A Higher Calling

Over the years, Plexi-Chemie’s epoxy floor coatings have earned a stellar reputation in the industrial, manufacturing and restaurant environments.  Recently here at Plexi-Chemie, we had the opportunity to showcase the versatility of our all-purpose epoxy, PlexiGlaze #4. This resinous coating was applied to the floor of The Church of Eleven22, a non-denominational place of worship in northeast Florida. Read on for details about how PlexiGlaze #4 answered the higher calling of an active congregation. 

The Church of Eleven22 is located in an old department store building that church leaders, volunteers and local contractors worked to renovate to accommodate its growing number of worshippers.  Certified Plexi-Chemie flooring technicians were tasked with applying the clear epoxy floor resin to approximately 20,000 square feet of the facility, including hallways and corridors leading into meeting rooms, office space, a childcare center, play areas and the worship sanctuary.  As part of the second phase of the building renovation, the goal of the flooring application was to help create a warm and welcoming environment throughout the space.

Perfectly Imperfect

PlexiGlaze #4 provides protection to the floor while showcasing its imperfections, upon the church’s request.

In addition to the location of The Church of Eleven22, there was another unusual aspect to this job: the Church requested that the crew repair and coat the concrete floor but leave imperfections in the substrate.  According to officials of The Church of Eleven22, the imperfections in the floor should serve as a reminder to the congregation that each individual is flawed, yet beautiful.

When the crew arrived to begin the surface preparation, beauty was the last word one would use to describe the substrate. Over the course of several days, the crew used Diamatic diamond grinders to remove the vinyl composition tile (VCT) and residual glue from the substrate. Certain areas that were especially spalled and cracked were repaired to ensure proper adhesion of the PlexiGlaze #4 material.

A Coatings Mission

With the substrate properly prepared, the certified Plexi-Chemie flooring technicians were ready to apply the epoxy coating system. Using squeegees, the team applied two coats of PlexiGlaze #4 at a thickness of 7-10 mils each. PlexiGlaze #4 is a high-performance, 100% solids, clear epoxy flooring resin that is self-leveling and can be used as a primer, body coat and sealer. It is free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), meaning that is odor-free and does not require the use of respirators during the application process. PlexiGlaze #4 cures into a hard solid, but does not become brittle, allowing for abrasion and impact resistance.

 Rising Above Challenges

During the seven days that the flooring technicians worked on the job, the building was an active construction site. The flooring crew had to work around many other trades, as well as the timber on the floor that outlined the rooms that had yet to be built. The flooring technicians wore hard hats, reflective vests, boots, gloves and safety glasses to ensure their safety during the surface prep and coating application. Because the rooms still needed to be formed, and there was much more construction to occur, the crew used ram board paper to protect the epoxy floor resin once it cured.

The end result of the surface prep and coating application was a floor that had a faux design look, with the imperfections in the substrate creating shading and depth throughout The Church of Eleven22’s floor.  The flooring solution will last for years to come, with the durability of PlexiGlaze #4 standing up to the demands of a growing group of believers and creating a surface that illustrates both the beauty and imperfections of the human condition.

The end result: A floor that had a faux design look, with the imperfections in the substrate creating shading and depth throughout The Church of Eleven22’s floor.

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For more information about PlexiGlaze #4, please contact a Plexi-Chemie sales representative, or feel free to call us at 904-693-8800 or email us at office@plexi-chemie.com.