Pharmaceutical Warehouse Floor – 2 years later and still going strong

In the world of coatings, its not always good enough to worry about the here and now. Many products can look great after you apply them. The real test is how they stand up after months and years of hard use. Factory and warehouse floors often take some of the hardest wear and tear in the industry. From forklifts to jib cranes, the machinery moves thousands of pounds daily and the coatings used on the floor needs to be durable and strong to withstand the pressure.

Pumpcoat ~ PCI Contractors has a customer in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Their large warehouse floors required a tough concrete hardener and sealer. Approximately 7000 square feet needed to be prepped, ground and coated. Pumpcoat used diamond grinders to prep the floor for coating. Using Consolideck Concrete Sealing System, a first coat of sealer/hardener & densifier was applied. This product penetrates the concrete pores and hydrates them, thereby creating a dust-proof prime coat that does not contain high amounts of potassium or sodium salts. The Top coat was done with PolishGuard protective sealer. It is highly durable, and creates a high-gloss protective finish that is stain and chemically resistant. This is optimal for these type of floors in case of accidental spills from moving products around.

Pumpcoat worked with the customer to do the coating in two mobilizations so that their warehouse equipment could be moved around and downtime would be minimal rather than taking the whole floor offline for the duration of the work. Pumpcoat’s expertise in application, along with this superior coating system allowed for a beautifully finished floor that was robust in durability and strength. Even after two years from coating, this warehouse floor is still in great condition despite being heavily used on a daily basis for equipment ranging from 5,000 to 40,000 pounds. If you are experiencing issues with your flooring substrate or coating failing, call Pumpcoat ~ PCI Contractors today so we can help solve your problems.

 

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Custom built Containments by Pumpcoat

Tank Containments are probably given minimal thought on a regular basis, but when a tank emergency occurs, they are essential at preventing harmful chemicals from spreading throughout the plant. From a health and safety perspective, having a containment you can depend on in times of emergency is one less thing a Maintenance team has to worry about.

Pumpcoat/PCI Specialists are skilled in building and coating containments and basins for facilities. A recent build was for a power generation customer in New York. They had an Ammonia Tank being installed that needed a containment. PCI excavated the site, created footings, incorporated the rebar into the wall and floor and poured concrete. Berm walls were built up to the customer’s specifications and the entire containment was coated with epoxy specifically designed to withstand aggressive corrosive environments. Pumpcoat worked within the customer’s schedule to assure minimal disruption to their schedule. Pumpcoat can also supply tanks for your chemical needs.

Are your containments in need of a safety upgrade to give you peace of mind? Call Pumpcoat today at 508-540-5878.

Scarifying, Grinding and Mastic Removal – Floor Prep for Construction by Pumpcoat

Proper Floor preparation is critical in getting the job done successfully. Pumpcoat has assisted construction companies and other customers with this process that often gets overlooked or rushed through. Our workers have experience to be able to prep concrete floors to prepare them for seal coating, new epoxy coatings or other floor treatments.

One of our Construction company customers had a client with a Frankenstein-like floor. This floor had had a couple of old coatings layered on, as well as having been repaired in a few areas so the floor level was different. Additionally, the site was near a river, so the Environmental codes were strict about no liquid emissions draining into it. Pumpcoat stepped up to the challenge. Old repaired areas were chipped off and ground down. The old coatings were removed. The entire floor was scarified down to an 1/8” profile. It was powerwashed in stages and the liquid vacuumed to prevent any run-off into the drains. The surface was allowed to dry to SSD (Saturated Surface Dry – No standing water) and prepped for a waterproofing treatment which was applied a few weeks later.

Grinding concrete uses large machines like Shot blasters or diamond grinders to scarify the concrete to prepare the floors to have the next layer of coating adhere properly. Pumpcoat’s workers have ground thousands of square feet of concrete floors to prep them for our affiliated Construction companies to come in and do their floor treatments. Pumpcoat can also profile the concrete to whatever Surface Profile is needed for the up and coming floor treatment.

Sometimes a previous floor will have been in place when a building is being renovated. Old tile flooring or the messy adhesive remnants known as Mastic will need to be removed before the new flooring can be put down. Pumpcoat’s experience in dealing with pulling up tile or stubborn mastic removal leaves the headaches to us and leaves a clean prepared floor at the end of the day.

