Fixing a Five-alarm Floor in Quebec: Case Study

As first responders, the team of firefighters serving the city of Gatineau, Que., from Fire Station #3 often venture to the scenes of accidents that might have been avoided with a little foresight. The team could not practice what they preached, though, due to a fire station floor that was itself an accident waiting to happen. The floor had taken a beating over the years under the punishing weight of three 35,000-pound fire trucks, revealing exposed rebar and corroded concrete.

“The concrete slab was exposed with some areas posing a tripping hazard to the firefighters as they hurried to answer calls,” says Justin Lafontaine, Mapei’s business development manager for Eastern Canada. “Any water accumulating on the floor was not draining and the original traffic coating was worn off.”

The two-part project began with three products from Mapei’s Concrete Restoration Systems line of products, followed by application of the company’s epoxy resin flooring system that is formulated to provide excellent resistance to chemicals and abrasion.

To begin, however, the reinforcing steel that was exposed in places needed attention to sustain its strength. Contractors from BTM Construction addressed the issue by applying Mapefer 1K as an anti-corrosion coating to inhibit oxidization and rust formation. They repaired the cracks using Epojet LV deep-penetrating epoxy injection resin. Planitop FD cementitious, flowable repair mortar with corrosion inhibitor was then used to fill larger defects in the 5,000-square-foot concrete slab, bringing it to a concrete surface profile, per the International Concrete Repair Institute specification.

With the slab now ready to take on its new resin-based floor, installers from Ideal Epoxy started on edge work using Mapefloor CPU/COVE polyurethane/cement-based coving and detailing screed. They then applied the new main coating — Primer SN filled epoxy primer with a full saturation of sand — to increase mechanical bond.

Next, the Ideal Epoxy team applied Mapefloor Finish 450, a solvent-free, aliphatic, polyurethane top coat that is specifically designed to provide a protective wear coat for concrete surfaces in areas exposed to direct sunlight. Finally, they used Mapefloor I 302 SL epoxy resin to create yellow demarcation lines.

Now, when crew members from Fire Station #3 rush to answer calls, they can rest assure their own floor is no longer a hazard.

Scott Murray is a writer and editor in Mapei’s marketing department. Founded in 1978, Mapei offers 11 product lines for the construction industry in Canada. The company has production facilities in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia, and a distribution centre in Alberta.