In a previously featured story, Exposed Floor Design Group filled the joints in a new Sam’s Club store, and it turned out really well. The same can be said for the concrete floors located throughout a Sysco Food Distribution center, as per the image below. Joint filling and joint repair are areas of expertise for Exposed – they pride themselves on giving floors new life.

Sysco polish job - Exposed
Project: Sysco Food Distribution in Lewisville, TX
Scope:  Joint Rebuild/Refill
Materials:  ArmorHard Extreme and RS88
This project entailed repairing joints throughout a heavy-use distribution facility. Obviously a food distribution facility has to maintain significant levels of cleanliness and sanitation, all the while, they must maintain production. The Exposed crew could not close them down, so they chose products that would get them back to service before the next morning. The choice was easy for these joint rebuilds: ArmorHard Extreme was the only way to go.
Keys to Success:

  • Preparation is key! Use the right tools to “square up” the spalled edges of the joints.  Remove any contamination in the joint area before you prime the surfaces.  A good bond is vital to the joint surviving.
  • Mix it right! The Exposed crew likes to mix the liquids, then add in aggregate to get the right consistency.  This project worked best at a “mortar-like” consistency.  Make sure the mixture is lump free.
  • Don’t overwork the material! This is where skill and experience comes to play. Get the material in, compacted and smooth, then leave it alone.
  • Recut the joint! It is vital to recut the joint to allow movement in the slab when rebuilding joints. The key here is to make sure you cut all the way through the ArmorHard, so it is not bonded at the bottom of the joint.
  • Refill the joint with RS88 “full depth.” Don’t cheat here! The RS88 in the joint will bridge the joint as traffic passes, and it will minimize stress to the new ArmorHard egdes. If you do not go full depth, you risk stressing the bottom of the joint repair and it may fail.
  • The ability to prep, prime, rebuild and return to service was a requirement of this job, and ArmorHard Extreme allowed Exposed to succeed!

For more details on the products used, the process of refilling or repair a joint, etc. please contact us. And be sure to check out our other WOC featured stories!