Based in Busan Gamcheon Port, South Korea, Dongwon Cold Storage specializes in low-temperature distribution, shipping frozen seafood products to major ports around the world. The company’s facility is equipped with 61 rooms of various temperatures and sizes.
In 2020, the company needed to repair 40,000 square feet of flooring that was cracked and damaged due to heavy forklift traffic carrying large crates of tuna and other seafood. Because the floor was located in a climate-controlled cold-storage warehouse, not just any concrete repair material would do. Construction contractor Starcon used Rapid Set® Cement All® all-purpose repair material and Rapid Set TRU® Self-Leveling architectural topping to make all repairs and achieve a polished concrete appearance.
Made with belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement, Rapid Set® products set and cure much faster than portland cement-based materials because of the cement’s unique chemistry. They produce virtually no bleed water that can potentially freeze and crack concrete, so curing in lower temperatures (50 degrees Fahrenheit and lower) is typically not an issue. Instead, they retain moisture and generate heat during the hydration process, enabling the material to achieve structural strength in 1 hour.
A Fast-Track Schedule
The project needed to be completed in six days. To meet the tight deadline, the contractor employed both day and night crews. The 40,000-square-foot floor was divided and poured in multiple sections. Hippo mixers were used to mix all Rapid Set® products.
After removing the existing flooring with a scarifier, crew members used Cement All® to repair large cracks and spalls in the substrate and then applied an acrylic primer. They then applied Cement All® by trowel as an underlayment over the substrate. The high-performance material sets in 15 minutes and is ideal where rapid strength gain and high durability are desired.
Next, the crew applied TRU® Self-Leveling polished concrete overlay using gauge rakes, smoothers and spiked rollers to release any trapped air. The professional-grade architectural topping rapidly levels to provide a smooth, strong surface with high-bond strength. Ready for foot traffic in 2 to 3 hours, it can be ground and polished to a high-gloss appearance after 24 hours.
For this project, the crew polished the surface with up to 800-grit diamond abrasive pads to create a reflective sheen. To protect the hardened surface against moisture without changing its polished appearance, the crew applied a penetrating sealer.
