In the September 2014 issue of Durability + Design, we described the laboratory test methods used to determine the water vapor permeance of coatings, as well as the importance of knowing the permeance of the interior and exterior coatings used on building walls. As seen in Durability & Design, January 2017 “Calculated Impact: Can WUFI […]
How Many Times Can I Repaint the Exterior of My Building? Read More »
Concrete is the most commonly and widely used construction material for commercial building floors. While the decision to specify concrete is an easy one, the selection of the floor finish or coverings to be installed on the floor can be quite complicated. There are endless floor finishing options for new construction projects. Owners and designers
Rehabbing Concrete Floors: Coat, Cover, or Polish? Read More »
Concrete is widely used in commercial building construction and is present in a number of forms: poured concrete, tilt-up concrete and concrete masonry units (CMU). CMU also comes in a number of different forms: standard block, split-face block and scored block. Because of the dull gray appearance of concrete, however, coatings are usually applied in
Treating Exterior Concrete Walls with Coatings Read More »
Coatings used in hospitals and healthcare facilities must be kept clean, which typically requires frequent scrubbing and disinfecting. These coatings must therefore be resistant to abrasion and to the chemicals used in cleaning products. Meeting these requirements typically indicates the need for high performance coatings. But there are often other requirements for coatings used in
Selecting Coatings for Hospitals by Service Area Read More »
This article describes the failure of coatings applied to the concrete floors of a county detention facility. The structure is a multistory building with modular cells and concrete floors on each inmate level. The main structural floors were constructed of lightweight aggregate and the mezzanine floors constructed of a normal-weight aggregate. The facility was relatively
F-Files: Mechanisms of Failure- Failure at the Jail Read More »
Specification writers, contractors, and coating manufacturers, at one time or another, have been blamed when installed coatings fail to meet service life expectations. However, rarely does the wrath of Mother Nature receive the blame for premature coating failure. In this Cases from the F-Files, an interior roof coating system reportedly failed because of localized impact
The Case of the Mysterious Hailstones [Premature Coating Failure] Read More »
An ounce of inspection may be worth a pound of do-over. Cleaning and painting commercial buildings comes with extensive challenges. The paint does not always perform as expected. In some cases, poor performance is caused by problems with the building itself. In others, it is caused by a failure to comply with the specification and
Spot Assessments of Ongoing Cleaning and Painting Projects Read More »
Concrete is a very utilitarian construction material used to create highways; bridge decks; construction blocks; tilt-up wall panels; floors on grade or elevation; tanks; secondary containment structures; kitchen countertops; textured, stamped or molded reliefs; and more … amazing. Consider the overall “natural” appearance of concrete and how dull it would be if all concrete structures were available
From Bond Breakers to Sealants: Anathema to Painting of Concrete Read More »
The establishment of SSPC’s five commercial coating committees marks a second major expansion of the scope of the Society. Founded in 1950, mainly through the efforts of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), SSPC took as its scope the technology of cleaning and painting steel in industrial and public works environments. Indeed, until the mid 1980s, persons of prominence
SSPC Commercial Coatings Progress Update Read More »
