Case History - Con Agra Foods, Longmont, CO

The Con Agra plant in Longmont, CO has been systematically upgrading their facility that not only serves as a turkey processing plant but also packages for direct retail consumption. Resurfacing of the concrete floors has been done by Tom Behunin Construction out of Arvada, CO, using International Coatings’ ICO Guard 51 epoxy flooring material, for over the past two years.

Ted Johnson, the plant engineer in charge of the modernization program, asked Tom to turn his attention to a 5000SF cooler room that not only had many layers of previously applied polymer floors that were constantly patched, as well as uncoated concrete T-panel ceilings that proved difficult to sanitize.

The ceilings were attacked first. After mechanically grinding the concrete to obtain a clean, abraded substrate, the applicator then applied International Coating’s epoxy filler, ICO Gel, to fill the many bugholes, followed by spray applying two coats of ICO Glaze Top Coat – a 100% solids epoxy coating with high build characteristics that can withstand high moisture and chemical cleaners. The final high gloss, seamless coating of 10-15 mils is now providing a complete vapor barrier designed to hold up to constant dampness and sanitizing chemicals.

Turning their attention to the floor, Tom and his crew used pneumatic chipping tools to remove layers (some of which were 3-4” in thickness) of previous polymer and cementitious fillers that were poorly bonded to the substrate. The floor was totally disinfected, pressure washed, then acid etched and scarified where necessary to obtain a clean, sound, abraded substrate. In addition, all open cracks were V-notched out and keyways were cut around all drain plates and entryways.

The crew then started laying International Coatings’ ICO Guard 51 trowelled epoxy. As a resin-rich, 100% solids material in a fast cure version, it was applied in a single application, up to 3-4” in depth, to enable the floor to be returned to service the next day. No top coats were necessary, as the anti-slip aggregate could be broadcast into the resinous trowelled material while still wet. At the same time the floor was being laid, after new trench drains were installed, the epoxy was used to fill in the areas between the new floor and drain to ensure a permanent, watertight bond was achieved. In addition, the concrete curbs were coated with ICO Guard Coating, then caulked with International Coating’s ICO Lastic Gun Grade, to ensure against moisture penetration between the concrete and new stainless steel panels. Essentially, two days were all it took to prep and lay 5000SF of floor. Needless to say, the plant was very happy to get their area back in service on time. And the transformation of the room was so complete that it looked more like a clean room than a food processing room. Ted Johnson and plant personnel intend to keep it that way for years to come now that they have a seamless, durable surface to work with.