SITUATION:
Capitol Floor Preparations an ARDEX LevelMaster® Elite Installer was brought into the Navy Medical Center at Bethesda, MD by RCI Construction to provide a solution and recommendation for the leveling of above grade flooring in the ARFFI Building #43. A new chemical lab (containing highly sensitive equipment) used for Anthrax testing would be installed. The floor had layers of potential bond breaking materials and due to the delicate equipment being used in the lab, the floors needed to be level. An epoxy finish was being placed over part of the concrete as a wear surface and VCT was being installed in the other areas.
CHALLENGES:
- 5,000 sq. ft. above grade
- Leveling issues
- Extensive substrate preparation
SOLUTION:
Capitol Floor Preparations walked the jobsite and recommended significant substrate preparation to remove the bond breaking layers. They recommended ARDEX K 500TM Self-Leveling Concrete Topping for the concrete wear surface and ARDEX V1200TM Self-Leveling Flooring Underlayment to receive the
VCT flooring.
The substrate was shot blasted and diamond grinders were also used to remove the layers to properly prepare the substrate to receive the ARDEX Topping and Underlayment.
Capitol used lasers and pins to mark the 2,000 sq. ft. area that would be the concrete wear surface to ensure the flooring would be perfectly level. They primed the area and then installed the ARDEX K 500. The finished surface was smooth, flat and level and was then sealed with the epoxy finish.
The ARDEX V 1200 was floated into the 3,000 sq. ft. area that was to receive the VCT. The installation went perfectly providing a smooth, flat and level surface for the new lab flooring.
PARTICIPANTS:
INSTALLER
- ARDEX LevelMaster® Elite Installer, Capitol Floor Preparations
CONTRACTOR
- RCI Construction Group