Epoxy Flooring In Baltimore Hospital
A hospital in Baltimore called me to the scene. The floor was pieced together with sheets of laminate flooring. But the laminate flooring was beginning to degrade, due to the human liquids, and chemicals that are consistently exposed to the floor. Laminate flooring is commonly used for residential or commercial use, not industrial use, or areas that receive a lot of chemical exposure such as bleach.
Additionally, the laminate flooring was well adhered to the substrate.
The substrate is concrete, which is what you’d want your epoxy or urethane cement primer bonded to. So, accessing the concrete will be very difficult and require some tough labor.
One tool that you’ll definitely want in your hands is a floor razor:
When angled properly, this floor razor will help scrape away the mastic glue that is tightly adhered to the concrete. But although this floor razor is sharp enough to remove large globs of glue remaining on the concrete floor, there will still be some residue remaining that you’ll want to erode. If you do not remove that remaining residue, then you’re impairing the adhesion for your new floor.
Boiling Water
Boiling water can help reduce the adhesion of the mastic glue, so that the floor razor can take off the remaining glue. Just pour the boiling water over the glue. Allow it to sit for a few minutes, before the water can cool, and begin to scrape. The water will soften the glue enough so that you’re able to remove the glue with the razor. This application needs to be done cautiously, due to electrical safety, and any water damages that may occur to the bottom of drywall.
Chemical Adhesive Remover
Boiling water may not be the best method to dis-bond the glue, expecially in commercial or industrial environments where industrial grade glues are used. If this is the case, you may need to use a chemical adhesive stripper. This will erode the chemical make-up of the mastic glue, allowing you to use the razor to adequately remove it from the floor. But these material need to be used with caution. You need to look for an environmentally friendly remover. Otherwise, you may cause harm to yourself or the surrounding area. And secondly, try to find ad adhesion remover with low odors. As with most chemicals, odor is an issue that can cause brain damage and neurological problems. But as long as you take the necessary precautions, and read and follow the TDS for each product, you shouldn’t be exposed to any harmful products.
Regarding the hospital’s laminate floor, it’s difficult to assess the condition of the concrete. Is it damaged or in sound condition? Does it transmit vapor, or does it impervious? There are too many unknown variables, which makes the project very difficult and risky to bid. Otherwise you could end up with not enough time to complete the project.
But beyond the risk, the floor I will propose to install is a micro-chip decorative broadcast floor. Because this floor is on the 2nd level, I would be concerned about vapor transmissions, so I would propose a urethane cement primer. Then broadcasting into that using a non-yellowing polyaspartic. Then, I would grout over the chip with (2) coats of polyaspoartic. Then finally, top off the floor with a satin, chemical resistant, aliphatic urethane. And with that floor, the physicians and hospital maintenance staff can work happily knowing that their floors won’t be degrading due to the bodily fluids of cadavers and cleaning solutions.
PennCoat, Inc. has been providing industrial painting, commercial painting, epoxy flooring, and polished concrete services for nearly 30 years. Our experienced installers are trained and equipped with the proper knowledge and tools to ensure that every installation is installed efficiently and safely. PennCoat, Inc. provides service toPennsylvania,New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. And we coverYork,Lancaster,Philadelphia,Chester,Montgomery,Baltimore,Harrisburg,Dauphin,Bucks,Berks, and other counties in the surrounding area.
Sign up for our exclusive Painting & Epoxy Flooring Forum to provide questions and answers for common situations.