So Whatever the prep work needed, Pumpcoat has the knowledge and skill to complete this key step of floor preparation for the project to be successful.

Pumpcoat does repairs & coating for Fuel Oil Tank foundations

One of Pumpcoat/PCI Contractor’s Gas Turbine Power Generation customers have some ageing Concrete Tanks with moats (gravel based containments) that house fuel oil, and were showing a lot of cracking and spalling.   PCI was chosen to perform rehabilitation and coating on these surfaces.

The two tanks measure approximately 100 foot diameter each, the bases at 116 feet.  Pumpcoat used a system of Sika products to repair the spalling and cracks, per customer specs. The cracks were hand prepped  by removing cracked paint,  notching or V-cutting them, and cleaned to remove any oils or loose debris.  The bases and moat walls were power-washed.

Sika flex was injected into the smaller cracks, allowed to cure. Larger cracks were filled with SikaTop Cementitious Repair Mortar.  The cured cracks were then sealed with SikaProof Seal. Sika Armatec was applied on any exposed rebar. A Corrosion Control additive was mixed into the repair mortar where necessary to prevent further corrosion.  Resto-crete was used for rebuilding larger areas where concrete had worn away.    Finally,  Pumpcoat epoxy coated the bases in a waterproof epoxy system.   The gravel in the moat areas was backfilled with fresh gravel, and the project was complete.  The customer was very pleased with the final result, and the tank bases had been brought up to Environmental code.

Repairing cracks in tank base [Pumpcoat]

Crack caulking -tank base {Pumpcoat]

Tank base finished & Waterproofed [Pumpcoat\

Intermediate coat – tank base [Pumpcoat]

Intermediate coat – tank base [Pumpcoat]

Finished coating – tank base [Pumpcoat]

Cost Effective Solution for Concrete Floor Crack Repair

Cracks in concrete floors, drives or parking lots are a common problem for building owners or property managers.  Either constant use from heavy machinery, or the freezing and thawing cycle in the cold months causes contraction and separation of the concrete and thus cracking. It can be an expensive proposition to re-do the entire area. Pumpcoat/PCI Contractors have products that help property managers stay on top of unsightly and unsafe cracks, that are more cost efficient than an entire floor resurfacing.

Recently one of Pumpcoat/PCI’s factory customers had just such a problem with lots of cracks in a large concrete floor in one of their warehouses.  This area saw lots of heavy machinery traffic like forklifts and loaders.  They wanted a more economical fix than resurfacing the entire floor.
PCI was called for the repair work. We worked within the customer’s schedule to allow for the least amount of downtime, and started by prepping and cleaning the cracked flooring areas from dirt and loose debris.  Some grinding and feathering around the cracks’ edges were done to allow for best adhesion of the repair material.  PCI used Arcor Spraythane to apply to the cracks.  Spraythane is a high elongation, elastomeric hybridized epoxy-urethane material.   Its unique properties allow for movement of the concrete as it expands and compresses with the cold and prevents further fracturing of the cracks. PCI Contractors were able to repair the cracks in their customer’s warehouse floor and ease their mind that the costs wouldn’t be exorbitant.   If you are experiencing cracking or other concrete issues in your floors, please call Pumpcoat/PCI Contractors today for economical repair solutions.

Cracking in Concrete Floor-before

Cracking in Concrete Floor- Before2

Cracking in Concrete Floor-Before3

Cracking in Concrete Floor-Repaired -After

Cracking in Concrete Floor-Repaired by Pumpcoat-After

Large Municipal Pump Repair by Pumpcoat

Sometimes size does matter.  A Wastewater treatment department from the Boston South Shore area has a very large Diesel Lagoon pump that serves the function of de-watering when the streets near the shore got flooded. This Hydraflo pump has a flow rate of 42 inches and 50,000 gpm, this pump was no lightweight.    Seeing much of the problems faced by Louisiana as of late, one can appreciate the need to have pumps in that setting maintained in good working order.    Pumpcoat had done some minor repairs to the pump over the past few years, but it was time for a major overhaul.

The pump was taken out of service and brought to Pumpcoat’s shop. From there, the pump was grit-blasted, disassembled and inspected. Some areas of the casing that had worn received weld patches, and a thick film ceramic epoxy coating was applied to the entire housing. The hydraulic motor driver was then rebuilt by our motor specialist.  The pumping elements were inspected for repair. The impeller had build-up which was removed.  The impeller bore was severely pitted, so received epoxy repairs and then was re-honed for size. It received a new mechanical seal, gaskets and thrust bearings. Certain parts like the shaft were within spec, so polished for re-use.

