CASE STUDY: The Bolles School Kitchen Facilities
Plexi-Chemie Receives an A+ For Functional & Decorative Solutions
The Bolles School is a college preparatory school located in Jacksonville, Florida. It is a nationally renowned PreK-12th grade school that combines academics, offerings in the fine and performing arts, many athletic teams, leadership and service opportunities. The Bolles School has an enrollment of more than 1,600 students and is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Southern Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools, the Florida Council for Independent Schools and the Florida Kindergarten Council.
Needless to say, The Bolles School is known for excellence in education, and the administration expects nothing less in any endeavor occurring on the campus. In keeping with these high standards, when the floor of the kitchen facility was in need of repair, The Bolles School turned to Plexi-Chemie for a functional, decorative, and rapid-curing flooring solution. Plexi-Chemie rose to the challenge by recommending a flooring system that included PlexiGlaze #4, PlexiClad Deep Fill, PlexiQuartz @ 1/8th inch thick, and on top, PlexiRez, a methyl methacrylate (MMA) coating. Together, these coatings work to create a high performance floor with long-term functionality and excellent aesthetics.
Before PlexiGlaze #4 could be applied as the primer, the existing 30-year-old quarry tile and mud bed had to be removed. Two inches of quarry tile and mud bed were removed using jackhammers. After removing the old floor, additional prep was done using a scarifier or diamond grinder. Once the floor was cleaned and vacuumed, the application of the system began, beginning with a primer coat of PlexiGlaze #4 Clear Epoxy Primer.
The next step in the coating process was to apply PlexiClad Deep Fill to the 2,200-square-foot area. PlexiClad is a 100% solids, resin-rich, hand or power troweled epoxy resurfacer. It is designed to rehabilitate worn concrete and as a protective overlayment on new concrete while offering impact, abrasion and compaction resistance. The PlexiClad Deep Fill material was applied at a thickness of 1 ½-3 inches. This resurfacer is resin-rich and cures within 6-7 hours.
Once the PlexiClad Deep Fill had cured, a slurry broadcast of quartz was applied to the floor. At this point, the floor underwent a light grind and 6-to-8 inches of cove base was installed. Another layer of quartz was then applied to the floor. Once this quartz layer cured, excess quartz was removed from the floor.
Next, the floor underwent a light grind and 6-to-8 inches of cove base was installed. It was then time for PlexiRez, an MMA coating, to be applied in three coats of approximately 6-7 mils each. PlexiRez is a dual system, rapid-curing polymer that has high abrasion resistance and low glare matte satin finish. The first two layers installed were semi-gloss primer coats, while the final layer applied was a flat top coat. Together, the three coats create a tough skin over the PlexiGlaze #4 and PlexiClad Deep Fill layers.
One of the main advantages to installing an MMA coating system is that it cures very rapidly. In fact, the three coats applied on the kitchen floor at The Bolles School cured in just 1 ½ hours! Rapid cure time was imperative on this project, as the kitchen needed to be up and running before the students returned from spring break. The rapid curing time of PlexiRez allowed for the kitchen to be turned over to the administration four days ahead of schedule!
Final Grade
By using the perfect combination of high performance Plexi-Chemie products, a durable, functional, aesthetically pleasing flooring system was delivered to The Bolles School. This kitchen floor job received an A+!
