Tag: UV

Commercial Painting Solutions for Retail Stores

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Big-box stores are huge structures with equally-sized maintenance challenges. Each Wal-Mart or Target store that operates in nearly every town in the country has a team of maintenance crew with their hands full of maintenance challenges. With floor-to-ceiling merchandise and a mecca of shoppers filling up the facility every day, the difficulties mount up. A subset of maintenance issues that the crew has to tackle pertains to the facility’s commercial painting system.

Waterproofing the Retail Store

Perhaps the single most important issue that big-box stores have to deal with is water intrusion. The commercial painting system provides a line of waterproofing defense. If water enters the facility but not addressed and managed in time, waterproofing failure is inevitable with costly consequences.

Commercial painting contractors cannot ignore the potent power of water to bring damage to the facility. They understand how it travels outside and within the building and asses its diffusion and reaction to surrounding conditions. Since vapor always moves from humid inner areas to lower- humidity exteriors, they install commercial painting solutions that provide appropriate insulation and prevent condensation. When condensation occurs and wets surfaces over improperly coated or non-coated surfaces it can cause rust, corrosion, and contamination to the facility.,.

Waterproofing solutions for the superstore are often laid out early in construction. The commercial painting system installed at this time is very carefully designed to factor in the amount of water that will be present in freshly-poured and hardened concrete blocks. Cement slabs must be totally water-free prior to waterproofing installation.

Aesthetics for the Big-Box Store

Big box retail stores need commercial painting systems to provide the much-needed aesthetics and improve the look of the building. Time-driven deterioration can erode the building’s coating systems, making it lose its clean and beautiful appearance.

The coatings maintenance team often evaluates coatings products as to their performance when exposed to store-specific damage agents. They rely on the MSDS which is a product of laboratory testing done for the formulation. The tests expose the product to weather, UV, condensation, fog, corrosion and other elements, and assess the changes in paint texture, color, and glossiness.

Contractors are better informed in their coatings selection, accurately zeroing in on the best replacement for damaged coating systems. The new commercial painting system removes the peeled, chalked or blistered look of facility substrates, restoring appearance.

Retail Store Corrosion Problems

Retail stores are not spared corrosion-wrought damages and require corrosion protection like any regular building. Corrosion-resistant commercial painting systems should be installed and inspected regularly. The steel foundations are particularly vulnerable to corrosion. They can oxidize and deteriorate when unchecked. The progressing corrosion can undermine the structural integrity of the building and also make the building look unsightly.

Koi Pond – Liners Vs. Professional Construction

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Why is there so much talk about pond liners? Which ones are UV protected, or stronger, or last longer? I am by no means an expert on liner technology, nor have I ever used them in my 29 years of designing and building waterfalls. If you’re a “liner guy” disciple, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Oh no, here he goes.” To tell the truth, I have been minding by own business for over two decades, just watching, reading and listening to all the “experts.”

I’ve listened to how “pond liners are simple to install,” and “pond liners are inexpensive compared to concrete and steel,” and “pond liners are quick to install.” Or “pond liners last for 50 years,” “pond liners bring higher profits to pond construction and waterfall construction,” and “liners don’t contaminate the water with alkali as does concrete construction.” Yes, I’ve almost sold myself on listening to the facts of the “experts.” Well, not quite, due to a few facts of my own.

So, a pond liner is guaranteed for 40 to 50 years? I would have to agree with that, as long as you leave it in its box the whole time. Too bad a liner manufacturer’s warranty doesn’t include damage from gophers, ground squirrels, chipmunks, rats or mice. Or tree, plant and weed roots. Or from stretching and punctures in the liner due to heavy rocks and other sharp objects. Startling fact: a puncture only the size of a pin hole can cause a pond to lose one drip per second, or 5 gallons in just 24 hours. That’s a pin hole, not a hole made by a pair of buck teeth on a burrowing mammal.

