Functionality and good looks were two main qualifications for the cafeteria floor on the campus of St. Louis Community College – Meramec. “The architect wanted a floor covering material that would be durable and easy to clean,” Tnemec coating consultant Mike Cerutti explained. “But its appearance also had to live up to his expectations.”

Based on the architect’s requirements, Cerutti recommended a 1/8” inch decorative quartz epoxy floor system utilizing a clear polyamine epoxy in Tnemec’s StrataShield flooring line called Series 222 Deco-Tread. Formulated for exceptional clarity, Series 222 is typically applied by double broadcast to achieve the desired thickness. In this case, the cafeteria floor was in poor shape and an existing covering had to be removed, revealing degraded concrete. “Technicote had to do a fair amount of patching to get the concrete floor sections nice and smooth,” Cerutti recalled, referring to the contractor’s use of Series 222 mixed with fumed silica to create a thick epoxy patching material.

After preparing the concrete, the crew from Technicote used zinc strips to form separate sections on the floor that followed the architect’s two-toned design. After this was done, they spread Series 222 liquid epoxy evenly across the floor and then broadcast the decorative quartz until it fully loaded the epoxy. Once cured, the excess aggregate was removed and the process repeated. To make the rough surface smoother and easier to clean, Series 284 Deco-Clear, a clear polyamine topcoat, was used as a grout coat and sealer.

“I was really impressed with how the floor turned out,” Cerutti said. “The applicator did a great job with the design and the owners really like it.”