Founded in 1965, the Tulsa Technology Center is the oldest and largest vocational-technical training center in Oklahoma. A renovation in 2002 of the existing concrete flooring in the automotive section of the facility (measuring 17,000 square feet) was badly needed to bring the old floor up to new standards.

Wary of the high costs involved in a complete replacement of the floor, the owner consulted the local Tnemec coating consultant as well as flooring contractor Anthony Reiss with Reiss Industrial Floors, Tulsa, Okla. to find a solution.

“It was important that we came back to the owner with a cost-effective solution that would preserve the existing floor while improving the performance of the floor and offer protection for the future,” said Anthony Reiss. “The technical expertise that Tnemec offered with both the specification and the application training was invaluable.”

For treatment of the badly cracked concrete floor, Reiss Industrial Floors scarified the surface, which involved sanding off the existing coating, and then shot blasted the floor to prepare the surface. Tnemec specified a StrataShield flooring system that included Series 201 Epoxoprime, a modified polyamine epoxy primer used for the much-needed patchwork of the cracks. Series 201, which soaks into the porous concrete, provided superior bonding and adhesion to the surface. In order to ensure that gaseous air would not permeate the primer, Epoxoprime was applied to the floor in the evening when the temperature was suitable.

Applied next was Series 205 Terra-Tread FC, a polyamide epoxy, followed by Series 281 Tneme-Glaze, a modified polyamine epoxy that offers resistance to chemicals and corrosion. The final coat in the system was Series 291 CRU, an aliphatic polyester polyurethane topcoat which offers excellent resistance to abrasion, wet conditions, corrosive fumes and chemical contact, which was especially important with the presence of automotive fluids and gasoline.