After decades of accumulating grit and grime, the floor of the Los Angeles Metro Division 18 Bus Maintenance Facility received a major overhaul with a StrataShield coating system that featured an extremely durable, chemical-resistant urethane topcoat from Tnemec. “The concrete floor was black with oil and grease and it wasn’t a good work environment,” recalled Tnemec coating consultant Tony Hobbs. “The floor’s surface had never been coated before, so they wanted to make it a more appealing environment to work in and one that could easily be cleaned.”
The coating contractor divided the 15,000-square-foot floor area into sections, allowing maintenance work on buses to continue on one side of the building while the other half was being resurfaced. Surface preparation required the concrete floor to be thoroughly cleaned and blasted in accordance with SSPCSP13/NACE No. 6 Surface Preparation of Concrete prior to being topped with Series 237 PowerTread, a modified polyamine epoxy, which was applied by double broadcast to 1/8”. Next, Series 281 Tneme-Glaze, a durable polyamine epoxy, was applied to seal the 1/8” broadcast system.
After Series 281 cured, it was thoroughly sanded and cleaned prior to being topcoated with Series 247 EverThane, an aliphatic moisture-cured urethane finish which exhibits excellent resistance to wet conditions, corrosive fumes, chemical contact, abrasion and staining. When the finish coat was cured, the floor was restriped with lines per a specified layout.
The entire StrataShield flooring system was applied to achieve a 1/8” thickness. The low odor characteristics of the entire system allowed for installation while Metro employees continued working on buses. “The maintenance facility was open in the front and back, but there were no complaints involving odor,” Hobbs noted. “The coating system made the floor look fantastic. It was a very successful job.”
Metro engineers were especially pleased with the cleanability and overall durability of the StrataShield coating system “Series 247 is very easy to clean,” Hobbs added. “The light gray color utilized shows everything, so they are required to clean their work areas frequently. All they need to do is scrub it and it looks like new again.”
In addition to operating 2,000 peak-hour buses on an average weekday, Metro also operates 73.1 miles of Metro Rail service with 62 rail stations.