Imagine along with me for a minute: You have spent $350 on a pond design and then $8,000 of your hard-earned money for a pond and waterfall. This water feature is impressive. They dug a big hole, piled up some dirt at one end, draped a large rubber liner over the whole thing, and placed giant boulders all around the fish pond and on the dirt mound. Smaller rocks fill in between the boulder and additional rocks cover the liner in the pond. Now, it’s two years later and you’ve just come home from a two-week vacation to find the pond half empty (or half full, if you’re a positive person).

There must be a leak! How did this happen? Where is it? No problem, you think, I remember the salesman’s pitch: “If you should ever get a leak, just clean off the area around the hole, dry it off, and using the directions enclosed in the patching kit, apply this patching material.” But there’s only one problem: Where is the leak? or leaks? How do I find them? And if I do find them, and I’m successful in patching them up, what’s to keep it from leaking again?

Okay, I’m going to snap my fingers and you’ll wake up: “Snap!” Surprise! That was only a mental exercise with a happy ending. It wasn’t real. Or was it? Yes, it was. The short story you just heard was true. One out of every eight projects we do involves replacing the leaky liner for an angry fish pond/leaky liner owner.

Why am I finally speaking up now, after all these years and waterfalls and fish ponds? Because I’m angry, too! Not at the “liner guy” who sells the pond liners, but at his disciples around the country who are bragging how much money they make in just one or two days. I’m not upset at the fact that they make in two days what takes me six to seven days to make in constructing my fish ponds of rebar and 3000 psi concrete.

My ire stems from having to charge $8,000 to replace a $6,000 liner pond that lasted only two years. (A pond liner with padding didn’t stop a tree root which traveled 25 feet to do its destructive work.) For only an additional 16% in cost, that client could still be enjoying his original pond, stress-free, for his lifetime and that of his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The main features touted by pond liner promoters are simplicity, low cost, quick installation, and extremely high profits. In an article published in his catalog/magazine of liners and accessories, the “liner messiah” has obviously taught his disciples well, as you can read in this excerpt:

“If you hire us to install your pond, you get a choice of buying it with or without a stream. We offer no other choices! The pond we build covers an area of 11 by 16 feet, has a maximum depth of 2 feet, and a beautiful waterfall. We’ll build your pond in one day. The basic pond costs $5,100 and if you want to connect the falls with a stream, you’re looking at an extra $1,000. That’s it. End of story. No mas.”

That’s what Ernie Selles, president of Patio Ponds and disciple of the “liner guy,” said. Another quote from Ernie in the same catalog is, “I get out of bed every morning and look forward to going to work in a way that I never had before.” I noticed he didn’t mention how well he slept.

Let’s do the math on Ernie’s installation. The pond, stream, and waterfall cost is $6,100. The actual retail cost of the kit is only $1,000. $5,100 profit for only one day of labor. Notice: unlike our package, they offer no lights, no autofill, and the pond is only two feet deep. Yet three feet minimum are required for koi fish. A two foot pond affords no protection from predators such as raccoons and herons, and the shallow depth is affected easily by rapid temperature changes, causing undue stress on the pond’s inhabitants. They do not like to construct ponds over two feet deep, because they are more susceptible to cave-ins.

We would build the same pond with a depth ranging from 3 to 3 feet, with no shallows for dining predators. It is constructed of rebar 18 inches on center with a shell of 3000 psi concrete (sidewalks and driveways are typically 2000 psi). This 7 sack, 60% pea with fiber mix is so dense that it’s waterproof. However, we still coat it with ThoroSeal. The pond is equipped with two anti-vortex bottom suction drains, a skimmer to remove surface debris, and an out-of-pond pump that produces 5000 gallons per hour at only 2.6 amps, compared to the liner guy’s pumps which are only 4200 gallons per hour at 7.6 amps – over twice the cost of energy! In addition, you have to pull his heavy cast iron monster pump out of the water to clean out debris.

We would also include a state of the art Aqua Ultraviolet filter and UV light – the best money can buy. The liner guy’s filter needs to be disassembled in order to clean it by hand. The Ultima II filter requires the simple turn of a handle to back flush the debris. This system has been operational in my water features for nine years with no problems. We include an ultraviolet light in our system that kills the bacteria that create smells, kills pathogens that cause disease and algae spores that turn the water green. This light has a wiper arm that cleans the internal lens without the need to open the light.

