Wacker's Binder Adds Aesthetic Value to Flooring Surfaces

Wacker produces coatings providing stain protection with its Silres BS6920 solvent-free binder and reinforcing ground surfaces. WACKER, a world-leading chemical company, has developed an innovative solvent-free binder that provides excellent stain protection for impregnation of cement-based floors and reinforces and optically enhances the floor surface. Silres BS6920, developed using Alfasilan technology first showcased at European Coating Show 2017, is a highly effective alternative to water glass (sodium silicate) or silanes. The stain protection property in particular distinguishes Silres BS6920 from other binders. The difference in this product becomes apparent especially in situations where the floor is exposed to high levels of contaminants and intense pedestrian and vehicular traffic and where aesthetic appearance is desired. In many countries, architects, real estate planners and project implementers now prefer concrete or cement-based floors that can be used directly without tiles, wooden block flooring, linoleum or other coverings. These surfaces are ground and polished to meet aesthetic standards. For this reason, when liquid substances such as motor oil, food oils, plasticizers (from vehicle tyres), beverages, ketchup or other food materials are spilled, they enter through these pores. The porosity also reduces the mechanical strength of the floor. Another characteristic of cement-based surfaces is that they are not very resistant to wear, a situation that is a significant problem not only for residential spaces but also for surfaces such as warehouse, garage and showroom floors.

In this respect, surfaces must be protected against soiling and wear before use.

The method to be used should be considered depending on the type of load expected to be placed on the floor and aesthetic requirements. If there is no likelihood of contact with aggressive chemicals, the developer will generally prefer different impregnation methods. According to EN 1504-2 standard, the concrete impregnation method is a process that partially or completely fills surface voids.

Floor surfaces with effective protection against stubborn stain-causing substances using Silres BS 6920 can today be seen in many fashion stores, exhibitions and showrooms, shopping centers, bistros, galleries and museums.

However, although this floor structure is solid and durable in nature, when no treatment is applied it tends to collect dirt, is difficult to maintain and wears quickly.

To protect this type of flooring, impregnation is generally applied. However, impregnation materials available on the market have generally proven ineffective when applied to floor surfaces. Despite treatment, most liquids spilled on the floor leave stains.

This problem can be solved with Silres BS6920, a high-performance, single-component impregnation material that has excellent stain protection properties and makes the floor surface more robust. Concrete and cement-bonded floor screeds have a porous surface. A test plate with cement binder had one half untreated and the other half impregnated with Silres BS6920. The left section was immersed in construction material and left a difficult-to-remove stain. Depending on the concrete's absorption and the amount of material used during processing, a thin film forms on the concrete surface. Special impregnation materials have been developed for cement-based floors using different technologies. Among these, the most commonly used are water-based silicate impregnation materials known as water glass (sodium silicate) systems and solvent-based silane impregnation materials. However, based on feedback from construction sector customers and Wacker's own test results, both of these technologies face challenging effects from many common contaminants. Laboratory tests showed that coffee, red wine, cola or mustard left permanent stains on impregnated test plates 24 hours after contact. Silres BS6920 belongs to the group of alpha-silane terminated polyethers. Like all silane-terminated polyethers, Silres BS6920 undergoes silane cross-linking and forms a siloxane network upon exposure to moisture. In the presence of an aminosilane catalyst, sufficiently rapid curing is provided. Wacker R&D experts designed a special polymer for use in impregnation materials for cement-based floors. The main parameters for the polymer are the chemical structure of the silane building block and the lengths of the polymer chains. Thanks to the chemical structure of the new binder, the treated floor surface becomes both water and oil resistant. Cross-linked Silres BS6920 mechanically reinforces the base layer due to its quartz-like structure, making the treated floor resistant to wear and capable of withstanding intense pedestrian traffic or even supporting forklifts, automobiles or work equipment. From a safety perspective, Silres BS6920 is solvent-free and classified as a non-hazardous substance. Its flash point is above 100, thus reducing fire risk. Due to its low viscosity, Silres BS6920 can be processed without solvents. However, solvent can be added if needed. Similarly, quartz powder fillers, pigments or other solid materials can be added to adjust the mechanical and optical properties of the final product within wide limits.

Easy to Use

Impregnation materials produced from Silres BS6920 are very easy to use: they can be applied to the desired surface using a mop, short-pile roller or airless spray gun. After 24 hours, curing is largely complete and the floor reaches walkable form. If the base layer is very porous (high absorption), two coats may be needed to achieve the best results. If impregnation material is applied to an absorbent base layer, the first coat fills the pores and reinforces the floor. Most of the material reaches the base layer and the surface appears quite homogeneous. To obtain a completely homogeneous, polishable and glossy surface, a second coat must be applied. The resulting film significantly reduces surface roughness and creates a uniform, glossy surface.

Results

Excellent stain protection, colour intensity preservation and mechanical strength are the three most important properties obtained as a result of impregnation treatment with Silres BS 6920. If a cement-based floor is treated with a clear Silres BS 6920 formulation, the surface appears darker, colours appear more intense and vivid. "These optical effects are effects desired by many architecture and application firms. Floors designed this way not only look high quality but thanks to the reinforcement effect, the floor becomes more resistant to scratching and brushing. However, the most important benefit of Silres BS6920 is that it is highly resistant to soiling. Wacker engineers compared Silres BS6920 with silicate and silane-based impregnation materials available on the market. It was tested with twenty different materials. After 24 hours it was wiped first dry then with a wet kitchen towel. In the impregnation treatment with silicate, 14 out of 20 test substances left stains." "In impregnation treatment with silane, the number of test substances leaving stains was 7, while with Silres BS6920 this figure dropped to three. These results (see adjacent) show that the product provides much greater protection against contaminants compared to materials developed using conventional technologies." Wacker customers are successfully using hybrid floor solutions as protective floor coatings in warehouses, parking areas, stamped concrete and cast terrazzo. The single-component and fast-curing Silres BS6920 simplifies the application process and saves time and energy for the applicator. BS6920 can be formulated suitable for both interior and exterior applications; it can be used as a binder in terrazzo and stone carpet systems. Single-component formulation, repair ease, excellent stain and scratch protection, solvent-free formula and high breathability after coating make the product significantly more advantageous compared to conventional products currently used in the sector. For example, the silane structure of Silres BS6920 has been modified to form a tightly woven network composed of quartz-like structural units. Thanks to the optimization process, the low-viscosity binder deeply penetrates the pores of the cement-based base layer and almost completely fills them before curing, resulting in a hard material.   Editor: Zafer Arslan Technical Sales Manager IMCD Tic. Paz. ve Dan. Ltd. Şti.   Burcu Atmaca Gölbaşı Sales Manager Wacker Kimya Ticaret Limited Şirketi