It will not be long now before the leaves turn and frost appears on the pumpkins. Taking a moment to review three common practices can help ensure your projects remain trouble free.
1. Conditioning Project Materials - One of the most common mistakes made by contractors is NOT conditioning the project materials. Cold material and warm slab temperatures and vice versa can create problems. Whenever possible, store the materials at the project site for at least 24 hours prior to applying. Exceptions to this rule are when the jobsite is near or below freezing and when using ROCK-CRETE products on jobsites below 50°F. Refer to the Technical Data Sheets for more info on these situations.
One of the biggest advantages of ROCK-TRED’s Bag-Pak packaging is that the included resin and hardener can be removed from the pails and placed directly on the substrate. This allows the product to acclimatize much more quickly than large 5 gallon pails. Additionally, if your ROCK-TRED material has gotten “stiff” from being transported or sitting in a cold work vehicle, a sink with some very warm/hot water will bring this material back to its normal intended viscosity.
2. Using Outside Heat Sources - Be careful of using fossil-fuel-burning heaters to increase job site temperatures. Kerosene, gas and propane heaters produce emissions that cannot be seen but can cause blush, separation, fish-eyes and lack of adhesion in curing polymer coatings.
If you must provide heat, electric is the best choice, as it can be left on for the duration of the project. Newer model propane heaters that have low emission output can be used during some stages of the project, but be sure to shut them off and ventilate the area prior to opening any polymer materials.
3. Selecting the Right Material for the Temperature - ROCK-TRED polymer coatings are tested in optimum laboratory conditions of between 70–75 degrees Fahrenheit. Colder slab and air temperatures will slow down the cure process. ROCK-TRED standard coatings will not cure properly below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Here is our language for standard cure products:
ROCK-TRED product test data is based on environmental temperatures of 75° F (24° C). Viscosity and working time are always affected by temperatures above or below that mark. When applying product always consider the ambient, surface, and product temperature at the time and place of installation.
ROCK-TRED has COLD TEMPERATURE SOLUTIONS! Our LT-25, LT-45 and P-200 are great selections to allow our customers to continue to install in colder environments.
If you have any questions or concerns about what ROCK-TRED product is the best for your project contact your local ROCK-TRED Representative, ROCK-TRED’s customer support team at (847) 972–2125, or visit our website at www.rocktred.com.
Stay Warm!
Article written by Mike Lenk — Rock-Tred VP of Sales
Climate Change Environment
