Reuse, Renew, Recycle with Concrete

Builders find concrete to be one of the most abundant materials on the planet, making it a commonly-used component in contemporary construction projects. But beyond being plentiful, concrete is also gaining a good reputation for being an environment-friendly construction material.

In these times when saving and protecting the earth from any form of degradation has become a common battle cry, even the building industry has began to examine its myriad of building concepts, practices and materials. The result is the Green Building Movement that espouses only the use of construction techniques and materials that do no harm to the environment.

The ordinarily gray concrete takes on a green tint for concrete finish contractors because of some unique characteristics that make it perfect for green construction. Concrete is not only produced from abundant materials like limestone, but it is also sourced from alternative materials like ash. Concrete finish contractors know that these alternative materials are mere waste -products of other industrial processes. The re-use of these by-products to make concrete lessens waste accumulation, putting to good use materials that are commonly thrown away as useless.

When concrete applications reach their end life, or are no longer useful, or need to be replaced in the facility, concrete finish contractors know concrete can still be recycled instead of being disposed of as waste. Crushed concrete are used for other applications such as road and sidewalk construction, making concrete one of the most versatile and sustainable materials that can be used to support ecologically-friendly building initiatives.

Abundant and Eco-Friendly Concrete

Concrete finish contractors recommend concrete as a green construction material because of its many characteristics that are suitable for green building. One of these characteristics is its abundance everywhere in the planet. The materials used to make concrete are easily sourced and plentiful.

Raw materials to produce concrete are limestone, sand and clay. These raw materials are some of the most common materials extracted from the bowels of the earth. Concrete finish contractors are provided with a steady supply of locally-made Portland cement – a component of concrete – which contains these materials. This makes concrete relatively cheaper, needing no expensive transportation or freight costs to be acquired for building construction.

Furthermore, concrete is also commonly produced using aggregates like gravel, sand and crushed rocks. These materials are also abundant in any location and require no special equipments or processes to produce.

With the green building movement spreading across the country as consumers’ environmental awareness continue to grow, concrete is becoming more and more essential to green building because of this abundance and ease of acquisition. This, and other unique properties of concrete, appeal to concrete finish contractors to make it a prime material for green construction.

Concrete: the Green Foundation

The planet Earth is often in the news lately, because of its deterioration brought about by man’s activities in the past several decades. Now the papers are filled with events that environmentalists long ago forewarned – global warming, slow extinction of many species, pollution, resource depletion, and the rise of toxic levels lessening the quality of air, among others.

Man’s awareness has been stirred by a deep concern that his very existence is affected by whatever damage is done to the earth itself. Today, humans are conducting their daily activities with a deeper regard for the environment, giving way to many ecologically-friendly practices -- energy conservation, proper waste disposal, recycling and reuse, to name a few.

In the construction industry, the green building movement implements eco-friendly building methods and practices in an effort to save Mother Earth. Builders are also seeking and using materials that are environmentally-safe. And to concrete finish contractors, one of the materials that stand out is good old concrete.

Concrete finish contractors recommend concrete for green applications because of its abundance in local areas. Concrete is a good material to use for energy conservation, because it absorbs and retains heat and reflects light. It can be recyclable from waste by-products.

Furthermore, concrete finish contractors and facility managers know that concrete is very durable, and after a long period of time, it can still be reused for different purposes when it has reached the end of its useful life.

Fire Protection Coatings Contractors

Fire protection programs are necessary in saving lives and preserving facility assets in the event of fire. Facility managers know the importance of setting up active and passive fire protection systems in and around facility premises, just to prevent the outbreak of fire and combat it in case the fire is already in progress.

One of the most critical passive fire protection system that facility manager install in the facility come in the form of intumescent fire coatings, which are known to retard flames with their unique endothermic properties.

