The annual Concrete Polishing Luncheon & Forum, sponsored by International Concrete Polishing & Staining Conference (ICPSC), is WOC’s best-attended luncheon, and with good reason. It is a chance for members of a niche, but constantly evolving industry to network and learn about the latest trends and developments.
This year, attendees learned of research proving that polished concrete surpasses the pass/fail coefficient friction value of 0.42 set by ANSI A137.1 “Procedure for Wet Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (DCOF) Testing.” The testing method measures the slip resistance of ceramic, porcelain, and like surfaces, and the Concrete Polishing Association of America (CPAA) has been considering adopting the standard as the slip resistance measurement methodology for polished concrete.
“This research project is a game-changer for us,” says luncheon speaker Jennifer Faller, vice president of CPAA’s executive board. “It proves that we provide a safe floor. We can promote this.”
Luncheon speakers Faller and Peter Ermish with Variosystems Inc. are both on a CPAA subcommittee formed to prove polished concrete is the safest architectural hard surface, with respect to slips and falls. In December, CPAA tested three slabs, each with 16 categories of product classifications based on all possible combinations of four aggregate exposures and four gloss levels, including cream and very high gloss. A third party, the Tile Council of North American Inc. Laboratory, performed coefficient friction testing and found that all 16 polished concrete categories surpassed the ANSI A137 target threshold for pedestrian walkways subject to wet conditions.
CPAA is now very close to finalizing a standard based on this research and the ANSI standard. If the standard is accepted by the polished concrete community, and contractors use the testing method for their floors, it may also help them to protect themselves from slip-and-fall litigation.
Coatings standards in works, too
Heather Stiner, protective coatings professional at SSPC: the Society for Protective Coatings, took a break from the society’s own show, SSPC 2015 — taking place next door at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort — to speak about standards in development that could apply to polished concrete surfaces, including a guide to evaluating the slip resistance of treated flooring surfaces. Other standards in the works include coating texture, several surface preparation methods, and concrete moisture.
To learn how to get involved in SSPC Committees, contact Aimee Beggs at [email protected], and for technical questions contact Stiner at [email protected].
