Industrial Flooring Glossary

A

Acid Etch: A diluted acid, such as muriatic (hydrochloric) or phosphoric acid is poured on the floor to remove the cement laitance or to remove the top surface to create a rough profile.

Anti-Slip Coating: A floor coating with aggregate (sand) embedded in it such that the aggregate is partially exposed to provide a rough profile finish.

B

Blast Pattern: The pattern created by the passing of a blast machine over a floor.

Brush Blast: The lightest uniformly blasted floor pattern that is acceptable for any coating application.

C

Chemical Preparation: Preparation by stripping, cleaning or etching with a liquid chemical in a concentrated or diluted form. Commonly used chemicals include acids (muriatic, phosphoric), alkaline (soap or detergent), solvents (xylene, acetone) or paint strippers.

Control Joint or Saw Cut: The cut made into a concrete slab within 24 hours of pouring the slab, in order to allow for shrinkage. This cut is usually not a moving joint, and can be filled and covered once the slab is cured and stabilized (usually a year or two after placement).

Cove Base or Wall Base: An overlay application continuing from the floor up the wall at a constant height, with a concave radius at the floor–to-wall joint. Height is usually between 3 and 8 inches. The wall base is usually tied into a zinc or plastic cap.

Cove: A concave rounded finishing of the floor-to-wall joint.

Cratering or Pitting: This can occur on the surface of a coating when air escapes from the surface, creates a foam bubble, and cures. When the cured bubble is broken, a crater type effect with a sharp rim remains.

Curtaining: A tarp or curtain temporarily hung to protect equipment, product, or rooms from dust created during floor preparation.

D

Dry Grinding: When a grinder is used without water. Usually the grinder has a dust collection unit to control the spread of dust.

E

Exposed Aggregate: This occurs when a concrete floor becomes worn and aggregate material becomes visible.

F

45 degree Cove: This term applies to coving that is applied flat at a 45 degree angle into the floor-wall corner.

Feather Edge: When an overlay terminates on a floor surface without being tied into the surface by an edge key.

Fish Eyes: A type of surface separation of a floor coating. These occur when the liquid application pulls away from a speck of dirt or when applying over an oily or contaminated surface. The resulting appearance resembles fish eyes, fish scales, snake skin, etc.

Flooding: An application technique that involves pouring a coating to a thickness that allows it to flow to a smooth, level finish.

Floor Machine/Floor Maintainer: A machine with one rotary head with a 15” to 18” diameter sanding disc or plate attached. Primarily used for sanding or screening an existing coating or concrete surface.

Floor Sander: Drum type belt sander used for sanding wood floors.

G

Grinding: A set of stones or a diamond content disc rotates against the surface of a floor to remove or level the top layers of the surface.

Grout: A fine epoxy-filler mix used to fill holes and cracks in the floor before a coating is applied.

H

Hiding Ability: The ability of a pigmented coating to provide a uniform colour density over a dark or discoloured surface.

High Build Coating: Coatings that are applied at a thickness of 20-100 mil, or coatings that have a solids content of at least 90%.

K

Keying Edges: Using techniques such as chipping, saw-cutting, scarifying, beveling or a combination of to tie the edges of an overlay into the surface of a floor. This provides a sound transition to the overlay.

M

Mechanical Preparation: Any preparation requiring impacting or abrading a surface to physically remove part of the surface.

O

¼ inch or 6mm: A common thickness of overlay.

1/8 per foot: Refers to the drainage slope of a floor surface, and indicates a 1/8th inch per foot change in the height of the floor surface. This is the accepted minimum for floor drainage in the food industry. ¼ inch per foot is the accepted slope for automatic flow.

Orange Peel Effect: A coating surface texture that resembles the surface of an orange.

Overlay: The sand-filled resin mix that is trowel applied to the surface of a floor to a thickness of 1/8th to 5/8th of an inch. Also referred to as topping, trowel-down, matrix, or surfacer.

P

Patch: The replacement of a broken overlay or coating, usually less than 50 sq. ft. in area.

Pigment Separation: This can occur in coloured coatings consisting of two or more pigments, where one pigment rises to the surface and other pigments remain suspended.

Pinholes: A tiny hole created when air escapes from the surface of a coating and the coating does not flow back into the void area.

R

Ramp: The sloped transition from one floor height to another or between adjoining floor slabs.

Re-slope: To change the entire surface of an existing floor to introduce or remove a slope, often for drainage purposes.

Rough Blast: The coarsest profile produced by a blast machine, for heavy surface removal.

Rub Up: The closing of pores (honey comb) on a vertical cast-in-place (formed) concrete surface. This is usually accomplished by rubbing a fine slurry-type mix over the concrete surface.