Once all the elements were repaired, the pump and motor were re-assembled and tested, then returned to the customer’s facility and re-installed.  Pumpcoat was able to rebuild the pump at a fraction of the cost of a new pump. The pump was back in good working order and the customer was happy.

Refurbishing Pump & Motor Bases

A Power Plant customer had several pump & motor bases that had extreme corrosion due to the aggressive salt water environment they were in. Many of their pumps & motors were older units, and new bases were not available either because the factory no longer made parts for the pumps, or the ones that did would require a lot of machining and changes to get them to fit correctly. Additionally, they were rather costly.     Pumpcoat did a survey of the units, and put together a refurbishment program for their pump bases.

Working on site according to our customer’s schedule, Pumpcoat~PCI Contractors protected the motor and pump by using plastic sheeting along with taping off the bearing housings and motor air vents. Containment and Dust collection were provided, and the coupling guards were removed and grit blasted and coated at our shop. Each base was prepared by needle gun and grinding, then wiped down with a special solvent that removes excess salt.   After allowing to air dry, Pumpcoat~PCI coated each base plate with a coating system designed to protect from future corrosion. The top coat color was matched to the pump as needed.     Some units were worse off, so Pumpcoat replaced welded nuts, damaged bolts, and added support ribs to the frames that needed them.     A few of the pumps that needed maintenance were brought to our shop and repaired – new shaft sleeves, gaskets, oil seals and pump bearings were replaced, and the pumps were reinstalled at the customer’s. In less than a week, the pumps were back in service, looking and working good as new. The epoxy coating system would continue to protect the pump bases from the aggressive environment for quite awhile.   Our customer was happy with the work and the cost-savings to their budget over not having to purchase brand new bases.

Before- Pump base corroded from salt water

After- Base refurbed with paste grade epoxy, then top-coated with epoxy to match pump (picture -sample from manf.)

 

Pumpcoat’s Vendornet in Action – Blasting and Coating Large floors are a breeze

Pumpcoat~ PCI Contractors has been in business for 17 years, providing high quality service to customers in power generation, industrial, commercial, property maintenance and other industries. Along the way, we’ve acquired a wide variety of abilities.

Good service and satisfaction have always been cornerstone values at PCI. Sometimes we find our customers will need something done that is not in our skill set. Over the years, we have built up a “Vendornet” (Vendor network). PCI has developed good relationships with other qualified and reliable companies that have complementary skills to our own that we can subcontract and get the job done.

An example is a large floor we did for an Industrial customer. Pumpcoat utilized its Vendornet to subcontract a company that routinely did large area blasting.  Using larger machines and additional manpower, the blasting work was done quickly. Supervisory Personnel from PCI ran the job to make sure all the customer’s Environmental, Health and Safety specifications were adhered to.  Once the blasting was complete, PCI workers applied the coating. From the customer’s perspective, the job was seamless. One Purchase Order to manage, and the quality and safety was assured by Pumpcoat~PCI Contractors

Another example is a cooling tower repair we did for a manufacturing customer.  The pans and some other frame parts were rotted through and beyond salvaging.  Pumpcoat went through its Vendornet and used a local company that fabricates metal parts. We had new pans and beams made up with a quick turnaround. Pumpcoat installed the newly fabricated pieces, coated the everything for future corrosion resistance.  The job was completed in a timely fashion and the customer was pleased with the quality of work.

In a time where good customer service has been trimmed from the budget, Pumpcoat~PCI Contractors makes sure that its customers are valued, and their satisfaction is our priority. Through its Vendornet, Pumpcoat~PCI can extend its services and keep its customers happy.

Too Big, Too Little, Just right – Pumpcoat’s Coating Experience helps solve a customer’s Waterproofing problems

A lamentable issue in the construction industry is that often companies will be too large and streamlined in a trade to be able to take care of all of a customer’s needs, or the company will be too small to have the manpower and resources to adequately take care of all the aspects of a customer’s project. When a Building Maintenance company who services many large Parking garages in the Boston area found itself needing to take care of replacing the concrete and waterproofing some areas in one of their properties, They called Pumpcoat.

