Decorative Treatments for Concrete Floors: A ... - PaintSquare

39Coatings made with polyaspartic esters can even be applied at temperatures below50 F, which extends the application season.Polyaspartic coatings can be applied with a simple brush and roller and typicallycan be applied in multiple coats from start (base coat) to finish (top coat) in an eighthourworkday. Additionally, they may require fewer coats compared to traditionalcoatings, since they can be formulated as a high-build coating that contributes to timesavings and ultimately significant cost savings.UV resinsThese user-friendly, high-molecular-weight UV resins feature a number of beneficialproperties. They are odorless, cosolvent free, light stable for resistance to weathering,abrasion and chemical resistant, and exhibit good adhesion to the concrete substrate.Coatings formulated with these resins can be applied with existing equipment byroller, pad, squeegee, or other means. Typical applications include lobbies, restaurants,hospitals, parking garages, or other areas where extremely fast return to serviceis a must.Contractors can use a variety of methods for UV curing. Formulations for outdoorapplications can be cured by natural sunlight. Or, coatings can be applied and curedon-site with portable UV lamps in less than one hour, which is a significant productivityadvantage. Another key advantage is that multiple coats can be applied, dried,then cured at once—with just one UV coating.SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE FLOOR COATINGS: HERE TO STAYA myriad of factors is contributing to the increasing demand for sustainable decorativeconcrete floor coatings. The coatings advances detailed here are giving contractorsand designers the ability to meet customers’ desire for concrete coatings that areeco-friendly without sacrificing durability or ease of use.Furthermore, these coatings provide designers and architects the latitude to expandthe use of decorative concrete.As the coatings industry continues to enhance its products to meet the evolvingneeds of the market, novel coatings technologies will continue to gain prominenceand, in turn, spur the next generation of sustainable coatings.About the authorSteven Reinstadtler is market development and green building manager for BayerMaterialScience’s Coatings, Adhesives and Specialties Business Unit in Pittsburgh.He received a BS in chemistry with a polymer science option from the University ofPittsburgh. He joined the Polyurethanes Division of Bayer in 1987 as a chemist workingon high-performance prepolymers and spray elastomers. He transitioned into thecoatings area in 2006, where he was responsible for the research activities of theConstruction Coatings group as well as forward marketing activities.D+D