Flooring

Problem

Nash County was nearing completion on a newly constructed building to house on duty emergency medical service (EMS) crews and their associated four ambulances. In each of the other firehouses and ambulance stations in the county, the concrete garage floors were finished with red paint that constantly peeled, scratched and failed. Frustrated by the constant upkeep, county officials began searching for a long term protective flooring solution to trial in their new facility.

Solution

Nash County officials contacted Crystal Coast Industrial Coatings, an authorized Rhino Linings® applicator, who immediately recommended Rhino Linings FastFloor®. FastFloor is a polyaspartic coating system designed as a decorative, yet durable, coating that is chemical resistant, durable, and abrasion resistant, which makes it an ideal choice for high demand floors like that in the ambulance garage. This system would also easily accommodate the custom 4’ diameter Nash County seal and yellow safety lines that the customer wanted applied on the floor.

Crystal Coast Industrial Coatings was given four days to complete the project before the EMS crews were scheduled to move in and begin operations from that location. On day one, they proceeded to diamond grind the entire 2100 sq. ft. concrete floor to a concrete surface profile between 2 and 3 to ensure optimal adhesion of the FastFloor. Then, they repaired a few minor areas of damaged and chipped concrete with Concrete Solutions® by Rhino Linings Quick Set Patch Mix and filled expansion joints with Rhino® Concrete Repair to help provide the smooth and seamless final application surface that the customer desired. Finally, they used Rhino Patch Compound to create a 6” cove up the walls surrounding the application area to help provide a monolithic barrier and protect from possible damages.

On day two, the first coat of gray FastFloor was roller-applied directly to the prepared concrete substrate and coving. This was followed by a heavy broadcast of quartz aggregate, which was then sealed with a clear coat of FastFloor. A second heavy broadcast of quartz aggregate was then added to provide optimal coverage, as well as slip resistance. A final coat of clear FastFloor was then applied to seal the floor.

On day three, safety lines were masked off and clear FastFloor pigmented with yellow was brush-applied in four coats to achieve the necessary color intensity, and the Nash County seal was applied in the middle of the garage using custom stencils and tints and sealed with a final coat of FastFloor.

Results

Nash County officials received a durable and cost saving floor solution that could be their showcase for future upgrades to their other facilities. Civic leaders in Nashville, NC were proud of the sustainable choices and the long term Rhino Linings product that completed the emergency medical service building.