Urethane Flooring Project Profile: Donaldson Center Fire Department at SCTAC, protecting more than local residences.

Overview of Donaldson Center and Its Historical Significance

Greenville Army Base was founded in 1942 in Greenville, SC. Shortly after, it became Greenville Airforce Base and was used as a training airfield for the B-25 Mitchell and C-124 Globemaster during World War II. In March of 1951, it was renamed to honor Captain John Owen Donaldson, a Greenville, SC native, and World War I flying ace. Donaldson had eight victories and was decorated by the United States, Great Britain, and Belgium for his service. After the war, he became an air racer and was killed in a crash after winning the American Legion Air Race in 1930. The base became a victim of budget cuts and was converted to a civilian airport in 1963. It is currently known as Donaldson Center Airport and operated by SCTAC (South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center). The airfield is South Carolina’s largest general aviation airport encompassing 1,400 acres with an economic impact of over $500 million per year.

SCTAC and Its Impact on the Local Economy

SCTAC serves as the home of the SC National Guard and many manufacturing companies including:

• Verdeco
• Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems
• Michelin
• Bosch
• Multi-pack
• 3M
• Cisco

Donaldson Center Airport has also served as home to Lockheed Martin Aerospace for 35 years. Over the last three decades, the Greenville, SC aerospace facility has produced over 3,000 military aircraft. Currently, the Greenville Operations Center provides nose-to-tail manufacturing for the F-16 fighter jet. The F-16 is the most common fixed-wing military aircraft in military service globally. With the production and testing of these aircraft, Greenville has maintained the feel of a military town with fighter jets commonly spotted in the skies.

Flooring Challenges and Solutions for the Donaldson Center Fire Department

While Lockheed does its part to protect our national security, the Donaldson Center Fire Department keeps a close eye on their production and maintenance hangars. The fire department is situated just outside of the perimeter fence overlooking the airfield and runway. Over the years, Liquid Floors has assisted many fire departments with apparatus bay flooring projects. When working with military or airport fire departments, there are many variables that come into play when selecting a resinous floor coating. Mainly these departments require specialized equipment to provide effective response times when protecting aircraft and passengers. These trucks are large and can weigh 75,000 lbs. or more when fully loaded. To design a functional flooring system, these heavy loads and impact resistance must be taken into consideration. Fire station floors also receive UV light exposure from bay doors that are mostly open when conditions permit. If a basic epoxy floor system is applied, the lifespan of the floor will be drastically shortened and can yellow over time due to the UV light exposure. Fire departments and emergency vehicle bays are heavy-duty environments, and flooring applicators should always keep this in mind.

Preparation and Installation of the Flooring System

When beginning any industrial flooring project, floor prep is a key component of a successful project. The Donaldson Center Fire Department had not received a floor coating in many years. Much of the floor had erosion and spalling present. Diamond grinding is not ideal for concrete in this condition, and shotblasting was our chosen prep method. Shotblasting concrete is also more effective at cleaning and preparing eroded areas that a planetary diamond grinder cannot reach. Shotblasting the slab also creates the ideal surface profile for urethane mortar to be applied. We selected a ProRez ProKrete as the base for a couple of reasons. Moisture tolerance and impact resistance were concerns in the apparatus bays, and urethane cement is incredibly durable under these conditions. The floor was primed with ProKrete TF, then an overlay of Prokrete SF was applied at ¼”. Once the product is fully cured, the team sanded the floor before the application of Propoxy at 20 mils as a pigmented grout coat. Finally, Prothane was rolled down as a pigmented topcoat. Selecting a UV stable, or aliphatic, topcoat is an important step for lasting results. Non-UV stable aromatic coatings can darken or yellow in as little as two weeks. When your goal is to operate in a world-class environment, the appearance of your floor plays a huge part in this. With most of the floor’s expense being in concrete preparation, and the durable mortar overlay, picking a cheap finish coat can ruin the result. The matte finish urethane topcoat will give the fire station a beautiful appearance for years to come. It will also be easy to clean and keep dry with the assistance of their auto scrubber.

Contact Us for Expert Flooring Solutions

For more information on this flooring system or assistance with your upcoming project, contact Liquid Floors. Our team is ready to assist you with coating specifications, concrete moisture testing, or site evaluations of your concrete floor. For over 20 years, we have been a trusted resource in the epoxy flooring and concrete polishing industry.

Contributed by James Eller – Sales Manager Liquid Floors