To install these intumescent fire protective coatings systems require the expertise of coatings contractors who have a proven track record for anti-fire coatings systems installation. A long experience with intumescent fire protective coatings applications make the expert contractor a valuable member of the facility’s safety team. Hands-on experience, plus a deep knowledge of the methods and products to use for better fire protection, is a very important criterion when choosing the coatings contractor to work on fire protection projects.

If the fire protective coatings contractors hired for the job are highly-qualified, they can setup superior fire protective coatings systems that have a higher chance of controlling fire outbreaks. Only the application of superior coatings can buy precious time for building tenants to flee to safety, or protect emergency fire-fighting teams from being harmed, as well as lessen the damage to vital facility assets and infrastructures in the event of fire.

How Intumescent Coatings Fight Fire

Facilities need to have a comprehensive fire protection program in place to comply with Building Regulations and to make the property a safe place for building occupants. Active and passive fire protection systems should be installed in the facility for early fire detection, control, and mitigation.

Passive fire protection, in particular, uses intumescent fire protective coatings to help combat fire. Intumescent substances possess certain characteristics that behave uniquely when exposed to intense heat from fire.

For example, intumescents increase in size and volume when fire is near. As they swell their density decreases. This reaction produces charring. When fire protective coatings contain intumescent substances, the same char will be produced when coated surfaces are exposed to fire. The charred surface is a poor heat conductor, preventing the spread of fire.

Many intumescent fire protective coatings contain hydrates, sodium silicates or graphite. These elements release water vapor upon heat exposure. The moisture released to nearby air creates a cooling effect that also aids in the production of the fire-retarding and -insulating char.

At normal temperatures, intumescent fire protective coatings look like ordinary paint. But in soaring temperatures the substance changes to protect the painted surfaces. This ability is critically important in protecting steel structures from breaking down and collapsing due to intense heat.

Fire Protection Coatings Systems

Because an effective fire protection program is very important for the safe operations of the facility, facility managers implement a comprehensive fire protection plan involving the use of active and passive fire protective coatings systems. These systems are important to the facility’s compliance to Building Regulations, which requires facilities to have their fire protection and safety programs.

Active fire protection systems range from built-in appliances and features that automatically go to work when there is a fire outbreak in the facility. Examples of active systems are fire extinguishers, water sprinklers, fire and smoke detectors, fire alarms, among others.

These active systems are useful in the early detection of fire that triggers the immediate evacuation of building occupants. They also alert emergency service workers of the fire, allowing rescuers to rush to the site as early as possible. Fire suppressors and ventilators attempt to starve the fire of oxygen, to halt or slow down its growth.

Passive fire protective coatings systems act in a subtler way to control fire. Passive fire protective coatings form a second-line of defense to prevent fire’s rapid spread. Every surface or materials with these intumescent fire protective coatings react in a unique way when exposed to flames, to diffuse fire growth. Structural foundations are preserved from collapse with intumescent fire protective coatings.

Property Fireproofing Using Intumescent Coatings

Facility managers know how important it is to have a fire protection program setup and implemented in their facilities. Many other facility features may be optionally or arbitrarily implemented depending on the resources of the facility, but fire protection is not one of these. No facility can operate without fire protection programs in place, because it is one of the requirements for compliance with Building Regulations.

Why are fire protective coatings systems important to fire protection programs in facilities? There are several reasons, but foremost of these is that fire protection programs aim to save human lives. Building occupants – be it tenants or visitors – should be able to get out to safety in the event of a fire breakout. Intumescent fire protective coatings inhibit the spread of fire to give people enough time to flee to safety.

Fire protective coatings control the growth and spread of fire as rapidly as possible, and even have the capability to extinguish flames if possible. Bringing the second most important reason for fire protective coatings, which is to preserve the building from structural collapse when threatened by fire.

Other critical reasons for installing fire protective coatings are to save facility assets and investments from fire damage, as well as to provide an added protection for emergency rescuers and firefighters during fire-fighting operations.

