The Development of a Surface Finisher of Car Park Slab Using Waterborne Silicon Acrylic with Polyamide [Part I: Performance Evaluation]

A waterborne coating system for car park slab has recently gained interest as an alternative for solvent-based finishing materials due to environmental concerns and prolongation of service life. However, water-based finishers, regardless of their eco-friendly properties, have relatively lower hardness compared to traditional finishing systems. In order to overcome this obstacle, a hybrid technology was used to develop a substitute surface finisher for car park slab and its performance was evaluated according to the KS (Korean Standard) F 4937. Initially, the proper mix ratio of polyamide was found by comparing adhesion via pull-off-test results and other performance evaluation tests. From the test results, it was found that mixing polyamide with silicon acrylic finisher caused an increase in adhesion strength. Silicon acrylic with a 30% mix ratio of polyamide resin (SA+PR30%) was selected to perform the rest of the tests and the results satisfied the acceptance criteria of KS F 4937 and were compared with a recent water-based polyurethane finisher with cementitious powder (WPC). Finally, it was verified that the developed finisher could be an alternative finisher of urethane and epoxy finishers as it has good mechanical properties and emit less volatile organic compounds (VOC).