INDUSTRIAL flooring experts, Floor Painters, has used several UltraFloor materials to complete a 2,100 sqm industrial flooring project at a historic steel forge in Lincoln.

Background
Built more than 100 years ago, the existing floors in the steel forge were damaged and unsafe. After careful consideration, it became clear that replacing the original concrete floor wasn’t a practical option in terms of time and cost.

The challenge
The steel forge remained fully operational throughout the project and so the challenge was to find a range of flooring materials perfectly suited for industrial use and that could be trafficked quickly so as not to disrupt work being carried out.

The solution
With decades of expertise, Floor Painters says it knew UltraFloor materials were key to a successful outcome. After removing the damaged concrete floor, the concrete substrate was sealed using UltraFloor Prime IT Multi-surface Primer.

Says UltraFloor: ‘Formulated to promote adhesion to all UltraFloor smoothing underlayments, Prime IT Multi-surface Primer is pigmented pink for excellent coverage control and is proven to reduce pinholing, minimising the risk of costly failures. With a coverage rate of 200sq m at 3:1 dilution, Prime IT Multi-surface Primer is a must-have product for all flooring installation projects.

‘The following day, Level IT Base was applied, via pump, at an average depth of 50mm. Level IT Base is a heavy duty, deep fill smoothing underlayment, formulated to build depths of up to 50mm thickness. Level IT Base also boasts a high compressive strength – an important requirement for all industrial flooring applications.

‘Once Level IT Base had cured, Level IT Top was pump applied to an average depth of 10mm and left to cure. Ideal for use with Level IT Base, Level IT Top is a heavy duty, abrasive resistant surface finish, designed for use as a wear surface, and can receive forklift traffic after only 36 hours – the ideal product for warehouses and manufacturing facilities where downtime is not an option!’

Level IT Top and Level IT Base can reportedly be pump or trowel applied for ease of application, are moisture tolerant, have a 30-40 minute working time and can receive foot traffic after three hours.

To complete the installation, the cured floor was then prepared by industrial grinding before the application of two coats of a solvent free epoxy coating – reportedly resulting in a flat, hardwearing, safe, and fit-for-purpose floor.

Results
The project was completed in six stages, over 36 days, carrying out between 300-500sq m a day, depending on the workspace made available. On completion of the project, Terry Rossington, Director of Floor Painters, commented: ‘Our client was very happy with the standard of the finish and the upgrades made to their working environment, which has improved visual appearance and functionality of the floor.’