Many older homes and buildings have developed dangerous levels of spores from mold and mildew growing in basement walls and floors. To be free of those health hazards and to avoid them returning encapsulation is being used more and more frequently. Plaster and lath, cement block, poured cement footings and other basement surfaces often get wet or damp. The microscopic cavities in many basement wall and floor surfaces become a natural place for spores to grow. Those odors and heavy air you breath when in some basement areas can now be made fresh and kept that way. The trick is to kill the growth and then seal the pores so that even if wet there is no place for contaminants to grow. Think of a plastic picnic plate. The plastic air dries quickly and there is no place for growths to hide.
To encapsulate your basement surfaces you first need to clean them. A grit type swivel scrub brush works well for your walls. We first use a high alkaline cleaner and water to scrub all the surfaces. If you have a floor surface it is easiest to use a rotary scrubber similar to what a school custodian would use but your scrub brush can do the job with some effort. Now, use your wet dry vacuum to suck up the detergent water and dirt. If you have a floor drain use your squeegee to get it to the drain. Often there is some foam and a defoamer can help save time but just put it in your vacuum or directly in the drain. You don't want the silicones in the defoamer to create an adhesion problem for your coating. Next, use an acidic cleaner with rinse agents and detergents. This will open up your surfaces for good adhesion. You may want to use a vapor mask for the acidic cleaning as some annoying vapors may result. Scrub rinse and don't hesitate to use plenty of water. I like to use a garden hose. People are often surprised in those old basement areas to find that yes they do have cement floors, that was just decades of dirt over them. Now let the surfaces dry thoroughly. You may need to pump fresh air into the area with fans because the closed areas may develop a dew point that just hates to let the surface dry.
Now comes the fun part, encapsulating the surfaces with epoxy floor seal. For very rough surfaces with plaster holes, craggy stone or cement 100% epoxy may be needed. You can brush, or roll it on but the best way is to spray if you want all pits and gaps to be filled. This is a two-coat process so don't be worried if you see your coating sinking out of site. Allow each coat to cure 15 hours. Screening the floor between coats is often a good idea. Your drips from the walls, and grains of wall surface that continue to drop onto the floor during application should be shaved off for a smooth easy to keep clean floor surface.
Because you did an aggressive cleaning job before your epoxy application you can be assured that most of your mold and mildew died under the jump from a pH level of 12 then 3.5 pH then back to neutral at 6.5 to 7 pH. Any organisms left are encapsulated Jurassic Park style as though in amber, save behind your epoxy barrier. Now if your basement walls and floor get damp, they will dry quickly and leave no little homes for your unwanted microscopic guests.
Durall Industrial Flooring supplies kits of materials that are customized to owner specification and delivered directly to the job site. Kits include full directions and 24/7 help lines staffed by seasoned flooring experts, so professionals and amateurs alike can successfully install a quality floor.
Web visitors can obtain free, job-specific quotes on materials or nationwide turnkey installations by completing a simple questionnaire at http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com.
For a high-resolution photo example, visit: http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/photos/artistic
For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at: harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com
Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)
###
About the Author:Durall Manufacturing, Bloomington, MN, is the only industrial flooring manufacturer that also makes over 500 specialty cleaners. Durall's 40 years of flooring chemical manufacturing experience has produced a special preparation of cleaners and an application system assuring optimum flooring adhesion and wear results. Durall provides factory-direct support for these new products. Kits of materials are customized to owner specification and delivered directly to the job site. Kits include full directions and 24/7 help lines staffed by seasoned flooring experts, so professionals and amateurs alike can successfully install a quality floor. Visitors can obtain free, job-specific quotes on materials or nationwide turnkey installations by completing a simple questionnaire at www.concrete-floor-coatings.com. This full-service concept allows anyone to enjoy the benefits of industrial strength floors successfully.
More from Durall Industrial Flooring
How to Make Retail, Shop, and Garage Floors Glass-smooth
By: Durall Industrial Flooring | 27/04/2008 | Presentation
Ultra smooth floors (glass-smooth) are often a "required" look for showing off quality operations and merchandise. As is frequently the case in obtaining a high-end result, glass-smooth floors are achievable but at a cost in materials and effort. Of course, it helps to start with a smooth floor but even highly damaged floors can be brought back to glass-smooth with some hard work and…epoxy.
Repair Carpet Tack Strip Holes in Concrete Floors
By: Durall Industrial Flooring | 24/04/2008 | Remodeling
When carpet is removed from over concrete holes and craters are left from carpet tack strips that were nailed into the concrete. Each nail when removed can leave up to a ½ in. wide hole in the floor. The same is true with doorway transition plates that edged your carpeting or tile. The removal of old walls will leave even bigger holes in the floor. The following information can help you repair your floor holes so that smooth modern flow coated flooring can be applied.
Checkerboard Floors and Collector Cars Look Great Together
By: Durall Industrial Flooring | 19/04/2008 | Classics
step-by-step instructions on how to put down the checkerboard floor you have always dreamed of.
Saving the Healthcare System With Health Annuities
By: Durall Industrial Flooring | 13/04/2008 | Business Opportunities
As one gets older healthcare expenses are almost certain. That’s why health insurance cost go up as we age. Then there is long term care, and what if the Medicare plan changes, due to the expected increase cost burdens? Many of us can self insure for a few years out of our savings if the health impact is not too catastroph?
How to Fill Expansion Joints in Concrete Floors for a Smooth Easy-to-clean Surface
By: Durall Industrial Flooring | 13/04/2008 | Project Management
Expansion joints are put in floors to prevent cracks that might develop as a result of the shrinkage which occurs as concrete cures. The joints are trawled into the floor or sometimes cut after the floor is hard enough to walk on. As the concrete shrinks, these joints themselves often develop cracks that go clear through to the sand or gravel base below. Attempting to fill these cracks with a liquid can result in the liquid leaking out the bottom leaving the joint open again.
Filling Expansion Joints on Concrete Floors for a Smooth, Easy to Clean Finish
By: Durall Industrial Flooring | 04/04/2007 | Home Improvement
Expansion joints are placed in floors to allow for shrinkage as concrete cracks as it cures. The joints are often trawled into the floor or occasionally cut after the floor is hard enough to walk on. During the curing phase of the floor these joints often develop cracks that go to the bottom of the sand or gravel base below. If you try to fill these cracks with a liquid it often leaks out the bottom leaving the joint open again before the product is set up.
Repairing Bubbles and Craters in Epoxy and Urethane Floors
By: Durall Industrial Flooring | 14/12/2006 | Home Improvement
Bubbles and craters in newly installed concrete floor coatings often come from gases flowing through the porous cement. These gases can be argon, methane, or whatever is under the slab. Sometimes the gases come from chemical reactions still being produced by the preparatory floor cleaning process. Often the gases derive from air being sucked into the room by the heating system or by natural airflow. We describe here a simple, effective solution for repairing these defects.
Epoxy Coatings and Stains Can Transform Concrete Floors Into Artistic Masterpieces
By: Durall Industrial Flooring | 01/09/2006 | Home Improvement
More and more homeowners and businesses are creating that warm, easy-to-live-in feeling by taking advantage of their facilities' largest single surface, their floor. They are using new materials, including artistic stains, to give their concrete floors great individualized looks as well as the easy maintenance qualities of a Class III laboratory.