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

[log in to unmask]

 

 

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