In construction, there is sometimes a tension or conflict between short-term cost or time constraints and the long-term durability of the structure. ‘Cutting corners’ may meet the immediate requirements of the contractor and the client, but may compromise the service life of some parts of the finished building.
Floor Sealer – Only for Decoration?
One example of this is concrete data centre floors, which will be under permanent weight loads. It is surprisingly common to leave this concrete unsealed, to save money or time. Even where a sealer has been called for by the designer, it may be culled towards the end of the project when the contractor is looking for ways to save costs.
In one sense, this may appear pragmatic and sensible. How many people are going to see a decorative finish in a data centre, right? In fact, concrete floor sealer plays an important role in preserving the long-term service life of the floor by alleviating wear and concrete dusting.
Dust!
As unprotected concrete ages, its surface begins to deteriorate through a process called carbonation. This results in fine silica-laden concrete dust leaving the surface.
Concrete dust is unhealthy for humans when breathed in over time. It’s also unhealthy for data cabinets and their contents.
How can we prevent it?
Help is at hand!
What is a good concrete sealer? Markham can offer a penetrating three-in-one treatment which is applied at the time of pour. By replacing three other treatments, our penetrating hydrogel will significantly reduce costs. And because it is a single-application treatment, trafficable within an hour of application, we can dramatically reduce the impact on construction time.
- Replace the curing compound or water curing process with a single-pass treatment!
- Replace the dust control and surface hardener with a treatment that works to a depth of 150mm and lasts the life of the concrete!
- Replace the surface sealer with a penetrating porosity sealer that never wears off and never needs to be reapplied!
Sounds good? It’s a WIN for the construction team and a WIN for the client. If you’re involved in the design or construction of factories, warehouses, exposed retail concrete floors, or data centres, you need to talk to our team today about improving the process!
STOP PRESS! Meet our SLAB-TECT approach for comprehensive protection of exposed commercial floors!
Take a little time with our on-demand webinar “Risk Reduction in Concrete Construction“.
