Sika recently worked together with longstanding partner, KonFloor

Sika recently worked together with longstanding partner, KonFloor, on the concrete floor slab for a new warehouse/distribution facility situated at Tilbury Dock, Essex.

The works at Plot 1060 covered 13,500m² of a new logistics park at DP World and the facility was created adjacent to London Gateway Port and Rail.  

Project Requirements

The main contractor needed a durable flooring solution for the facility and turned to industrial flooring specialists, KonFloor, to provide this. Because of the project’s programme, time was of the essence, and this meant a solution was needed which could offer fast curing and re-use times to save any delay.

Additionally, being a warehouse/distribution facility meant the floor needed to be robust enough to deal with surface impacts from heavy items as well as damage from liquids, chemicals or solvents. 

Sika Solutions

With the flooring requirements outlined, KonFloor worked in partnership with Sika to offer a solution using Sika® ViscoCrete®-150 PF - a power float floor admixture, newly developed for the purpose.

Sika® ViscoCrete®-150 PF is a liquid admixture for concrete, used as a high-range water reducer/superplasticiser, which meets the requirements of BS EN 934-2.

When added to a concrete mix, it offers improved cohesion, neutral set time, controlled air contents, improved early and ultimate strengths whilst reducing drying shrinkage and mix costs.

The product is typically suitable for laser screed and hand laid floor slabs as well as any applications that require high quality concrete with high early strength.

Its collective benefits meant that Sika® ViscoCrete®-150 PF was ideal for Tilbury Dock, with the power float finish offering a smooth result for the surface as well as providing excellent abrasion resistance.

What’s more, KonFloor needed to supply a product they could trust as significant investment was being made with little room for error. An established relationship with Sika meant collaboration to specify a solution to meet the needs of the project.  

A total of 3,700 m3 of concrete containing Sika® ViscoCrete®-150 PF, together with a high dosage of steel fibres, was placed over challenging ground conditions and formed into a 285 mm thick slab. 

Once poured, Sikafloor®-FibreShield was added to the surface provide a hard wearing, fibre suppressant dry shake topping for the floor. When sprinkled and trowelled into fresh wet concrete floors, Sikafloor®-FibreShield forms a coloured, wear-resistant smooth surface.

In addition, Sikafloor® ProSeal W was used for the optimum curing and sealing of the fresh concrete floor. This product is easily applied via a spray or roller, helps control dusting and improves abrasion resistance.

Aggregate Industries supplied the concrete mix to KonFloor and the contractor was very pleased with the end result. Considering the finish, budget and timing, the project was a success, and the flooring element was completed in just four weeks.