Parliament House Canberra – Kitchen Refurbishment

The iconic Parliament House in Canberra ACT, required significant upgrades to all kitchen facilities. As the region’s leading technical resource for concrete repair and epoxy solutions CE Construction Solutions played a critical role in design solutions, material supply and technical support for this prestigious kitchen. The project included demolition of the existing kitchens, layout changes and installation of new equipment and finishes throughout. An expert team involving Coffey Projects, ISIS and Guida Moseley Brown worked with the client, the Department of Parliamentary Services, to deliver this high profile project.

The entire flooring system and integral coving were installed by ACT Concrete Restoration using EpiMax Floor Protection Systems.

ARE ALL EPOXIES THE SAME? HELL NO!

What needs to be considered in the selection of a Commercial Kitchen Floor Protection System?

INHERENTLY FOOD SAFE

All floor and wall protection systems must be inherently food safe and chemically inert. They must not support microbial activity or taint food stuffs.

CONTAMINATION PREVENTION – SEAMLESS CONTINUITY

Cleaning and sanitising eliminates contamination. For this to be effective, floors should be seamless, mechanically strong, and chemically and microbially inert. Over time, kitchen floors and walls can become eroded, cracked, decomposed and unhygienic. These surfaces are more difficult to clean or sanitize, and may no longer be safe. New standards specify the finish requirements, so care should be exercised in selecting protection systems.

SAFETY UNDER FOOT BUT STILL EASY TO CLEAN

Standards specify the slip factors for various environments. But are they easy to clean? New systems are available that offer both.

DESIGN LIFE – BUDGET COMPLIANCE

The first important question to ask when selecting a food and beverage protection system is – What is the required design life – 2, 5, 10 or 20 years? And, is frequent or regular maintenance feasible? It is virtually impossible to keep any concrete structure from cracking. Without proper protection, these cracks become the routes through which moisture, food, bacteria and other chemicals can begin the degradation process on concrete remarkably quickly. The specification must meet the agreed design life and the intended maintenance-free period.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION CHARACTERISTICS

The particular needs of the structure including the practical aspects of access and application are important considerations in any project. EpiMax supplies protection systems that can be applied by spray or roller in thicknesses of 150 – 3000 microns per pass. Trowel applied systems can achieve 75 mm thickness. These systems are also self-priming.

CHEMICAL AND MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE

The chemical and mechanical performance requirements including impact and abrasion resistance must be addressed. Any protection system applied to concrete must exhibit excellent adhesion and have a bond strength that exceeds the tensile strength of concrete.

SUSTAINABILITY – WHOLE OF LIFE

Sustainability is related to the quality of life in a community — whether the economic, social and environmental systems that make up the community are providing a healthy, productive, meaningful life for all community residents, present and future. With regard to concrete protection systems, sustainability should consider the “whole product life cycle”. This includes production, application, service life and disposal. Volatile Organic Content (VOC) is an important measure of a flooring system’s environmental impact. Our products meet or exceed the requirements of IEQ.13.1, Green Star Office Interiors, and Indoor Environment Quality. A low VOC level is not all that is required to make a coating sustainable. The arithmetic of the application and the durability is very important. If the system lasts longer, it’s even better. Underperforming systems will always have greater environmental impact due to re-installation costs (surface preparation grinding energy, disposal and then the impact of the re-application itself).

To ensure you are specifying and using the right epoxy floor system for your project, speak with the team at CE Construction Solutions today. With over 40 years’ experience in epoxy flooring systems we can ensure you are speaking to the right people and getting the right solution. (02) 6280 6010 or info@cecsgroup.com.au