Options in Floor Safety Markings

Work-related injuries and emergencies are commonly caused by falls and slips from floors and ground areas in the facility. Areas where goods flow, vehicles pass, and humans constantly trod should be clearly laid out with floor safety markings to maintain proper width, free them from obstructions, and are kept in good condition.

Since paint is the most common option for floor safety markings, many good-quality paint products for floor markings are in the market. These paints are highly-resistant to damages and scuffing. Paints also withstand the elements, such as rain, water, and snow, and therefore are excellent options for outdoor floor safety markings.

Paint maybe durable, but spraying machines or other painting equipments are required to apply them on the ground. The use of masking tape to guide in paint application makes clear and precise lines and speeds up the application time, but paint still require downtime for drying, and are removed only using paint-removing chemicals.

As an alternative to paint, floor tapes lessen the downtime in floor safety markings applications. They are easy to apply and possess anti-slip capabilities. Tapes come in more colors than paints, and can be removed easily by the mere application of heat.

Facility managers should choose the option that’s right for the need of the facility, based on criteria that include cost reduction, less service downtime, and high-performance.

Floor Safety Markings Applications

To comply with OSHA standards for workers safety in the workplace, facility managers need to install floor safety markings to clearly mark passageways and aisles in the facility. These access paths should be well-maintained and in good condition, and clearly illuminated with substantial lighting to allow people, materials, equipments and vehicles to pass safely everyday.

Floor safety markings are installed in or near places frequently used for passage, such as in car parks, service areas, storage areas, stairs, and lobbies. Hospitals, malls, sports complex or stadiums, and generally, all places frequented by the public are often applied with floor safety markings to ensure the safety of many.

In commercial and industrial facilities, floor safety markings assure the unimpeded passage of workers and materials from one point in the facility to another. These floor marking applications lessen the occurrence of accidents, and eliminate operational delays.

Floor safety markings are commonly applied on floors as simple lines, either colored or not. Some floor markings are more complex, showing instructional signs and symbols.T here are also floor safety markings that are made up of words and phrases that aim to provide clearer information.

Paints are commonly used for floor safety markings, especially in outdoor areas, because they are impervious to water run-offs. Tape strips are also used because they are easier to apply, come in a variety of colors, and entail less application downtime.

Lesser Workplace Accidents with Floor Safety Markings

The work place is supposed to be a safe place for workers. The organization has the commitment and responsibility to provide the safest work environment wherein employees can perform their work and conduct the organization’s operations with as little harm to their persons as possible.

And yet, the National Safety Council revealed in 2005 that that the leading cause of work-related injuries in facilities came from falls or slips while passing on floors and ground surfaces. Book-ending these statistics are the numbers that came from the study of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). CPSC reported that there are more than 2.2 million emergency room visits by workers due to falls on stairs, ramps and floors.

For OSHA compliance, facilities therefore need to install floor safety markings to prevent any untoward floor-related workplace accidents such as these from ever occurring in facility premises.

A good facility layout should always come with the proper floor safety markings. Well-laid out floor safety markings ensure the smooth movement of goods, tools, equipments, supplies, vehicles and personnel in and out of the facility. The installation of floor safety markings also defines critical aisles and passageways in the facility, which is part of OSHA standards for well-marked and unobstructed facility passageways.

Floor Markings for Safety

Facility managers are often at the forefront of organizational 5S or Kaizen programs. These programs are an organization-wide effort for workplace transformation. At the duration and finalization of the program, all areas of the facility are transformed into safe, efficient and effective units of the organization. This is because programs such as 5S and Kaizen endow ownership to everyone in the organization for the change to take effect. The continuous improvement in processes and operations result in many benefits, such as well-organized offices, uncluttered storage and warehouses, lesser costs in supplies and a diminishing of unnecessary wastes.

During the process of transformation, one of the most visible signs of the process is the re-layout of the spaces through sorting and re-organization. Furthermore, passageways where employees often pass are now identified with floor safety markings.