We also offer an automatic electronic water level control system, the “AquaFill” by Aquamedia Corp.com that keeps the water level of the pond constant. Pond liner installers use floats that are mechanical like the float in a toilet tank. Mechanical fillers can corrode and stick, causing overflows and even poisoning the fish with excess chlorinated water. However, the AquaFill does not stick or corrode.

Not only are all our ponds designed a minimum of three feet deep, we build caves for the turtles and fish to hide in. With pond liner construction, rocks cannot be cemented to the liner and consequently many are loose, creating a hazard if someone were to step on them. Kids will be kids and I promise they will eventually be running up and down the falls. We have no loose rock because they are all cemented in place with Aquamedia Mortar Mix, which is not only three times stronger than regular mortar, it is very dense. As a result, alkali will not leach out into the water and create a pH problem. Regular mortar mix is porous and water passes through the joints of the rock, carrying with it cement residue. This in turn creates stain trails high in pH, easily poisoning the fish.

In conclusion, as an educated customer, would you pay $6,100 for a rubber pond liner or spend the same amount or a little more to get a shell made of concrete and steel that not only would never leak, but would last for decades. So what are we as contractors looking for? Exorbitant profits or peace of mind with long-term, happy clients?

It is more enjoyable for me to get a call eight years down the road from a content client than to get a complaint of a leaky pond. What does the “liner guy” disciple say? “Sorry, we only have a one year warranty”? Or do they go back and remove all the rocks, pull out the pond liner, clean it, repair the leaks, and replace all the rocks and equipment at no cost? Liners or professional installations?

If you say pond liners are professionally installed, then why is the very same liner kit sold to homeowners and do-it-yourselfers? The reason is, it doesn’t take an experienced professional to install one.

All you need is “a garden hose and a shovel”!

Look before you leap, and ponder before you weep. Happy koi, peace and joy.

Unusual Franchise Opportunities – Funny Business

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The most unusual franchise opportunity that I have come across specialises in cleaning mattresses! They have turned this business into an art form. The way I clean my mattresses is by taking them out on a cold day and hitting them with a hard brush. The brush dislodges all the loose material whilst the cold kills any bed bugs.

This franchise has all the specialist equipment needed including hi powered cleaners, UV radiation equipment and specialist hygiene sprays. They claim that a properly cleaned mattress will also reduce many allergies. It can also help in reducing Asthma attacks by removing dust & tiny skin particles from the mattress and thereby reducing the amount of dust in the air. If you are scared of bed bugs or creepy crawlies then this franchise opportunity is not right for you!

Another franchise that I found unusual was a window cleaning franchise – why would any one buy this type of franchise? Surely all you need is a van, a decent ladder, some cleaning material and you are ready? Not all window cleaners are the same

This window cleaning franchise I looked at can also clear your gutters, decks and fences, roofs, patios and a whole lot more. Their aim is to make what was simply window cleaning turn into a full time business opportunity offering a wide variety of cleaning functions.

All their franchisees are insured specially for the job and use special cleaning solutions to get rid of the dirt and grime as efficiently as possible! They have high pressure washers and use “high tech” ladders and all the safety equipment that you can think of. Not one for people who are scared of heights!

I found an even more unusual franchise that specialises in bird feeding and watching. They find a great location near a busy road which is renowned for the different types of birds that visit the area and create a business which specialises in displays and merchandise for bird watchers. According to their marketing material bird feeding & watching is a 4.7 billion dollar industry!

There is a retail chain franchise in the USA that specialises in cigars, pies and other gifts for the smoker. I don’t know how this will fare in today’s environment where it’s getting more and more difficult to smoke in planes, trains, cafes, bars and shopping molls! This would be an ideal business for someone who loves his pipes!

There are many franchise opportunities available today and some of the more unusual franchises can also be the most lucrative as the standard types of franchise businesses usually have a lot of competition. It is also important to get into a business that you enjoy and one which suits your lifestyle.

