Veterinary animal holding areas are challenging spaces for any surface coating considering the constant abuse and frequent, aggressive cleaning techniques to which they are exposed. Luckily for the University of Missouri, Tnemec was able to offer a durable, seamless floor and wall system when it came time to renovate the dog and pig holding center at The College of Veterinary Medicine.
Besides the need for a capable coating, the project managers also required the products to be low odor in order to minimize disruption to the adjacent areas that would continue to be occupied during application. Tnemec coating consultant Darrell Buerky recommended a system using low odor, 100% solids epoxy products that resist impact and abrasion while remaining easy to clean.
The concrete floor was first prepared by abrasive blasting - in order to remove the existing coating material – and then the area was primed with Series 201 Epoxoprime, a clear polyamine epoxy, followed by a flood-coat of Series 221 Lami-Tread, a polyamine epoxy. Once spread over the entire floor, the applicators then broadcasted aggregate to refusal into the liquid epoxy, allowed it to cure, and then repeated the process to produce the “double-broadcast” laminate system at 1/8”. A pigmented polyamine epoxy called Series 280 Tneme-Glaze was then applied to help seal the surface, making it more durable and easy to clean.
The walls received a system using Series 270 Stranlok, a unique, fiber-reinforced polyamine epoxy with high-build capabilities and exceptional performance qualities. Prepared in similar fashion to the floors and then primed with Series 201, the wall surfaces received a spray-applied coat of Series 270 at a dried film thickness of 25 to 40 mils. Stranlok was subsequently topcoated with Series 280 for additional film thickness and a high-gloss finish.
Both the coating systems on the floors and walls were then tied together with a transitional cove base using the flooring materials, creating a completely monolithic surface from floor to ceiling.
“These systems are often applied in veterinary offices, medical facilities and animal holding areas because they are so durable, but they are also popular because they are very easy to clean,” Buerky said. “They can take years of scrubbing, disinfecting and washing.”