4 Considerations When Evaluating a Flooring System

Introduction As a person in charge of the facility, you are called upon to be an expert, or at the very least, knowledgeable in everything about the building including the flooring system. This White Paper will guide you through the process of determining the effectiveness and health of the floor including sanitation, exposures, safety, thermal shock, static control requirements and more for both new concrete as well as existing concrete.

A White paper from Concare

4 Considerations When Evaluating a Flooring System In order to best understand flooring systems, we've broken it down into 4 key areas and discuss each one in more detail. These key areas include: 1. New Concrete 2. Existing Concrete 3. Physical Requirements (how are you going to use the flooring system) 4. Operations (how to maintain and get the most out of the flooring system) New Concrete New concrete can mean freshly poured concrete usually less than one year old, that has had limited or no exposure to production, foot traffic or frequent wash downs. There are 4 areas to consider.

Moisture Joints/Cracks Physical Properties Curing Method

1. Moisture Determine the amount of moisture in the untreated concrete by using a standard calcium chloride test or the more advanced relative humidity (rH) probe. The purpose of the test is to get a reading of how much moisture currently exists in the concrete. If there is too much moisture, a newly applied topping can disbond from the concrete.

2. Joints Joints in new concrete are an important element to managing cracks. Concrete installers will purposely install perfectly straight cuts into the concrete to provide a place for the concrete to crack. The joints may or may not need to be filled; it depends on your operation. However, it does need to be considered as part of the overall use in the operation. 3. Physical Properties Knowing the physical properties of the new slab will also determine what preparations need to be made prior to installing a topping. Be able to describe the finish and strength of the concrete.

4. Curing

Be sure you know how your concrete was cured. Concrete slabs are either cured with water or a chemical spray. Both techniques perform the same result, which is to protect the surface from drying out too quickly. The method you choose, will determine what needs to be done to install a finish topping.

Existing Concrete Existing concrete has usually been beat up while serving its purpose for the facility. The concrete may have been treated with previous toppings and/or been exposed to chemicals, physical abuse etc. There are 6 areas to evaluate for existing concrete. 1. Moisture Moisture is always present in concrete. But if excessively high levels of moisture are left untreated, it can affect the choices you have to consider. If you had previous topping installed, look for blistering or bubbling. Take a blister or bubble, drill or cut it, and press. If water oozes out, high moisture may be present in the concrete. If your current flooring system is topped with a carpet or tile, check for buckling. Pull up a piece of carpet or tile and check underneath. If it's damp, moisture continues to be present. 2. Chemical Exposure Chemicals deteriorate concrete especially if left on the floor for extended periods of time. Even if chemicals, acids or caustics are cleaned from the surface, they still can penetrate concrete leaving residues and damage behind. 3. Define the Type of Traffic Identify wear areas or traffic patterns caused by forklifts, moving machinery, and people. 4. Temperature Extremes Facilities many times are exposed to extreme temperatures. Facilities that contain freezers, or ovens subject their floors to extreme temperatures during production and storage; cleaning or steam discharge piping may also have caused damage. 5. Existing Toppings If your floor has an existing topping, determine the age, worn areas and if the existing topping protected the floor as you use it today. You need to know whether you’ll have to remove the topping or can renovate it. 6. Deterioration There are many forms of deterioration found in existing concrete. Evaluate the concrete for cracks, broken joints, spalling (large pieces of loose concrete), or scaling.

Physical Requirements The physical requirements pertains to the operation of the floor. This section will help you to identify and construct a list of how the flooring system is in use today and how will you continue to use it once the new flooring system is installed. You will find 5 areas for consideration. 1. Determine the level of protection the floor needs. Consider if chemicals, acids etc will be, attacking the surface of the concrete. These chemical may be powerful enough to penetrate the surface and compromise the concrete. Determine if flammable materials need to be controlled in the facility. A flooring company such as Concare, can recommend static control materials or highly chemical resistance applications to protect the facility. 2. Thermal shock Thermal shock occurs when the facility maintains high or low temperatures and applies the reverse to the surface. Many times in freezers, companies need to clean the surface of the floor. The worker applies hot water to the freezing surface during sanitation activity. The difference in temperatures can cause the surface floor to deteriorate. 3. Mechanical Deterioration Forklift trucks are popular within large facilities. With constant movement on the floor, not only do they cause wear, but also can damage the joints. However, it's not the only thing that can deteriorate the floor. Metals, metal fragments, particulates and abrasives can do the same, or worse, plan for the amount of mechanical activity that occurs in your facility. 4. Anti-Static Many industries consider anti-static (ESD) as part of their flooring system, electronics, chemical, food and pharmaceutical to name a few. If you have a flammable environments, dust or chemicals that contain flammable properties, or if your production would be adversely affected by static electrical shocks, including ESD protection should be a part of the solution.

5. Sloping or Pitching Sloping a floor is critical especially if your facility runs a wet process, or if water is frequently used for cleaning. Water has to find its way down to a drain in order to keep the surface dry. Sloping or pitching the floor is an additional service that can be added during installation to allow water to drain properly.

Operational issues Operational issues pertain to either new or existing facilities.

1. Scheduling Scheduling is one of the most challenging aspects for these projects. Production schedules need to be met and creating that necessary time can be impossible. Installation can occur during 'odd' times in order to best accommodate schedules: evenings, weekends, and holidays. Also, consider breaking up the installation by scheduling over more than one day, weekend etc. 2. Sanitation Many facilities need to maintain a high level of sanitation. Be sure to include provisions for pre—and post—installation protection, cleanup, etc. 3. Expectations Voicing your expectations is critical to the project's success. Be sure to communicate what you expect; try to paint a picture of the perfect outcome. 4. Safety Identify all the safety requirements at your facility and communicate them in detail. If OSHA 10 hour or 30 hour training, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), or Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are important to you, be sure to say so.