Thanks for your reply. Let me try to clarify--I am technical support rep
for our local electric utility's environmental building program. Yesterday,
I spoke with the architects for a local college science building, who are
very open and interested in healthier IAQ and green building measures (as
are the college and the building donors). They are striving for a very high
quality building. In discussing the lab floors, the concerns expressed by
the architects about flooring options were related to IAQ and durability.
They described the challenge of finding a floor that could survive students
dropping everything from acids to zoology specimens (formaldehyde). In
their view, epoxy was the only option.
I would appreciate any experience or advice you have about installing epoxy
floors; I know almost nothing about them. Especially; how is the concrete
prepped for the epoxy? And the epoxy laid? How are workers protected? Do
the epoxy emissions disperse quickly? Any chance of them being absorbed by
other building materials? What's the cure time? Ventilation
recommendations? Are there epoxy materials you would recommend? Can color
be incorporated? How is epoxy maintained after its cured? Are there
chemicals that would damage it after it has cured? Are there any disposal
issues around the epoxy containers?
I couldn't think of any more benign concrete floor finishes or coverings
that would stack up to the epoxy--if you know of others, I'd be interested.
Thanks!
Mike O'Brien
>
>Epoxy floor finishes for chemical resistance seem to be the preferred
>solution in current practice here on long island, albeit I don't think they
>could be considered
>an earth friendly solution.
>
>I have had some experience selecting and supervising epoxy floor
>installations in industrial buildings--- one in a 15,000 sf chemical storage
>area that had to meet county regulations for chemical containment, and one in
>a 10,000 sf food processing plant. I may be able to be of some assistance,
>but I'm not certain what you are looking for... alternatives, or things to
>watch-out for, as there are an awful lot of poorly done installations. Please
>clarify.
>
>yours,
>Fred Michelman
>Harbor Custom Building, Inc.
>516-472-4802
O'Brien & Associates
Environmental Building Consultants
Portland General Electric Earth Smart program
obrien@hevanet.com
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