December 1969, the acrylic decorative coating was worn through and the floor was gritty and dirty.

Test of Brush-On Epoxy Coating with Sand Filler and of Abrasive
Sheet Vinyl

The

In December 1969, the above corridor floor was cleaned thoroughly with
alkaline detergent, rinsed with clear water, and sanded lightly. After
sweeping, the entrance way from the outside door to about 4 feet inside
the corridor was covered with abrasive sheet vinyl, using latex adhesive.
The abrasive sheet vinyl is 0.100 inch thick, comes in rolls 6 feet
wide, and consists of about 25 percent aluminum oxide abrasive in a matrix
of a vinyl composition which consists of about 70 percent vinyl resin
and 30 percent plasticizer. Information about the composition was
obtained from measurements and analyses in our laboratories.
remaining area, about 6 feet square, was covered with a brush-on epoxy
coating. The epoxy coating was brushed on in 2-foot wide strips and
fine colored mineral aggregate was sprinkled over the wet barrier coat,
covering the same. The next day the surface was swept and sanded lightly.
After sweeping again, the surface was coated with two applications of
clear polyurethane glaze. After seven months service, late July 1970,
the abrasive sheet vinyl was dirty, damaged somewhat by cigarette burns,
and disfigured with chewing gum, but had a fairly good appearance other-
wise. It was not worn or scratched, and adhesion was good.
The epoxy
surfacing was dirty and stained but not worn appreciably. After more than
a year service, in February 1971, the corridor was inspected again and
the dirty floor was cleaned with water and a mop. The abrasive sheet
vinyl material appeared to be in satisfactory condition except for
numerous cigarette burns all over the area. The epoxy surfacing was
stained and dirty but was not worn. The bond was excellent even at the
edge where it was feathered to the exposed bare concrete.

B.b. Test of Acrylic Floor Finish and Abrasive Sheet Vinyl in Army
Commissary, 1969-1970

The test was performed in the sales area in an Army commissary, which was covered with about 35,000 sq. ft. of vinyl asbestos tile. The tile was damaged by fork lift trucks which move merchandise from the

receiving room to the sales area. The trucks left black and scuffed skid marks on the tile. The tiles were worn out at the entrance to the sales area leading to the receiving room and loading platform. Some of the tile in the aisles of the sales area were gouged, dirty, scratched, and could not be cleaned properly. The black marks could be removed with mineral spirits and steel wool but the gouges remained.

An attempt was made to restore and protect an area in one of the aisles of the sales area with three coats of acrylic emulsion floor finish. The floor was cleaned carefully with alkaline detergent and rinsed with water before applying the finish. After a week the treated areas looked just as bad as the rest of the floor.

Abrasive sheet vinyl, as in 5.1, was laid in the entrance to the sales area leading to the receiving room. After a week, the abrasive vinyl was torn, dirty, and scuffed. After scrubbing the abrasive vinyl with steel wool and mineral spirits, the dirt and black marks were removed but the surface was dull all over, torn, cracked in one place, and scuffed and "burned" places were observed. The fork lift truck tires actually "burned" or melted places in the abrasive vinyl as they did with the vinyl asbestos tile.

B.c. Test of Resilient Tiles in Computer Facility, 1967-1972

A test of resilient floor tiles was performed in front of the counter, partition, and swinging doors of a computer facility. The area behind the counter, partition, and swinging doors is occupied by the equipment and staff of the facility. The test area is illustrated in Figure I. In Figure I, the access panels covered with test tiles are numbered and the test tiles are indicated by letters A through E. The original tile corresponds to letter A. The 2-foot square access panels, covered with 12-inch square vinyl tiles were installed in May 1967. After two years of service, the tile appeared scratched and scuffed and were somewhat hard to clean. Following is a table of the kinds of resilient tiles used in the test area and the dates of the installation:

The resilient tiles were examined periodically and the appearance after each examination is recorded in the following tables:

A

B

Appearance of Tiles, April 1972

a. Observations at Eye Level

Close-Up Appearance

Numerous scratches

and scuffs

A few mars and scuffs,

numerous scratches

Some scratches;
marble chips gone in
two places; dull

appearance near counter

Numerous scratches and scuffs

Some scuffs and fine
scratches

Numerous mars and scratches; same appearance at all positions. Numerous fine scratches; long black mark in No. 2 position, next to counter.

с

Shiny and clean.

However, in No. 3 position, next to counter, appearance was much lighter at the edge of the panel next to the counter, indicating darkening in traffic areas.

Scratches and mars all over; about the same as A; same appearance
at all positions.

Mostly shiny and clean but a few mars, one black mark, and
one piece of adhering chewing gum.

b. Close-Up Observations

Numerous mars and scratches; scratches practically cover the
entire surface; overall dull appearance; same appearance at
all positions.

Fine scratches and dull all over; traffic pattern and obviously
worn streaks at No. 2 and No. 4 positions, next to counter.
Some dirty places at No. 8 position, next to swinging doors.
No. 14 position, away from counter: Overall good appearance
but slightly dull; some chipping of tile at edges of panel.
No. 3 position, next to counter: Fine scratches and dull over
most of the panel in marked contrast to edge near counter,
which was shiny and clean.