VISIT TO PHILCONSTRUCT 2018

January 8, 2018

MABUHAY!

This is a photo and video journal of my attendance to Philconstruct 2018 at SMX Convention center Pasay City, Metro Manila

TESTING OF EPOXY FLOORING

March 29, 2014
MABUHAY!

Construction nowadays requires innovative material that are not only economical but the ease of installation is also essential due to a tight schedule of modern day projects. Self-leveling epoxy paint is commonly specified for flooring finishes not only for factories or large parking buildings but also preferred for commercial buildings especially shopping malls. The speed of installation, the flexibility of design, wide range of available colors to choose from and ease of maintenance are some of the advantages of epoxy flooring over other floor finishes such as tiles. 

This is a photo journal of the conducted tests.

One of the three specimen mock-up epoxy flooring prepared for testing

Choosing the best product and specialty contractor for epoxy paint flooring require some series of tests. These tests must be conducted to ensure that the tough and durable kind of material was applied and the correct installation methodology was followed. 

CHEMICAL TEST FOR EPOXY FLOORING

For this particular project, 3 specialty contractor prepared their mock-up sample to be tested. The size of the sample is 6 meters long by 2 meters wide. The parking field color is green, the pedestrian lane is dark green and the borders are white.

2 strong chemicals that are commonly spilled in the flooring by cars will be used for the chemical test. These are the brake fluid and motor oil. Brake fluid can discolor the paint and create serious surface damage. Motor oil when spilled in a porous surface creates a permanent dark spot on the epoxy flooring

SPECIMEN MOCKUP FLOOR NO.1

Pouring of used oil to the white stripe for discoloration test

Pouring of used oil to the first half of the green field for discoloration test

CLICK the LINK to READ the related article: Quality Issue: Concrete Hairline Cracks

Pouring of brake fluid for the chemical test 

Pouring of brake fluid to the first half of the green field of the parking slot

SPECIMEN MOCK FLOOR NO.2
A similar procedure will apply to the other mockups.

Owner's representative witnessing the test.

CLICK the LINK to READ the related article: Design and Build Construction

SPECIMEN MOCKUP FLOOR NO. 3

CLICK the LINK to READ the related article: Construction of a Happy Kitchen - A Weekend Project

STRENGTH AND DURABILITY TEST

This test is conducted to simulate the use of parking by running the epoxy flooring with a vehicle. But instead of using a car, we utilized a skid loader to do the test. This is to verify whether the epoxy flooring can withstand the friction of the moving tires of the vehicle without manifestation of any cracks or peel-off. This is to check also if the epoxy material will resist the tire's dark skid marks.

The mockup flooring was poured with water to be run over by the skid loader

CLICK the LINK to READ the related article: Construction of AAP Tower: Rising Above Challenges Part 1

Skid tire marks

Evident skid tire marks but no scratch on the flooring was found. This floor passes the test.

Evident skid tire marks but no scratch on the flooring was found. This floor passes the test.

This flooring fails the test because it shows the manifestation of cracks

It is very important that a certain product or scope of work must undergo quality control measure like testing the product before approval.

CLICK the LINK to READ the related article: Quality Issue: Paint Peel-Off

QUALITY ISSUE: PAINT PEEL-OFF

January 6, 2017
MABUHAY!

The most common quality issue or punch list in construction during architectural finishing works is PAINT PEEL-OFF in a concrete masonry wall. This quality issue manifest in many forms:

INTERIOR PEEL-OFF

Interior paint peeling off

Skim coat flaking off

CLICK the LINK to READ the related article: Quality Issue: Concrete Hairline Cracks

EXTERIOR PEEL-OFF

PAINT BUBBLES

CLICK the LINK to READ the related article: Concrete Demolition: A Systematic Way of Knocking Down Concrete

PAINT CRACKS

CLICK the LINK to READ the related article: Work Inter-Phase: Why Proper Coordination is Very Critical in Construction

PAINT BLISTER DUE WATER SEEPAGE

PAINT DISCOLORATION

ROOT CAUSE
Incorrect surface preparation

• Application of masonry putty first to the concrete substrate without primer paint.
• Application of powder-based skim coat or gypsum board putty to correct the wavy surfaces of concrete. Most acrylic based paints and all solvent based paints are not compatible with powder base skim coat. Make sure to use acrylic-based skim coat recommended by the paint manufacturer

Insufficient curing time of concrete surface

• The ideal curing period for concrete is 14 -28 days. Since the Philippines is a tropical country, concrete cure fast due to the intense heat of the sun. I also recommend doing the moisture test for concrete at 14 days. Cut a 1ft x 1ft polyethylene sheet and tape it with duct tape or masking tape on the concrete surface. Observe if there still a manifestation of water droplets, then the concrete is not yet fully cured.
• The concrete surface if not yet cured has high alkalinity expressed in pH reading. Alkaline reacts on paint film causing discoloration and overall deterioration. A fresh concrete surface has 13 to 14 pH reading while 14 days concrete has 7 to 8 pH reading which is very ideal for painting works.

Water seepage

• Water seepage is caused by temperature cracks on concrete surfaces which enable the rainwater or moisture from the exterior side to penetrate on paint coated surfaces causing it to bulge or blister.

Wrong Paint

• Painting the wrong kind of paint will eventually result in paint peel off. Paint for metal or wood is not compatible with concrete surfaces.

PAINT PEEL-OFF ADHESION TEST

This destructive test is being conducted to check whether the paint or the base coat adhere to the concrete surface. If the paint coat detached in the base coat, repainting is only recommended. If the base coat detached on the concrete surface, stripping of paint up to bare concrete is recommended.

PAINTING RECTIFICATION METHOD

Surface Preparation 

• Spot scrapping down to bare concrete to remove all paint cracks, paint bubbles. loose and damage paint.
•  For concrete surfaces with cracks, widen the crack by making a 2 to 3mm V-groove. Patch the groove with a mixture of cement and concrete epoxy. For cracks with water leaks, patch the groove with a mixture of cement and water plug.
• For surfaces with a powder, base skim coat, strip to bare the affected area using a grinder.

Primer

• Apply 1 (one) full coat of primer paint as a base coat.

Putty/Skimcoat

• For correction of uneven and wavy surfaces, spot apply the paint manufacturer's recommended masonry putty or acrylic-based skim coat.

Undercoat

• Apply 1 (one) full coat of primer paint as an undercoat.

Top Coat

• Apply 2 coats of specified paint as a final coat.

CLICK the LINK to READ the related article: Construction of Villa Celine Resort