High-Build Coatings Jacksonville FL

Source: MASONRY CONSTRUCTION MAGAZINE
Publication date: May 1, 2007

By Lorella Angelini

High-build coatings are much more than paint over concrete block or other concrete surfaces. They are high-tech products characterized by properties such as resistance to wind-driven rain, chalking and checking after weathering, high ultimate (breaking) elongation, elongation recovery and crack bridging capability, and water vapor permeability.

This article focuses on the benefits in using high-build coatings as surface treatments over concrete, points out their unique performance properties, and explains applicable ASTM test methods.

Graph illustrates the relationship between temperature and thickness, with the thin elastomeric coating breaking at the maximum crack extension in cold temperatures.

At a glance, acrylic high-build coatings are often mistaken for ordinary paints. They come in a pail, are applied on the wall by roll or spray, and are available in a variety of colors, either directly from the factory or tinted at the local distributor. However, the similarities end here.

High-build coatings are generally applied in one or two coats to a total dry film of 10 mils to 15 mils, while ordinary paints have average thicknesses from 3 mils to 5 mils. The difference in thickness is directly related to the viscosity of the two materials and their percent of solids. High-build coatings contain about 50% solids by volume, versus 30% for ordinary products.

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