Ecodur 201: Coating Flea Market Stalls

One form of traditional retailing that is surviving and thriving despite the explosive surge of sales on the Internet is the flea market. The US has hundreds of flea markets all over the country and some even attract tourists from as far away as Japan and are listed in leading travel publications. The Internet simply cannot provide the touchy-feely experience or the frisson of excitement at spotting a bargain while other bargain hunters are milling around.

Some flea markets have become more sophisticated than simply makeshift stalls or goods laid out on the ground. One such operation is Barnyard Flea Markets. For over 20 years, the Barnyard has aimed at providing a friendly atmosphere for hundreds thousands of shoppers at its South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia venues.

Each Barnyard market showcases over 500 vendor spaces offering more items than you can imagine and plenty of bargains. Barnyard also provides paved parking, wide aisles, clean centrally located restrooms, restaurants and snack bars.

Problem
All the high traffic had damaged the concrete in five stalls at one South Carolina location. The damage included some serious cracking. The client wanted a quick, practical coating solution that would provide not only long term protection but would be non-toxic and not cause problems with fumes either during application or in the weeks following the application. It was also high summer which can be severely challenging for many conventional epoxy coatings especially when it comes to filling deep cracks.

Solution
Ecodur 201M is ideal for treating concrete. Aside from having double the adhesion/ ‘grip’ compared to conventional epoxy coatings, it is also free of Volatile Organic Compounds, BPA-free, odorless, completely non-toxic and does not use solvents at any stage. Solvent disposal is very expensive and highly regulated in the US.

Ecodur’s antecedent history shows that it has performed extremely well on concrete in high traffic areas such as car parks for over 20 years. With its recent history as coating protection in frac tanks, it also demonstrates how robust it is against harsh chemicals.

In this case it was particularly important that it not only covered the surfaces, but also penetrated deep cracks and provided a permanent seal. Ecodur’s retained flexibility for the entire coating life, coupled with the fact it will also re-bond to itself for the coating’s lifespan, makes it an ideal solution for high traffic areas that may need minor remediation if physical damage occurs.

Application Results
After normal surface preparation by power washing and drying, Ecodur was applied manually to a depth of between 30 to 50 mls. The ambient conditions were dry but hot and this was not a problem because of Ecodur’s very wide temperature application range. The coating started cooking off after about 30 minutes and full cure was achieved at the 24-hour mark when a formal inspection was carried out satisfactorily and the site handed over for full use.

The client expressed satisfaction that the project had been carried out with minimum impact both at the time of application but also afterwards as there were no unpleasant fumes that are often associated with conventional epoxy coatings. The coating’s green credentials were also a satisfaction factor as the main ingredients are vegetable oil and the commonly found mineral gypsum.