CASE HISTORY:

• The Island Life exhibit had an existing floor coating which had been deteriorating for several years and was increasingly becoming more difficult to clean and maintain.
• Ernie Wilson, head of grounds maintenance for the zoo was looking for a rapid curing system that would limit the amount of time the exhibit had to be shut down.
• The system needed to be virtually odorless with “NO” toxic fumes or vapors in order to protect the entire habitat.
• The previous floor system was slick when wet because of constant wear and Wilson was looking for a coating that would give him a good non-skid surface yet easy to clean and maintain.
• Another important issue was gloss retention level. Ernie wanted a coating system that had excellent abrasion resistance and at the same time would give him a long term, high gloss wet look.
• Aesthetic appearance was also an issue. Ernie needed the floor to blend in with the surrounding area. Additionally the floor had a series of major random fractures that need to be repaired prior to the installation of the system.

 SOLUTION:

• Wilson decided that he wanted a contractor with experience installing cosmetic floor coatings.
• He liked the Spar Thane system by ESI and wanted a topcoat that would match the surrounding area.
• A contract with Evans Industrial Coatings was made and the schedule was set to completely remove all the existing coating, repair the floor spalls, cracks and control joints then install the new Spar Thane system.
• Tim Sanderson, job foreman for Evans, arrived on site with a 4-man crew of experienced installers and work began.

 MATERIAL:

• Products specified:
  

  1. Primer - PoxyPrime EPS was actually substituted for AnvilDeck prior to the installation. The primer is a 3:1 ratio, 100% solids epoxy with rapid curing characteristics and the ability to cure on damp surfaces.
  2. Base Coat - U-THANE 60 is a 1:3 ratio, 100% solids urethane coating system developed for use on concrete surfaces. The product gel time is adjustable and designed to be rolled down.
  3. Top Coat - PolySpar FL is a 2:3 ratio, aliphatic polyaspartic coating system that is color stable and able to withstand constant exposure to light industrial traffic such as forklifts, foot traffic and bakery carts.

 INSTALLATION:

• Prior to installation of the Spar Thane system the existing epoxy coating was completely remove using 9 inch mastic scrappers and steel shot blast equipment.
• Random cracks and concrete spalls were addressed using a mixture of epoxy and filler.
• Dust containment equipment, staging, and debris removal was outlined prior to product installation.
• The perimeters of bird holding areas were draped with 6-mil plastic to insure no debris or over spray would contaminate surrounding areas or present a hazard to the wild life.
• After surface preparation was complete PoxyPrime EPS was mixed and installed using commercial 18-inch rollers.
• The base coat, U-Thane, was also mixed, and then applied using squeegees and commercial rollers in order to obtain the right mil thickness.
• The topcoat, PolySpar FL was applied after the installation of the colored quartz aggregate to the U-Thane base coat. This final application of PolySpar is designed to lock down the colored aggregate.
• The entire size of this project was approximately 2800 sf.
• Wilson was delighted with the work as it only took Tim Sanderson’s crew 4 days to complete. The project was actually ahead of schedule and the Island Exhibit was then opened ahead of schedule.
• The entire project was completed in mid 2004.