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A
Korean War-era machine tool plant was closed and out of
business. The State of Wisconsin had taken ownership of
the abandoned facility. Jobs had been lost; the property
taxes were off the City of West Allis’s books. What
was to be done?
In 1994, QuadGraphics, of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, purchased
the property and converted the old factory into a modern
color printing and binding facility. The first step of
conversion had to be the floors. This step was a big one;
the 613,000 square ft of this more than 50 year-old facility
had 8 in.-thick concrete floors surfaced with 2 1/4 in.
thick, 3 x 5 in. wood block set in mastic. In addition,
there were large pits where production machinery had operated
since the 1950s.
The pits had to be filled, the wood block removed and
the floor changed to a flat, non-dusting, wear resistant
surface suitable for a modern high production printing
plant. Inspection by the owner’s engineers found
the floor was structurally sound. However, test cores
taken from the floor revealed 40 years of machine tool
production had left much of the concrete floor oil saturated.
Experienced concrete repair contractors know installation
of bonded toppings can be chancy. Installing a bonded
topping over an oil saturated concrete base would be a
world-class challenge. The solution was a unique combination
of surface preparation, chemical and mechanical bonding
materials/methods, concrete design and logistical planning.
Eleven years later the floor is meeting the demands of
twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week operation.
Except for a few slightly worn joint areas, the floor
has required no repair. The maintenance needs, just regular
cleaning, have not changed since the floor was placed
in service.
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Owner
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore, Maryland
Project Engineer/
Designer
Kann & Associates
Baltimore, Maryland
Repair Contractor
Watts Restoration, Inc.
Croydon, Pennsylvania
Material Suppliers/
Manufacturers
Cathedral Stone
Products, Inc.
Hanover, Maryland
Tom Brown, Inc.
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
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