Stonhard Floors and Walls Keep Animal Labs Sanitary and Productive

The State University of New York at Stony Brook is home to two animal testing facilities. These areas are subject to abrasion and staining as well as daily high-pressure washdowns and aggressive cleaning agents. Several of the facilities’ past flooring systems, including vinyl tile, rolled linoleum, and painted concrete, were destroyed.

Damage was also evident in wall and ceiling units made of concrete block and precast concrete. Unfortunately, aggressive cleaning is necessary to maintain the high sanitary standards required to preserve the health of the facilities’ animals. Stony Brook needed a uniform system that would provide long-lasting durability and resistance to staining and chemical attack. The clear choice for the job was Stonhard’s line of high quality epoxy-based floor and wall systems.

Stonhard recommended Stonshield HRI, a 3/16” textured floor system consisting of a troweled epoxy/silica mortar and a colored quartz broadcast surface. This created a decorative, seamless floor that withstands harsh physical conditions. Stonglaze VSR, a two-component, high solids, epoxy glaze coating was selected for the walls and ceilings for stain resistance, enhanced cleanability and aesthetics.

Wall and ceiling preparation required 90% removal of existing coatings due to extensive delamination that had occurred. This was done by sandblasting to ensure a strong bond by creating a sound, profiled substrate. Any gouges, cracks or holes that appeared after sandblasting were patched with a two-component epoxy patching mortar, Stonset PM5. Then, Stonglaze VSR was roller-applied in two separate 6-8 mil coats to achieve a 15 mil, tile-like finish.

Because of the poor state of the existing floor, extensive preparation was necessary. Scarifiers, grinders and chipping hammers were used to remove all surface materials without further damaging the concrete substrate. Once exposed, the concrete was shot-blasted to create a clean, porous surface. In areas where the concrete was damaged, the substrate was patched with Stonhard’s epoxy grout, Stonset TG5. Cracks were also addressed using Stonhard’s Stonproof RH7 crack treatment to ensure that any substrate movement would not crack the new epoxy overlayment.

Once patching and preparation were complete, Stonshield HRI Base was applied at 1/8” using a power trowel in open areas and a hand trowel in harder to reach spots. Next, a two-component epoxy undercoat was applied, into which a multicolored quartz aggregate was uniformly broadcast. This produces the decorative appearance and non-slip finish of the Stonshield system. Stonshield Sealer was squeegee-applied and backrolled to create a non-slip, yet cleanable, finish.

After the sealer cured, all joints were cut and filled with Stonflex MP7. Accurate selection of high-quality materials and close attention to detail during the installation resulted in completely seamless floor and wall systems that are both sanitary and durable, fulfilling the specialized needs of the university's animal testing facilities. Stonhard installed 65,000 sq. ft. of floor materials and 30,000 sq. ft. of wall coatings in this initial project. Since then, an additional 25,000 sq. ft. of floors and 15,000 sq. ft. of walls were installed at Stony Brook by Stonhard crews.

Dr. Charles C. Middleton, Director of the Division of Lab Animal Resources at SUNY Stony Brook, was so pleased with the quality of Stonhard’s installation and customer service, he commented, “To my knowledge, Stonhard is the only company that manufactures the products and have their own application crews. Thus, from a guarantee standpoint, there is no passing the buck.”

Other companies with animal research/holding areas have also taken advantage of Stonhard’s unique floor and wall products for a totally customized system that stands up to the harsh conditions found in such environments, and include Pfizer, Merck, Sharp & Dohme, the University of Washington, and The Seeing Eye Institute.

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