Gulf Construction Online - Sika floors the market with green coatings

Chemicals in Construction

Sika Secure ... versatile total flooring solution.

Sika floors the market with green coatings

01 September 2016

Global building products manufacturer Sika has launched a number of products for flooring and roofing that include environment-friendly coatings, fast curing primers and screed solutions.

Among such products is Sikagard, a new range of high-performance, ultra-low emissions wall coatings which, according to Sika, provides “the simplest and most effective method of achieving a seamless surface when exceptional hygiene is paramount”.

Designed for the most demanding hygienic environments including hospitals, pharmaceutical laboratories, food and beverage production facilities, the Sikagard range is said to provide far more than traditional paints, with exceptional durability and enhanced resistance to cracking.

“The new Sikagard 400 range reinforces our position as an innovator and market leader,” says Mark Gatrell, research and development manager at Sika. “In demanding hygiene environments like operating theatres, standard paints are no match for this new range of specifically developed hygienic coatings.”

For the installer, Sikagard offers easy application by brush, roller or spray-applied systems. This water-based, low-odour solution is fast drying offering the ability to apply two coats in one working day. Compatible with most common substrates, once applied it offers good resistance to repeated cleaning regimes. With good air quality being a vital consideration in any indoor environment, Sikagard offers ultra-low emissions. With over 97 per cent reduction in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the product has an A+ rating, according to a leading European labelling scheme, which is significantly ahead of any Europe-wide requirements, says Gatrell.

In applications which may require enhanced impact resistance, the Sikagard hygiene coatings can be reinforced with Sika Reemat glassfibre matting which is available in two grades – Sika Reemat Lite and Sika Reemat Premium. The material is easily incorporated into the Sikagard systems which, once cured, provide a high-performance, seamless finish that is both highly durable and aesthetically pleasing. Sikagard is available in a wide spectrum of colours, thus offering aesthetic flexibility and design adaptability to match any project needs.

Fast-curing primer

Meanwhile, its subsidiary Sika-Trocal has launched a new spray-applied primer which dries almost instantly, speeding up the installation of Trocal’s S-Vap 5000E SA and the new S-Vap 4000E SA FR by up to 50 per cent and helping to significantly reduce time and costs on site.

Primer 610 has been specifically developed to attain superb bonding strength, whilst being quick and easy to apply. The primer comes in a 19.66-kg pressurised canister that covers approximately 180 to 200 sq m.

Primer 610 ... latest primer in the Sika-Trocal range.

The tooling includes a unique long-life rubber hose that requires virtually no flushing through. Its speedy application is enhanced by using two nozzles – one on the applicator gun and the other immersed in a solvent tin.

S-Vap 4000E SA FR consists of a polymer-modified bitumen with a glassfibre mat reinforcement and an aluminium foil as top layer; its simple and quick installation is due to it being self-adhesive. Ideal for a range of substrates, it can be used as temporary waterproofing for up to four weeks during the construction phase until the Sika-Trocal roof system is required to be completed.

The Sika-Trocal insulation is then mechanically attached through the S-Vap 4000E SA FR and the appropriate Sika-Trocal membrane finishes the system. S-Vap 4000E SA FR then acts as a high-performance vapour control layer.

S-Vap 5000E SA FR and Primer 610 are the latest high-quality, cost-effective additions to Sika Trocal’s exemplary roofing range.

Secure flooring solution

Sika provides specifiers and contractors with a complete flooring system no matter what the application. Designed to meet the functional and aesthetic needs of the most challenging and demanding environments, the Sika Secure range comprises more than 100 products, including a new series of Sika Screed solutions, which together provide an even more versatile total flooring solution.

Used in conjunction with Sika’s flooring range, the new Sika Screeds enable the company to become one of the select few manufacturers to offer a total floor specification solution backed up with a single guarantee for total build up.

With five different new self-levelling compounds and three primers, allied to the rest of the comprehensive Sika range, there is now a Sika cementitious flooring solution for every type of non-industrial project – from homes to offices, schools and healthcare premises.

Furthermore, the company also offers a substrate for all the popular types of floor finish, including parquet, vinyl, linoleum and LVT or resin flooring.

Sarah James, marketing manager, Sika Flooring, says: “Our new Sika Screed solutions will make every floor Sika Secure, and will ensure contractors can come to Sika for the complete flooring package. This single point of contact means that Sika can provide each element of a flooring system.”

The Sika Secure range utilises the best available technologies, including liquid-applied soft resin flooring systems, SikaFloor epoxy and polyurethane systems, polyurethane mortars of the PurCem range and the seamless Sika ComfortFloor for commercial and public building areas, all setting industry standards for quality and durability.

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing and protecting in the building sector and the motor vehicle industry.