By investing in a franchise you are taking the gamble out of starting a business as you are buying into a business model that has already been proven to be successful. Just make sure that the franchise you choose is in a niche that you will enjoy.

Always ensure that you get the best possible advice from experts in the field of franchising before you buy a franchise.

How Caulks And Sealants Are Used In The Modern-day Construction Industry

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A trip to your local home improvement store can be an overwhelming experience for the average person, especially if you’re trying to figure out which caulks and sealants to use for your exterior home improvement project. Unlike the interior, the exterior faces high UV exposure, extreme temperatures and the requirement to stay 100% waterproof.

When you’re dealing with silicone caulks, you have a non-paintable surface, with poor UV performance. Although water based and latex caulks have good paintability, they also have high shrinkage, poor elasticity and poor UV performance. Synthetic-rubber (polyurethane) sealants and tri-polymer sealants (silyl terminated polyether sealants) can do it all: paintable, great moisture sealing, no or low shrinkage, and very good UV resistance. Many are also pre-tinted in popular colors. These include the popular NP1 (polyurethane sealant), Sonolastic 150 VLM, and Novalink sealants.

All of these sealant and caulk materials are heavily advertised and marketed with super flashy packaging, labels and all kinds of fancy logos. If you’re looking for a high performance caulk or high performance sealant, you can literally be confronted with hundreds of brands and companies that claim to have the best product for your needs. So what can you do, when you are bombarded with all kinds of choices?

Each brand of caulk generally has its own special and unique qualities. Although, it is in your best interest to read all of the labels and also follow the company specifications, for the use of the caulk and sealant, the very thing you want to know may not be found on the labels of the containers at all! Many of the best products are architectural / commercial grade and not generally available to the public.

Sealant was originated through the needs for exterior finishing in the home building industry. Caulk was originally a term that was used to describe the sealant material used to build boats. Many companies and manufacturers these days are using caulk as an all-purpose word to describe paintable interior grade products. Sealants by definition have at least /-25% elongation capability over a long-term period and are UV resistant. Advanced sealants are 100% solids and offer up to 100% elongation.

Most of the general public use caulk and sealant interchangeably to serve the same basic purpose, which is to fill gaps between building materials and to shield materials from air and water.

Although sealants and caulk work the same basic manner, they both also fail for the same basic reasons. There are three major types of caulk failures that you will encounter. These are substrate, cohesive, and adhesive. The bond that is put between the substrate and the caulk can actually fail, making the caulk tear and break down. Caulked joint problems are also very common and are usually due to the substrate not being effectively prepared or using the wrong product all together.

So, before you choose a certain kind of product, you want to really think about how you will be using it and for what purpose. You will also want to consider the area or location you are going to apply the caulk or sealant.

For example, if your intent is to seal the area around the base of a toilet, sink, bathtub or shower, it will be imperative that you purchase a product that both mildew-resistant and durable enough to survive scrubbing and chemical cleaning. If your intent is going to be to use sealant or caulk between wood clapboards and vinyl windows, then you’ll need to purchase a product that is able to bond very well to both types of materials and is weather resistant.

You will also want to keep humidity, temperature and moisture in mind when you are shopping for caulk or sealant. Water-based caulks not recommended for outdoor projects, because these products do not withstand the hot-to-cold and cold-to-hot weather changes, as well as other harsh weather situations. If you are living in an area that is below 50F during the time you need to apply sealant, then you’ll probably want to use a silicone sealant, instead of polyurethanes, because polyurethanes are very difficult to apply in chilly conditions.

Other Applications: For sealing skylights, glass domes, greenhouses and such, Sonolastic Clear 25 is a popular product. For Kynar or siliconized paint finished metal roofs, a special sealant formulated to seal to these surfaces is a must. Products such as Duralink are popular. For repair of swimming pool tile grout lines, polyurethane sealants are excellent. Products like Ultra provide a very durable seal, which can survive in areas where grouts fail quickly. Ultra is also used as a pickproof sealant in security applications.

