Sunday 27 April 2008

Floor Seal Technology Inc.

Founded in 1981, Floor Seal Technology was established to counter the multi-billion dollar problem of slab moisture & alkalinity effects on indoor air quality and floor covering bond failure, Floor Seal Technology formed a team of troubleshooters and combined our efforts with some of America’s leading experts in flooring materials, concrete design, architecture and engineering.
The combined talents of scientists, engineers and contractors has helped Floor Seal Technology develop cutting edge process controls that stabilize, suppress and disperse high vapor bringing substrates into compliance for safe installation. A unique combination of environmentally safe materials had to be developed and tested under the most demanding of conditions, especially time.
From Apple Computer to Texas Instruments and from Kaiser Hospitals to Wal-Mart Stores, over 20 million square feet of vapor compliance procedures have been successfully performed.
Floor Seal Technology has partnered with some of America’s largest companies in the Floor Covering Industry and has served the industry’s associations with education and technical support.
Floor Seal Technology is a world class Manufacture of our own specialized, patented products. Our VOC compliant moisture & alkalinity control products are designed for maximum effectiveness and efficiency of installation.
Floor Seal Technology as a contactor is one of the most technologically advanced companies in the construction industry. Our computer database and network communication system allow us to have 100% quality control of our national installations on a daily bases. We control costs on any installation nationwide to a penny per square foot, assuring us and our clients the highest degree of quality control.

Concrete Prep.

Surface Preparation
One of the best ways to make sure your concrete is clean & ready for your new coating or flooring material is by Shot Blasting. Shot Blasting is the best surface preparation method to achieve a clean, dry, and dust-free surface. One of the key elements of shot blasting is to achieve a proper profile. A large number of coating failures are attributed to inadequate surface preparation.
Shot Blasting is one of the cleanest surface preparation methods available. The electric-powered machine shoots steal shot at the slab, helping it to achieve the desired profile. The debris is vacuumed into a dust collector, which achieves a dust-free environment.
The Shot Blasting technique is the surface preparation method recommend by a majority of coating & flooring manufacturers.
Engineered Cements (Concrete Leveling)
Floor Seal Technology offers a variety of engineered cements which can be used to cover & level that old concrete slab, or can be used as a Decorative System.
Floor Seal Technology can help you level out your concrete, so that you will be ready for your finished flooring material. The products that we use are Portland Cement Based and are self-leveling & self drying. The material can be poured or applied with a pump up to 5” thick. The floor can be opened to foot traffic in 2-3 hours. You can begin installing your finished floor covering after around 16 hours.
For clients who are looking for a more contemporary look. Floor Seal Technology can help with a Decorative Concrete Topping. The material is also Portland Cement Based & can be used as a final finish floor. Floor Seal Technology has the ability to add integral colors or topical treatment to give your floor the special look that will set your facility apart from others.

MirrorCrete (Polished Concrete)



•MirrorCrete is Floor Seal Technology's special Chemical and Mechanical process that will turn your Plain concrete slab into a Maintenance Free Decorative work of Art.
•MirrorCrete is a polishing process that will strengthen your concrete slab, while given it a final finished look, so you will not be in need of the normal finished flooring materials.
•MirrorCrete's step by step process will give your concrete slab a reflective aesthetically sheen finish.
•MirrorCrete can be used on new and old concrete surfaces. Due to different
Mechanical steps, you can determine the amount of sheen and reflection that your concrete slab will have.
For clients who are in search of a little color for their facility, MirrorCrete can be combined with Stained or Colored Concrete.
The maintenance involved in keeping your MirrorCrete looking good is basically mopping. It is recommended that occasionally MirrorCrete is cleaned with buffing equipment to keep the shine it had from day one.
Contact Your Floor Seal Technology Sales Representative to Help Determine If MirrorCrete Is Right For Your Facility !!

Resinous Coatings

FASTFLOOR- Resinous Flooring Systems can provide a complete range of surfaces for any kind of building application. From refrigerated food processing to high-tech manufacturing,
FASTFLOOR offers incredible value.
FASTFLOOR is a safe, hygienic floor that can be installed in a single night or over the weekend. When it comes to floor performance, it is critical to have the chosen system perform as expected. If the floor fails to perform for any reason, it can be a very costly nightmare to repair.
FASTFLOOR
· Is highly durable and abrasion resistant. Easily withstands hot car tires and forklift traffic.
· Can be installed where extreme hot and cold conditions occur, indoors or out.
· Is UV resistant, doesn’t crack or peel common to other polymer systems.
Floor Seal Technology’s Custom FASTFLOOR Systems:
Food Service System
High Temp System
Low Temp System
Industrial System
High Traffic System
Decorative Chip System
Decorative Quartz System
FASTFLOOR is available in solid colors, decorative chips and broadcast quartz for unlimited artistic capabilities.
Contact your Floor Seal Technology Sales Representative, so that they can help guide you towards which system is the best for your organization.

Stained Concrete

Acid Staining is a process in which stain reacts with the minerals that are in the concrete slab. The stain penetrates into the slab and the results vary, due to the fact that every concrete slab is uniquely different.
Acid Staining can be used on old and new concrete. Since the results are not on the surface of the concrete, but rather etched into the surface the colored concrete will not peel or flake. The staining process can be used indoors or outdoors and is available in a variety of colors & designs.

