Surface Preparation
Surface preparation: It is the preparation of the reinforced concrete floor for the primer application before the polyurethane or epoxy floor coating-paint applications. It is the removal of low strength slurry layer and loose particles on the concrete surface by mechanical methods and the roughening of the surface. The surface preparation-therefore the industrial coating-to be made, must have a compressive strength of at least 25 N / mm² and a pull off strength of at least 1.5 N / mm².
Surface preparation is actually a kind of sandblasting. It is made by throwing very small metal balls onto the reinforced concrete surface. The machine that does this is called the “Vacuum Balling Machine”. The Blastrac brand has almost become the name of the machine. The usual and cheap method; using marble polishing machine, ratatiger and diamond-tipped hand machines. Marble polishing machine and diamond-tipped hand tools cannot create the desired roughness on the surface. Rotatiger’s roughening is also far from what is needed for epoxy coating: It creates spots in places on the floor.
If we summarize the usage areas of the Vacuum Ball method:
- To prepare and clean surfaces before coating, paint, primer etc.
- To remove old coatings and tire marks on the airport,
- For removing lines and marks on highways, roads, jogging paths and industrial facilities,
- To increase the grip on the roads and therefore the road safety,
With traditional methods, theoretically desired and required surface preparation cannot be made. Surface preparation stage is very important in industrial flooring business. If the surface preparation is not done correctly, the primer will not be able to penetrate the floor sufficiently and there will be a risk of swelling in the coating made over time.
One of the most important benefits of using a vacuum balling machine while preparing the surface is; On the one hand, it takes the sherbet layer by roughening it, on the other hand, it cleans the surface of dust, oil and dirt and prepares it for primer application. In short, surfaces roughened by vacuum balling machine become ready for primer application.
Primer is applied to the prepared surface areas. Primer is the binder between the reinforced concrete surface and the coating or paint to be made. It should be done in accordance with the surface preparation technique in order for the primer to do its job and to adhere to the concrete.
Surface and Crack Repairs:
Cracks, pits, fractures and segregated areas are repaired with epoxy primer and epoxy mortar. Repairs deeper than 4-5 mm and with a large area can also be made with cement-based repair mortars suitable for epoxy coating. If the cracks are deep and there is a danger of water coming from the ground, first of all, water should be prevented from coming.
Tags ; Epoxy coating surface preparation, epoxy, polyurethane, coating, surface preparation, surface preparation, epoxy surface preparation, sandblasting, grinding, blastrak, blastrac, vacuum grinding, polishing machine, vacuum, roughening, preparation, primer, pre