2021
Casa Grande, Arizona

ACO AND SIKA FLOORING GO WITH THE FLOW

“ONE ADVANTAGE OF THE PURCEM SYSTEM IS IT IS A WATER-RESISTANT PRODUCT SO YOU DON’T NEED TO DO A LOT OF PROTECTIVE COATINGS. THIS ENDS UP SAVING TIME AND MONEY IN THE LONG RUN.”

Henry Ford is quoted as saying, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” This principle was put into practice recently when Sika Flooring was approached by business partner ACO, Inc., an international manufacturer of industrial, residential, and commercial drainage solutions, about installing a Sikafloor PurCem flooring system in ACO’s new fabrication and finishing shop in Casa Grande, Arizona. The facility will host both pickle passivation and electropolishing finishes in the production of ACO’s stainless steel products, which includes shower drains, box drains, pipes, floor drains, and stainless trench drains.

Sikafloor prepping with a pallet of products on pallets.

“Sika has a very strong relationship with ACO in the Czech Republic, due in part to the compatibility of Sika flooring systems and ACO drainage systems,” remarked Michael Carroll, regional manager - west at Sika Corporation. “When I heard they were building a new facility in Arizona, my ears pricked up because I thought this would be another great opportunity to show how well Sika and ACO products work together.”

Since the new facility will use a lot of powerful chemicals, a floor with strong chemical resistance was a must. “There are not only different chemicals used in the production, but in the cleaning process as well,” Carroll pointed out.

Gert Laumann, vice president of building drainage at ACO, concurred. “We need a floor that can withstand the aggressive acid used in the facility,” he explained. “We also require a floor that is low maintenance, can be easily cleaned and can withstand a heavy traffic load.”

Carroll suggested ACO use the Sikafloor PurCem® polyurethane cement flooring system, which delivers trusted performance characteristics including cleanliness, durability, and resistance to impact, abrasion, aggressive chemicals, and thermal shock.

“We think very highly of Sika because of our work with them in Europe, the Far East, and the US,” Laumann said. As a result, ACO was confident in selecting the PurCem system.

Project
ACO, Inc.
Casa Grande, Arizona

General Contractor:
Global Facility Solutions, Inc.
Phoenix, Arizona

Flooring System:
Sikafloor PurCem®

Project Size: 
3,800 sq. ft.

Completed: 
January 2021

WORK IN THE TRENCHES REQUIRES PRECISION

Installation of the floor started with mechanically preparing the concrete with a diamond grinder, shop blasting, and grinding vertical surfaces. In depressed areas, Sika 24NA PurCem was installed 1/8” with a coated quartz aggregate. “We couldn’t use an uncoated aggregate because the floor is subject to hydrochloric acid which attacks silica,” Whited explained. In other areas 22NA PurCem at 5/16” was installed at drain level.

“One advantage of the PurCem system is it is a water-resistant product so you don’t need to do a lot of protective coatings,” Whited pointed out. “This ends up saving time and money in the long run.”

The installation crew then saw-cut over concrete joints in the floor to control slab cracking due to potential movement, and filled them with an elastomeric sealer. This was followed by priming the vertical surfaces and inside trenches with Sikafloor 160 Epoxy Primer and top coating everything with Sikafloor 700 Epoxy Novolac Chemical Resistant Coating.

“All the different floor levels required significant attention to detail to ensure the verticals and long concrete trenches were coated and well protected,” Whited said. “We had daily inspections to make sure everything met our high standards for quality.”

Sikafloor ACO inc drain
Pallet of Sikafloor products.
Sikafloor Drain
CEMENTING A RELATIONSHIP

Even though the floor installation took place in the winter of 2020/2021 during the height of a pandemic, the key players in this installation were still able to successfully work together.

“The collaboration on this project was ideal. We were coming from the perspective that everyone has to win so it is better to work as a team,” Whited stated. “ACO was great to work with and very accommodating. They gave us anything we needed – including room to store material in their warehouse,” he added. “Sika Flooring provided us with access to high-level people, and even though the pandemic kept Mike Carroll from visiting us in person, we were still able to meet remotely.”

“GFS was very easy to work with and the installation went smoothly,” Laumann remarked. “We would definitely use PurCem and Sika Flooring again. They are reliable and affordable. This is crucial since the floor is such an important element of the building.”

“We were delighted to work with ACO as a partner,” Carroll commented. “I hope this cements the relationship between Sika and ACO.”

Since ACO is planning on installing another Sikafloor system in the same facility in the near future, it seems like Carroll’s wish has been granted.

Download the Case Study
Workers installing a PurCem Sikafloor
FLOORING PRODUCTS USED
Sikafloor®-22 NA PurCem®

Sikafloor®-22 NA PurCem®

SELF-LEVELING BROADCAST CEMENTITIOUS URETHANE SLURRY
  • Can be applied on green concrete, typically 7-10 days. Full 28 days cure time is not necessary.
  • Can be applied over partially cured concrete substrates (> 4% mass (pbw –part by weight) as measured with Tramex® CME/CMExpert type concrete moisture meter surface moisture).
  • Can be applied to concrete substrates where <100 % relative humidity is measured as per ASTM F2170.
  • Substrate has tensile bond strength in excess of 218 psi (1.5 MPa). Substrate has tensile bond strength in excess of 218 psi (1.5 MPa).
  • Resists a very wide range of organic and inorganic acids, alkalis, amines, salts and solvents. Consult Sika Technical Service for full details. Refer to the Sikafloor -22 NA Purcem Chemical Resistance Chart.
  • Similar coefficient of thermal expansion to concrete allowing movement with the substrate through     normal thermal cycling. It will perform and retain its physical characteristics through a wide temperature range from -40 °F (-40 °C) up to 248 °F (120 °C).
  • Steam cleanable at  3/16 to 1/4 inch (188 to 250 mils) thickness.
  • Non-tainting, odorless.
  • Behaves plastically under impact / deforms but will not crack or debond.
  • High abrasion qualities result from its aggregate structure.
  • Extra Expansion joints are not necessary; maintain and extend existing expansion joints up through the Sikafloor PurCem Flooring System.
  • Minimal maintenance costs, superior life cycle cost advantage versus tile.
  • Meets the requirements of USDA for use in food plants.
 

ACO, Inc. - Sikafloor In Action