Vapor Control

An outline of general procedures used in solving a moisture problem.
1. Masking & protection comes first, followed by shot blasting and edge grinding.
2. All structural cracks and control joints are prepared and vacuumed clean. This is done to properly seal up cracks and joints later on.
3. Our MES is applied with a squeegee providing a uniform coating over the entire surface.
4. Additional coatings are applied over the penetrating sealer.
5. A Portland cement based compound may be used to encapsulate the treatment allowing easy installation of flooring.
6. A thin layer of self-leveling topping creates a surface compatible with all adhesives and floor products.
7. After drying, the floor is sanded smooth, and is now ready for installation of any kind of floor covering.
The Problem
Background to a Costly Problem
Every year across America people are faced with a serious problem that affects untold millions. Floor system failures have become one of the most misunderstood phenomena in the modern construction age. As people, we all have a concern for buildings, because we spend most of our lives inside them.
The purpose of a building is simple; it is an environment in which you keep your things. Whatever those things are they reside upon the floor covering. The floor covering is affixed to the concrete foundation and the concrete slab is a natural moisture emitting mechanism.
It is logical then, to realize that the floor covering is financially-critical part of the building itself. If it fails unexpectedly, the costs associated with moving your things off the floor to solve the problem, and the downtime costs as well, can be catastrophic. Billions of dollars are lost in America each year due to floor system failures. Click here for more information
The Misery of Moisture Related Problems
The Super Store
A well-known, national retail chain moved into a larger building and sub-leased their old property out to two other well known medium sized retailers. The new tenants complained that the VCT was buckling, delaminating and oozing adhesive throughout the store… Click here for more information
Indoor Air Quality and Concrete Slabs
Many changes have taken place in construction technology over the last 20 years. Most notably, and to the detriment of indoor air quality, the advent of much “tighter” or energy efficient building envelopes and the increased use of concrete slab on grade construction. A related factor to these problems is fast-track construction, which seldom allows the time necessary for a concrete slab to dry enough to support a floor covering.
Problems with poor indoor air quality had been discussed as ideas for centuries. Yet only recently has our understanding of the microorganisms that live among us, become a serious topic for study. In door air quality sciences now constitute a multi-faceted world-wide discipline. Click here for more information
Five Options to a Vapor Emission Problem
Click here for more information
The Mechanisms
Indigenous Mechanisms of Moisture Movement
Microscopic capillaries within the concrete create the potential avenue for moisture to move through the slab. The differential of temperature & humidity between the moisture source and building interior causes vapor to be drawn out of the slab surface into the building envelope or become trapped under a low-permeable flooring material.
Moisture emits from concrete as a function of higher pressures moving toward lower pressures. Click here for more information
Contributing Sources of Moisture
Outside sources of water which contribute to a moisture condition can be accidental, or a normal function in nature. Accidental sources such as failed plumbing, over watered plant beds, sloping hillsides and poor trench drain systems are all examples of problems that should be carefully regarded, independent of the vapor emission rate of the slab. Click here for more information
Vapor Retarders
Vapor retarders can provide a very effective and necessary means of retarding the amount of moisture transmitting through slabs-on-ground from sources below. While often referred to as vapor barriers, few such materials truly provide a 100% barrier to rising moisture and therefore are more accurately referred to as vapor retarders. Click here for more information
Concrete Mix Designs
Water is the life blood of concrete. Without it, hydration and strength gain would not continuously occur. Concrete is one of those rare things that get stronger with age. Providing it stays moist throughout its life. Click here for more information
Concrete Curing
While the water/cement ratio of the concrete mix has a direct impact on the final permeability of a finished slab, the curing of the concrete has an important degree of influence upon the ability of a slab to transmit moisture vapor. Click here for more information
Concrete Drying Time in Laboratory Conditions
The time it takes for concrete to dry to an acceptable level for floor covering or coating application is dependent upon several variables including, but not limited
The Effects of Water/Cement Ratio on Slab Permeability
All slabs are porous as a result of their construction. Serious problems with porosity come from the extra water that was added in order to make a concrete batch a workable material. Concrete recipes have a water/cement ratio that should be carefully considered, as it directly impacts permeability.
The Measurement
Testing Paradigms for Concrete Slabs
All scientific tests generally produce results that are either subjective or objective. Furthermore, the dependent variable being measured generally occurs as a result of a stimulus that is either static or dynamic in nature. Click here for more information
Calcium Chloride Specifications and Test Reporting
Adapted from the vaprecision model calcium chloride test
Specifications
This test method was developed in the 1950’s and has been widely accepted by the flooring industry as a quantitative measure of slab moisture.
The Control
Means of controlling topical vapor emission and alkalinity
Topical moisture control can only be preformed by three means: penetrating liquids that enter into concrete pores, surface coatings that are bonded to the surface of the slab, and dispersive membranes that are also bonded to the surface but establish some sort of physical space between the concrete and flooring material or coating.
Tools employed for total vapor emission & alkalinity control
Providing a long lasting, fully warranted vapor emission & alkalinity control begins with properly engineered products designed strictly for the purpose of stabilizing, suppressing and diffusing gas.

Leader in the Moisture Control Industry since 1980.

Floor Seal Technology has been a pioneer and leader in the Concrete moisture control industry since 1980.
We work with owners, architects, and contractors to correct and prevent moisture emission floor failures.
As manufacture and installer of our MES 100 vapor emission control system, we provide an unmatched assurance and warranty against moisture and alkalinity failure.
In addition to our manufactured products, Floor Seal Technology is also a preferred installer of several specialty flooring products.