To the delight of many, who prefer the do-it-yourself project, certain caulks and sealants can be color-matched to paints, tiles, grout, wallpaper and even carpeting. The beauty of these products is that they can be color-matched while they are still in the product tube. NP1 is also available in many popular pre-formulated colors. Any good home building products store will be able to help you color-match your caulk and sealant to your desired color. Once the caulk has cured, then it will precisely match the color you were seeking to acquire.

In summary, let’s review your options again:

1. Water-based caulks are the easiest to work with. They have a smooth, thin and consistent flow, and they are easy to apply with almost any tool. These products cure quickly, have very little odor, and the clean up is easy with water.

2. Silicone caulks and sealants are good for interior or exterior areas, which will not be painted and are good for areas that will be exposed to extremely cold weather, certain metals, and glass. Silicone materials do not repair well (nothing wants to stick to cured silicone material, not even more silicone)

3. Synthetic rubber sealant is best used for areas with high movement and dissimilar materials. These materials can be painted and are designed for long-term exterior exposure. There is also less chance that the synthetic rubber bond will break during movement. Common applications are roof tile repairs, roof moldings, and roof to wall sealing, window frame sealants, and doorsill sealant.

4. Self Leveling Expansion Joint Sealant, such as SL1 and SL2, are used to fill and seal the expansion joint gaps in concrete and driveways.

5. Tri-Polyimer sealants, such as Sonolastic 150VLM are the next generation. Although somewhat more expensive, they offer superior exterior performance.

6. New Hybrid products are available that defy all classifications. Using these kinds of sealants can yield a lot of surprises, so be sure to read the instructions carefully. Some of these products tend to expand upon drying, so it is best to test them out in an inconspicuous location before actually using them on your project.

Print this article and take it with you when you are shopping for caulk and sealant. Review it and then follow any instructions on the containers of the products you buy. It is our hope that this quick tutorial will help provide some clarity on exactly what products you should buy for your home improvement or home construction project.

Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

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Today people are getting more interested in making energy-efficient houses for many different reasons but ultimately to save money. There is one thing that has stopped many people from making their house more energy-efficient. They wonder if doing it will cost them too much money which would defeat the purpose in the first place.

Sure, if youre planning to install a solar water heater or rebuild your house to be more environment-friendly, you can take out your wallet and make sure therere no holes inside, but really, making your house energy efficient is neither too expensive, nor too time-consuming.

In fact, some simple steps that you can take will easily do the job for you.

Turn off lights and fans/A/Cs when youre not in the room.
Set youre A/C temperature at 78 fahrenheit. That is cool enough to keep you comfortable. Keep it at a temperature that wont use up too much electricity. Also, if the weather outside is pleasant, opt to open a window rather than turning on the A/C.
Plant trees and shrubs outside your house. Another thing you can do is to extend your window sill on whichever side youre more comfortable with, and place pots there.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs. CFLs are not only more energy-efficient, they also last longer. In fact, CFLs are so energy-efficient that if you leave the room for short periods of time, leaving the light on will consume less energy than turning it off. Sometimes, however, people are not comfortable with the light that CFLs give out. In such cases, just remember that yellow light takes up a lot more energy than white light, and that tube lights are also a healthier option than bulbs.
Make sure your walls are properly insulated. This prevents the heat outside from filtering in on hot days, and the heat from inside filtering out during winter. If your house has no wall insulation, blown-in insulation will help save enough energy to be cost-effective.
If you are changing your windows, consider replacing them with energy-efficient models. If replacing your windows is not an option, consider installing a UV blocking window film.
Repair all leaking faucets and pipes. This should save you quite some water. Remember to turn off the tap when youre brushing your teeth or washing dishes, etc. Also, install energy efficient shower heads.
Make sure your air conditioner is always running at peak efficiency. Clean air filters at least once a month; dirty filters consume a lot of energy.
And lastly, schedule an energy audit for expert advice on your home. Conduct a home energy audit to determine the largest savings potential for your house. You can either conduct one yourself, or call an independent auditor for a more detailed examination.

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