The workplace changes dovetails with the standards of the Department of Labor’s OSHA or Occupational Safety and Health Administration, particularly in the issue of floor safety markings. OSHA has standards for safe working conditions of facility employees. One of them is the proper setup of aisles and passageways used by workers daily. Facility access paths are better-maintained with the help of properly-applied floor safety markings.

Superior Paints for Steel Structural Painting

Steel structures are triumphs in engineering, thanks mostly to the reliability of steel. Steel is one of the strongest and most durable construction materials in the world. But steel is also vulnerable to degradation caused by exposure to the elements.

Steel structural painting refurbishes steel structures and repairs any damage to the steel surfaces. The application of a good steel structural painting system assures long-term protection against future deteriorations.

The key to the success of steel structural painting applications is the selection and preparation of high-performing steel structural painting products for the project. Here are some considerations for painting systems:

1. The storage, handling, mixing, preparation and actual application of painting systems should follow closely the specifications and manufacturers’ data sheets and instructions. Any deviation from the instructions can spell coating application failure.

2. In cases when the manufacturers’ specifications are not applicable to the specific needs of the project, the facility manager or engineer should resolve the conflict and the painting contractor always abides by the facility’s decision.

3. Application procedures should comply with industry regulations, particularly in VOC emission standards for environmental safety.

4. Any errors in paint handling and mixing means the rejection of the current batch of paints, and have to start again with a new batch, to ensure coating integrity.

Preparing for High-Performance Steel Structural Painting

To combat steel degradation from the onslaught of the elements, steel structural painting contractors clean up the damaged surface and apply high-performance coating system to provide superior protection against future damages. This assures that the refurbished steel structure gets a longer life-span and avoids costly replacement solutions.

Any visible signs of deterioration in the steel surface are fixed even before the actual painting application. A thorough inspection of the surface also aids in detecting even any non-visible damages already in progress. When these damages are identified, the affected surface is properly cleaned.

Surface preparation requires meticulous care, and this means that even the tools and equipments to be used in the project -- brushes, rollers or sprays – are checked completely to ensure that they are in good working condition.

The preparation phase also entails that materials to be used for the project are in sufficient supply, and that there is a steady source of these materials in the course of the steel structural painting project. Diesel or gasoline, paints and thinners, and even compressed air, should all be well-prepared in advance and sourced properly, to ensure smooth execution of steel structural painting activities.

When it comes to actual surface preparation, setting up test sections in the surface to simulate actual painting conditions is often conducted.

Meeting the Requirements for Steel Structural Painting

Steel structures maybe the sturdiest materials on the planet, but they can still fall prey to degradation and damage wrought by the elements. The Achilles’ heel of steel? Being carbon-based, constant exposure to oxygen and water can be hard on steel.

When damage eventually occurs, it is time for facility managers to enlist the aid of steel structural painting contractors to take care of steel-based structures. Why streel structural painting? Because it offers a less-costly maintenance and repair solution to damaged steel, instead of having expensive replacements done on the structure.

Steel structural painting contractors will do all of the leg work for the project. The details of the steel structural painting tasks fall squarely on the shoulders of the chosen contractor, but this is actually a walk in the park to the experienced contractor. The key to the ease of implementation hinges on fulfilling the following steel structural painting requirements:

1. A good quality control program. The program should include the details of equipments and instruments to be used, where and how to source materials, the failure-proof procedures, among others.

2. An inspection plan before, during and after the project to enforce the quality control program.

3. A process plan that details the applications involved in steel structural painting, such as surface preparation, paint mixing and application, waste disposal, to name a few.

4. A comprehensive implementation plan identifying major work activities, and their time schedule based on the agreed time plan.

Heavy Machinery Painting Contractors

Because of the high costs of acquiring heavy machinery, and the added costs of their maintenance, business owners naturally want to maximize their investments and lessen any further expenditure. This is why critical machineries are frequently operational for most of their useful lives, with as little downtime allocated to repairs and maintenance as possible.

