Greetings:
Concrete
dust is pretty alkaline as well as abrasive so it is a good idea to seal
it. However, it is very important that the sealing material is free of
formaldehyde, acetic acid, amines, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
For
construction of Archives II in 1993, the National Archives and Records
Administration worked with manufacturers to develop an epoxy coating for
concrete floors that met their air quality requirements. The resulting
material was General Polymer’s 3505S Special Epoxy Floor Coating. The
selection of the material is described in NARA’s Tip 13 which I believe
is still available on their website. Someone at NARA may be able to give
you a sense of how well the sealed floor has performed.
We
have recommended this material several times when converting existing spaces
with concrete floors into collections storage and work areas. It requires
shot-blasting of the floor to ensure good adhesion. Good ventilation is
also required during application and curing because it smells terrible.
However, once completely cured (I think we let it cure for at least a month
after application) , there was no more off-gassing and the floor held up to
light to moderate traffic.
Wendy
Claire Jessup
President and Conservator
Wendy Jessup and Associates, Inc.
Care of
Cultural Property
933 N. Kenmore Street, Suite 323
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 522-2801
Fax: (703) 522-2802
www.collectioncare.com
From: Museum discussion
list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Small, Martha S.
Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 1:41 PM
Subject: Sealing concrete floors
Hello
listserve members,
Does
anyone out there have experience with sealing a concrete warehouse floor? We
are wondering if it is really necessary to seal the floor if we have low
traffic so we don't expect to be kicking up that much dust. If you do have
experience, what product/s do you recommend? What is the waiting period after
application for any offgassing? Are there products that never need to be
reapplied? We definitely want a one time application because we are not going
to want contractors applying floor sealant 10 years down the line when the
warehouse is fully loaded with objects.
Any
and all help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Martha
Small
Martha
S. Small
Head
Registrar
Brookfield
Arts Foundation
617-571-0275
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