Industrial floors often break down at the control joints. This can be due to slabs that are rocking or the constant hammering from heavy forklift traffic. (Read more information on slab stabilization.)
Floor Repair
Spalled concrete is concrete that is chipped, cracked and deteriorating. This often happens at a joint. The best way to provide concrete crack repair is with an epoxy or polyurethane mortar. The fastest way to repair a spall is to use Floor Fix polymer resin and a mortar made with resin and oven dried sand. This material is traffic ready in 10 minutes. Prime Bond 3100 or Prime Bond 3900 also make a fantastic mortar if you have time for the material to cure (usually overnight).
Joint Protection
If the slabs are not moving, the solution to prevent further damage is our Joint Shield line of epoxy and polyurea joint fillers. These materials will support the sidewalls of the joints and bridge the gap that currently allows the traffic to beat up the joint edge.
It is important not to confuse these materials with typical joint sealers that are only applied on the surface. These are full depth materials that are strong and flexible enough to withstand continuous traffic, but not so rigid as to weld the joint together. Joint Shield 5000 is our workhorse epoxy joint filler. Joint Shield 5500 polyurea provides faster turnaround and the ability to shave the joints flush.
Max Wall of Floor Consultants, Inc., specializes in repairing the floors of big box retail stores and distribution centers. He primarily uses Floor Fix, Prime Bond 3000 and Joint Shield 5500:
“The largest project we used Floor Fix on was Lowes in Valdosta, Ga. Our crew patched 18,000 1.5″ diameter holes 1.5″ deep,” says Wall. “We use 3000 for nosing repairs in every distribution center we work in. We use a lot of 5500 for its quick dry time and durability in every distribution center we work in. We’ve installed over a hundred miles of it.”
Resources for floor repair:
- Case studies
- Prime Practices
- Estimating tools and information
- Technical data sheets
- White paper: When good floors go bad
