Expected service for area

Is this area a secondary containment, loading area, storage, processing floor or something else? This will add the effects of temperature, traffic and abrasion to your list of things to consider.

3. Inside or outside

If your area is outside, you’ll need to choose a material that is resistant to ultraviolet light.

Here’s a basic guide to the types of chemical resistant repair materials and how they fit with

We all know that the key to the long term success of your joint sealant is it’s ability to stay bonded to the concrete sidewalls of the joint. But how do you make sure you have the best chance at superior bond in an existing joint. In one word, Prep. Preparation of the joint walls is critical and poor prep is a sure path to failure of the sealant.

Prep of your joints has to be done. And, the easier you make it, the better chance you have at success. There are many unique and high speed saws that are the latest and greatest for this job. But, you don’t have to break the bank to get it done. Chances are, you already have what you’ll need to clean and prep your joints. If you have a grinder, diamond blade, shroud and a vacuum, you have what you need.

Check out our checklist for joints and floors for a list of the items you’ll need to tackle this job:

Flooring & Joint Repair Checklist

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Sealing joints in your concrete structures is key to prolonging the life of a concrete structures. Joints in slabs are critical for relieving stress to prevent cracking but they are also the weak point when it comes to traffic. Joints in containment structures are the main route liquids take to get to the ground. Not sealing these joints could lead to reportable leaks or even undermining of the structure if not addressed immediately.

Given that these joints are outside, there are a few things you need to know before you choose a sealant so you can be sure it will last.

1. Is the joint a control joint or an expansion joint?

They are very different when it comes to the range of movement they will see especially if they are exposed to direct sunlight. Control joints relieve stress in the adjacent slab sections while expansion joints allow room for each slab to expand without damaging adjacent slabs of other components of

SR Epoxy Sealer

Long Term Immersion (LTI): the coating will be immersed in the solution for extended periods of time.

Short Term Immersion (STI): the coating will be immersed for up to 72 hours.

Splash Zone (SZ): the coating will be exposed to the solution for only short periods of time before cleaning.

Rating:
R = Recommended for use.
N = Not recommended for use.

These recommendations are based on normal ambient temperatures of 65° – 85° F.

Novolac Polymer Concrete

Use this information to help determine the suitability of Novolac Polymer Concrete in different chemical environments. The information here was determined through immersion testing

With the wide range of chemicals and compounds used in Chemical Production these days, there’s no way to use one product. You need to consider a few things before you decide what you’ll use.

1. What’s the basic chemistry of your product in this containment or production area?

Some coatings are designed for acid service while others are specifically for caustic. There are even choices for single common chemicals like sulfuric acid. This can be tough when a single containment is common to multiple processes.

2. Will there be an abrasion from traffic, dragging pallets, steel totes etc?

This is critical. You’ll have to make your system resistant to this if you expect it to last.

3. What will the temperatures of the materials be?

You need to make sure the coating can take it or make other arrangements to allow for cooling prior to contacting the coating.

Choosing the right coating key. Check out this guide to get you to the best choice for your

Re-coating a secondary containment area seems to be pretty easy. I mean, it’s just paint right? Well, it may brush or roll on like paint, but chemical resistant coatings are much more. Before you jump into self-performing a coating like this, you need to consider that you might need a contractor. Here’s some things to think about.

1. What’s the level of difficulty?

If this going to be a simple re-application of primer and topcoat you should consider doing it yourself. Of course, there will be some prep required. But it should be easily done with the tools you have with some direction.

If the system is new and will require reinforcement at joints and transitions, you might want to get a professional to look at it.

You could probably self-perform if a grout type system is to be used if you have people that have poured grout or done general concrete repair.

However, if it is a troweled down system with reinforcement, you should get a contractor

In food and beverage facilities, one of the most important tasks is cleaning and sanitation. Trench and drain maintenance are an often overlooked – yet critical – aspect of keeping your floors clean and up to USDA standards. With the constant clean up, your trench or drain is constantly wet with water, cleaning chemicals, and waste. Unfortunately, with all that water flow, a damaged trench goes unnoticed and it may begin to leak into the surrounding soil. All of that water has to go somewhere so it runs downhill.

The leaking trench creates a void. As these voids form, it reroutes the water causing your trench to be undermined. Once this happens, your trench is vulnerable for a collapse. If a vehicle or an employee travels over the trench, not only is the trench damaged but an employee could be severely injured as well.

Luckily, there are materials that can stop the flow of the water outside of the trench that come in easy

Maintaining your trench drain in your facility is a necessity. Damaged trench drains could lead to unpleasant odors and allow bacteria to grow. With all the USDA regulations, cleaning, flooding, or rinsing your trench is a daily routine. This means there is not a lot of time for this area to be dry for repair. Fast application, rapid installation, and quick curing are three things you are going to want to reduce time out of service for your trench and to ensure a complete repair. Doing it yourself means you can make the repairs on your own time and stay on budget without having to hire a contractor. Luckily, there are materials that you can easily apply while the trench is still wet.

Here are a few myths about the materials commonly used to repair trenches:

Myth 1: “Materials can’t bond if the concrete is wet.”

Traditionally, most materials used to repair trenches require the trench to be dry. This means that the area of the drain has

The best way to deal with grout shoulders is to make sure you minimize the chances of cracking before you start. There are 5 things you should consider before you proceed with the placement of your grout.

1. Design

Make sure you choose a design that is less prone to cracking. Minimize the size of the shoulders while still making it easy from a constructability standpoint. Think about how the grout will have to be placed and design access in your base plate or frame to make application and air evacuation easy.

2. Product Selection

Choose a product that will flow and fill your entire space between your base plate and the foundation. Visualize the flow and how it will move air from around the back-side of obstacles like shims and anchor bolts.

3. Preparation

Make sure the preparation of the foundation is complete and uniform. Exposed aggregate on the surface is key. Any laitance or cement-rich slurry must be removed. Remove all dust for epoxy