When machinery owners finally find an appropriate maintenance downtime, heavy machinery painting contractors come in and find machineries that are definitely showing distinct signs of deteriorations. Heavy equipments and vehicles often look like they have seen better days, and bearing extensive damages due to corrosion, abrasion and weathering.

It takes heavy machinery painting contractors that are very experienced with servicing such machines to get the job done right. The heavy machinery painting contractor should have excellent skills for the job that often involves doing everything on a large-scale -- from encapsulating the machine, blasting off and removing old paint, and thoroughly cleaning every inch of the surface.

Most importantly, heavy machinery painting contractors should be familiar with the selection, preparation and application of the highest-performing coating solutions. This skill is essential, because the coating system should be able to protect the machinery from the rigorous conditions it will be exposed to once it gets back work.

Heavy Machinery Painting Activities

Wherever there are large-scale construction and engineering projects, there are heavy machineries and equipments busily doing heavy work such as earth-moving, weight carrying, and physically strenuous tasks. The tremendous amount of forces involved in operating these machineries can inflict abrasions and damages that can lead to physical deteriorations.

Before the wear and tear gets worse, machinery owners enlist the help of heavy machinery painting contractors to conduct needed refurbishments.

The processes used by heavy machinery painting applicators do not differ a great deal from ordinary industrial painting applications, except that the former are larger in scale.

Heavy machinery painting applications usually start with preparatory surface cleaning using a high-pressure washer. Machinery surfaces almost always accumulate a lot of dirt and grease from daily activities, so a good de-greasing should also be done. For old paint removal and to eliminate surface imperfections, the entire surface is blasted smooth and allowed to dry.

The paint application process is a thickly-layered multi-coat system composed of an initial primer coat, a second coat of high-performance paint, and a final coat to seal the coating system for durability and damage resistance. In cases of paint imperfections, a layer of touch up coat is also applied.

The Heavy Costs of Heavy Machinery

Heavy machineries entail heavy investments in the part of its owners. The financial investment on heavy machineries is a major dent to business budgets. From the purchase cost which is quite significant, to insurance costs, property taxes when applicable, and the cost of storage for these machines, heavy machineries and equipments are indeed some of the most expensive assets of any business or facility.

The costs pile up in the course of daily activities. The cost of fuel to allow it to operate as needed, the cost of tires, the cost of replacing parts and pieces that get damaged from constant wear, and any repair and maintenance work, such as heavy machinery painting, done by an in-house or third-party crew.

Therefore, from a financial standpoint, the costs of heavy machinery painting to protect the heavy machinery from damage is by far more reasonable than replacing the machine altogether. Furthermore, the early detection of damage and timely remediation through heavy machinery painting will lower the repair costs further.

With heavy machinery painting and coating work, the longevity of the machine’s useful life is assured, and yet a lesser costs.

Heavy Machinery Painting

Heavy equipments and machineries are some of the largest vehicles in the world. They are often used for large-scale construction projects that require very heavy-duty earth-moving. Bulldozers, forklifts, backhoes and cranes – these and more are critical engineering machines that provide the backbone for modern engineering and construction as we know it today.

To be able to perform their tasks, these machines require a lot of force and power to lift or break things, move soil and rocks, among others. As a result, they are often subjected to massive stresses that take a toll on their physical condition. Heavy machinery painting help repair or maintain these big machines, but the daily wear and tear for heavy vehicles and equipments are also in a massive scale. Worn down parts, corrosion, abrasion and physical impacts can bring deterioration and eventually, degraded performance, to the machine.

The challenge therefore is to minimize the occurrence of wear and tear even when the machines are often exposed to high levels of heat, pressure, and severe environmental conditions. The response to this challenge is high-performance heavy machinery painting and coating that protects these machines from damages as well as extend their useful life.