Special UV finishing on site

DON’T FORGET THE MAINTENANCE!

UV TECHNOLOGY HAS STRONG ASSETS IF USED WITH THE RIGHT COATING

Arjan Maatkamp (DecoRad Systems bv - NL)

‘Floor maintenance with UV light is the future for permanent and durable linoleum protection.’

There’s a huge market for the periodic maintenance of linoleum and Marmoleum. All floors wear out, including linoleum and Marmoleum, so it’s advisable to protect them permanently and durably. What does this maintenance involve? We put that question to Arjan Maatkamp, general manager of UV specialist DecoRad Systems bv from Veenendaal in the Netherlands. This company offers a full assortment of portable UV-curing equipment for this purpose. The portable UV equipment from DecoRad Systems is suitable for all UV lacquers and coatings which are currently available worldwide.

Breaking a pattern

‘Heavy pressure or incorrect maintenance can cause the top layer of a floor to wear. People often use polymers or mopping wax for periodic maintenance, but regular use of polymers often leads to differences in the gloss of the top layer. Footstep marks then become visible and dirt can pile up faster between the applied coats.’

‘Applying polymers to Marmoleum and linoleum floors means applying three coats of wax on top of each other, which then have to dry for a few hours in the meantime. You can expect that to take from 10 to 12 hours. Those coats of wax are then stripped once or twice a year using an alkaline agent to soften and remove the coats of wax, whilst the waste water goes down the drain and you discharge millions of litres of chemical waste. The day will certainly come when governments make it obligatory to take the coats of wax and waste water to a waste disposal station. To break this pattern and give floors better and longer protection, several leading floor coating companies have developed waterborne UV lacquers for flexible floors.’

Farewell to the unecological and old fashioned method

Arjan Maatkamp continues: ‘This new UV maintenance really is a joint effort. In Europe, for flexible floors, we’re talking about firms like Dr. Schutz and Arboritec. Moreover, since last year, the world’s biggest producer of Marmoleum floors also has a high-quality and ecological alternative, namely 326 UV Care Shield from Forbo. This protects Marmoleum floors permanently through the application of a waterborne UV lacquer with one component and no solvents. This puts paid to the unecological and old fashioned method of polymer floor maintenance. First of all, you remove the old, soiled, and discoloured coats of polymer. You then apply two coats of 326 UV Care Shield diagonally across each other to the bare linoleum using a roller. That’s followed by the drying with a portable UV light. The result is a floor which looks “as good as new” and is much more durable. The floor can last for three to five years simply with frequent dry-cleaning and/or damp mopping.’ The DecoRad UV equipment is suitable for drying: Forbo 326 UV-Care Shield, Dr. Schutz UV PU Sealer, and Arboritec UV Elite for flexible floors.

A floor as good as new

‘This new top coat with a dazzling silky gloss look dries instantly and can be walked on at once. This method saves huge amounts of time as compared to other lacquering methods, so it is attractive for floors which need to be used again quickly, such as in schools, shops, hospitals, care homes, and other public buildings. Another benefit is the less frequent moving of furniture in the room for floor maintenance. Those costs are often forgotten.’

‘In this age of sustainability with solar panels, energy windmills, and electric cars, it’s logical for us to say farewell to a number of unecological and old fashioned techniques such as the use of polymers. That benefits everyone and the environment at the same time.’

For more information: www.decorad.com

Any floor which is subjected to daily intensive use, whether it be a floor in wood, PU, epoxy, or concrete, is susceptible to wear and tear. The key point here is to provide the right protection so that the floor stays in good condition for as long as possible and looks as good as new for as far as that is possible. A good way to achieve that is to use UV technology in combination with the right coating.

What exactly does that right coating look like? We found an interesting coating product from the Dutch firm Progenta, which has launched the innovative Aqua UV coating. They say that when this coating is used, the floor not only looks as good as new, but also it can be walked on at once.

Working method

You tackle this job by cleaning and stripping the floor first before the coating is applied. You then apply the coating and cure it using a high-tech machine with special UV lamps. The use of UV light fully strengthens the coating at once and the floor is ready for use. As we’ve said above, the method of combining this coating with UV light is ideal for floors finished with wood, PU, epoxy, or concrete.

Benefits

If we compare this method to classic polymer coatings, we notice not only that this UV coating is more durable and permanent, but also that there are other benefits, too. For example, the process is much faster than with conventional methods. Another attractive benefit is that there’s only limited inconvenience during the process and that all products used are ecological. Apart from direct drying and curing, another plus point worth noting is the fact that this coating is alcohol-proof.

Forbo Eurocol UV-CareShield

UV

RESILIENT FLOORS

Chimiver

ECOFAST UV is a single-component polyurethane-acrylic waterbased UV curing lacquer in situ for wooden floors. ECOFAST UV has high abrasion and traffic resistances allowing its use for high traffic surfaces. It's UV curing with portable UV machines where a fast walkability is required. ECOFAST UV has been formulated in order to meet the highest anti-slip standard requirements for sportive wooden floors and is in conformity with European standards for sportive wooden floors meeting EN14904 standard's requirements.

DecoRad Systems bv

DecoRad Systems bv is a manufacturer of UV-curing equipment only, we do not produce our own lacquers or oils. We do, however, take care of the distribution of 326 UV-CareShield from Forbo. UV-lacquer (clearcoat) is usually a UV water-based dispersion with a solids content of approx. 40%. This type of lacquer is of superior quality and clearly on the rise. UV-coatings, also known as 100% coatings or 100% solids, have a 100% solids content to which no water or solvent has been added. The entire coating reacts (cross-links) with UV-light. Think of pigmented heavy duty coatings, mainly used on industrial floors. UV-oil is actually more like a modified lacquer with a solids content of 100%, which makes it possible to apply thinner layers. The number of layers required differs per project and surface. Waiting between applying different layers is only relevant for water-based lacquers. Water, as means of transport, must evaporate after application, as it cannot react to UV-light (cross-linking). The time of evaporation depends on the environmental factors humidity and temperature, on average this is one hour. Whether it is UV-lacquer, UV-oil or a traditional lacquer, the preparations on site are the same. The only difference is curing with the UV-lamp, after which the floor can be used immediately.