Pumpcoat ~ PCI Contractors diversity has made us a ‘go-to’ company for problem-solving. On this particular project, our customer was experiencing a lot of cracked concrete originating in the expansion joints of the pedestrian ways of one of the garages, and also at the building’s entrance-way (front Apron). Additionally, they needed a waterproof and durable coating system for these areas. Because the building was extremely busy, the areas that needed coating could not be taken out of service very long, both for the safety of the pedestrians, and the flow of traffic/potential loss of revenue for the building’s occupants. A coating with a quick cure time was needed. Pumpcoat ~ PCI Contractors’ field service team did a new concrete pour over the previously removed substrate for the Building’s front entrance area. They then researched for the most ideal coating for this application and ended up choosing the Tremco Vulkem ‘Extreme Wearing System’ (EWS ) Coating. This coating has been designed to have extreme abrasion resistance, ‘tenacious’ adhesion, and cures quick enough so that it can be walked on an hour after finishing the coating. It is versatile enough so that it can be applied even in freezing temperatures, which allows for projects to continue in the colder months. The Vulkem EWS also protects concrete from the damaging effects of vehicle fluids such as gasoline, oils and antifreeze, and de-icing salts and chlorides as might be spread on roadways during the winter.

There are four coats to the Vulkem EWS system: a Primer, Base-coat Waterproof Membrane, a Wear-coat, and then a top coat. The system retains its integrity and prevents water migration between itself and the substrate. The wear-coat has an abundance of aggregate so that it maintains high impact, abrasive, and chemical resistance. Each coat cures in an hour or less so the next coat is able to be applied. Pumpcoat~PCI Contractors applied the entire system in less than a day which was scheduled with respect to the customer’s least busy time, so they had minimum interruption to their business. Pumpcoat ~ PCI Contractors are now in their 18th year of service.Our experience continues to help find solutions to their customers problems.

Pumpcoat-PCI Contractors Field Service Team – new concrete pour for front apron of building prior to coating

Tremco Vulkem’s “Extreme Wearing System” applied to the pedestrian traffic areas by Pumpcoat – fast curing and back to business!

Finished Application of Tremco’s EWS system – durable waterproofing solution found by Pumpcoat

Multi-step Storeroom project: new non-skid flooring, wall waterproofing and more

One of  Pumpcoat/PCI Contractor’s  Power Generation customers in Connecticut recently built a new storeroom. Their previous one was no longer large enough. Once the new structure was built, there were a few components that PCI Contractors was able to lend its expertise to completing it to spec.  The flooring the customer required was a non-skid floor that mitigated moisture.   PCI installed a new epoxy flooring system, of approximately 1700 square feet. The first coat was of Duraglaze MVP primer.  Duraglaze MVP can reduce moisture levels up t   o 99 %.  It also provides an excellent basecoat.  The top-coat applied was Duraflex Armor Top pigmented gloss coat.  This is a protective Urethane coating –  it is specially formulated for high traffic areas to protect against chemicals and wear. By broadcasting Aluminum Oxide grit into the coating, it creates a non-skid surface that is safer for personnel to walk on.  PCI applied line-striping the floor to demarcate the aisles, forklift lanes, and other safety markings.   Also called for was a concrete pad of approximately 400 feet which PCI poured in an area of the warehouse.  This pad created an area where machinery could move around on without worrying too much about cracking and chipping.

The next phase of the new warehouse was moving the steel shelving and cabinets from the old storeroom to the new one.  PCI Contractors subcontracted a local company with experience in that area. They transported the shelving, cabinets, mezzanine system and set it up in the new storeroom, making sure that it was done to safety code and replacing any lost parts.

Finally, PCI provided water drainage and waterproofing to the Exterior wall of the new storeroom. This wall in particular was noted to be in a high risk area for standing water build-up and possible seepage.  Approximately 2 feet deep trenching was dug 50 feet along the exterior of wall and backfilled at a slope to promote better drainage. After power-washing the wall, A BASF Concrete Waterproof coating was applied, and corrugated piping put along it for drainage of rainwater.

For a multitasking project like the new storeroom building, Pumpcoat/PCI Contractor’s years of experience and adherence to safety and quality can help our customers get it completed on time and without the headaches.

Storeroom floor – Before

Storeroom floor – Before

Storeroom floor – After – Non-skid, water mitigating epoxy flooring

Storeroom floor – After – non-skid, water mitgating epoxy floor