Fixing a Five-Alarm Floor

As first responders, the team of firefighters serving the city of Gatineau, Quebec, from its Fire Station #3 often ventures 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-lb. (15 876-kg) fire trucks.

“The concrete slab was exposed, with some areas posing a tripping hazard to the firefighters as they hurried to answer calls,” said MAPEI coordinator Justin Lafontaine. “Any water accumulating on the floor was not draining, and the original traffic coating was worn off.”

MAPEI products on the jobsite

The two-part project began with three products from MAPEI’s Concrete Restoration Systems line of products, followed by application of MAPEI’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-sq.-ft. (465-m²) concrete slab, bringing it to a concrete surface profile (CSP) of #3 per the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) 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 topcoat 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 Gatineau’s Fire Station #3 rush to answer calls, they can rest assured that their own fire-station floor will not become a tripping hazard — thanks in large part to MAPEI. The city can count on a tested, resilient, epoxy resin flooring that is ready to meet the station’s needs well into the future.