Due to an unfortunate series of events, the United States has seen a rising amount of protesting and rioting. Along with these protests, there have been various levels of unrest, including destruction of property and the looting of products. When the dust settles and the damage becomes prevalent, renovations must be made to return to “business as usual.”

• Located in the heart of Boston, high-end boutique Riccardi was damaged during a riot that occurred on May 31, 2020.
• Specializing in high-end designer merchandise, this innovative business has been successfully operating for nearly 40 years!
• At approximately 1,100 square feet, the existing floor was to be removed. Following removal, this area required a self-leveler in order provide a reinforced substrate and to transition to the existing stone floor
• Following installation of the self-leveler, New England Floor & Wall recommended the installation of a high performance metallic epoxy floor.
• After the design was picked, New England Floor & Wall was given the okay to begin.
• Using notable metallic vendor Elite Crete Systems, New England Floor & Wall built a custom high performance metallic epoxy floor which consisted of:
  • A self-leveler that ranged from 0-3/8”
  • A combination of amorphous silica and epoxy to eliminate small holes and cracks, as well as bridging the height difference between existing tiles and the floor to be installed
  • A pigmented epoxy primer
  • A thick epoxy body coat that includes the decorative metallic pigment
  • A high performance urethane topcoat

With over 30 years of flooring experience, New England Floor & Wall provides industrial coatings, resinous flooring, concrete polishing, vapor mitigation, floor preparation and more in areas including:

• Massachusetts
• Connecticut
• Rhode Island
• New Hampshire
• Vermont
• Maine
• New York

High End Boutique Metallic Epoxy Flooring Riccardi Case Study

Customer: Non-Profit Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Facilities

Customer Locations: Holyoke, MA and Springfield, MA

Scope of Work: A renovation of two existing facility bathrooms

With little guidelines, New England Floor & Wall received the job of renovating patient restrooms in two of the local rehabilitation facilities. The customer requested that the existing mosaic tile flooring was to remain in each area to eliminate excessive noise and construction debris. With this in mind, NFW recommended installing a self-leveling urethane flooring system with a decorative flake broadcast.

Urethane Flooring Holyoke Process

• Mobilize preparation of the existing substrate in two locations
  • Existing mosaic tiles prepared using diamond abrasives, removing any contaminants, as well as the glaze of the tiles
  • Shower beds in both areas pitched away from the wall to eliminate any pooling under the finished showers
  • Various other regions required additional pitching to ensure there would be no pooling against the walls
• Install ships cove to eradicate the risk of water traveling further, leaving room to re-install shower beds and vanities
• Hand grinders used on all edges and areas too small for surface preparation with an industrial floor grinder.
• Metal fixtures had to be set and “built” before the installation of the epoxy mortar, which allows the flooring system to be flush with the final coat
• All areas that NFW had installed pitch to were then prepared with diamond abrasives to ensure a flat surface before flooring installation
• Once completed, NFW performed a final vacuum before flooring system installation was mobilized
• Install self-leveling urethane mortar flooring system – This system had decorative vinyl chip broadcast until the floor rejected additional chips
• This process produces aesthetically pleasing and durable flooring while providing a slip-resistant surface

Case Study Conclusion:

New England Floor & Wall completed the task of finishing the Holyoke urethane flooring for the bathrooms at the drug and rehab medical facility in just three days, allowing the owner to continue along with their schedule with no hiccups.

Customer Name: Mauro’s Cafe, Walker Development

Customer Location: 372 Union Street Ashland, Massachusetts

Customer Needs: A serious renovation of the back-end of a soon-to-be cafe

Under a strict deadline, New England Floor & Wall was tasked to install a food-grade flooring system over an existing floor that had seen better days. Along with the installation of the floor, NFW was requested to renovate the integral cove base to meet FDA regulations. Given these parameters, NFW recommended a self-leveling urethane flooring system.

Scope of Work:

• Mobilize preparation of the existing substrate
  • Existing quarry tiles were flashed with crack filler prior to preparation
  • Approximately 275 square feet of removed quarry tiles were in-filled with 100% solids epoxy mortar material to eliminate any elevation deviations that would have remained in the floor
• Diamond grind entire floor with an industrial floor grinder
• All edges and areas too small to be prepared with an industrial floor grinder were completed using hand grinders
• All drains and metal grate houses had to be set and “built” prior to the installation of the epoxy mortar, which allows the flooring system to be flush with the final coat
• Install ships cove base around existing quarry tile to eliminate the fear of water traveling
• Once completed, NFW performed a final vacuum before flooring system installation was mobilized
• Install self-leveling urethane mortar
  • This step had silica sand broadcast until the floor rejected additional sand
    • This process increases the strength of the floor while providing a slip-resistant surface
  • Install a 100% solids epoxy seal coat

Conclusion:

With less than a week to have the project completed, New England Floor & Wall successfully completed the task of finishing in just three days, allowing the contractor to continue along with their schedule with no hiccups.

Customer Name: Harriman & West Airport
Customer Location: North Adams, Massachusetts
Customer Needs: A decorative floor that is able to reduce fatigue by being “soft,” with the abilities to withstand the rigors of a public airport

With a last-minute change in trades, New England Floor & Wall was given the opportunity to install this beautiful decorative quartz floor, embedded in an elastomeric epoxy system from General Polymers. This system allows for the durability of a traditional epoxy flooring system, while still giving many of the same characteristics of flexible properties in polyurethane elastomers.

Scope of Work:

• Mobilize preparation of poured concrete
• All cracks, spalls, and deviations were repaired
• A double expansion joint was pre-packed with 100% solids epoxy mortar material
• These areas were marked for re-opening and filling after completion of the floor
• Diamond grind entire floor with an industrial floor grinder
• All edges and areas too small to be prepared with an industrial floor grinder were completed using hand grinders
• All drains and metal grate houses had to be “built” using epoxy impregnated with amorphous silica, which allows the flooring system to be flush with the final coat
• Install ships cove base around column footings to eliminate the fear of water traveling
• After determining acceptable moisture levels, NFW performed a final vacuum before installation was mobilized
• Install elastomeric epoxy floor coating
• This step had decorative quartz broadcast until the floor rejected additional quartz
• Install a 100% solids epoxy body coat
• This step had decorative quartz broadcast until the floor rejected additional quartz
• Install a 100% solids epoxy seal coat
• Install a high-performance topcoat to the entire area to seal in all quartz
• The anti-slip additive was also used in this coat to ensure optimal slip resistance

Conclusion:

Working alongside a general contractor, New England Floor & Wall was able to finish this project according to the Department of Transportations’ schedule. This beautiful public airport facility will be enjoyed for many years to come by many people in the Berkshires.

Customer Name: Hazen Paper

Customer Location: Holyoke, MA

Customer Needs: A flat flooring system that will house a state-of-the-art machine

Coming into this project, New England Floor & Wall had the task of rehabilitating an interior room of their old 19th-century mill building-turned production plant. The floor had deteriorated over time, creating areas that were dangerously thin. Certain areas were completely devoid of a subfloor, with holes looking down 30’ below into the basement. With this room going to house a state-of-the-art machine weighing in many tons, there became a need for a floor that was ‘flat,’ with deviations no larger than 1” per 12’ according to the specifications of this machine, as well as a floor that was sturdy enough to withstand the weight and vibration the machine would produce.

Scope of Work:

• All areas were prepared using an industrial floor grinder
• All loose/failing substrate was removed using chipping hammers
• Vacuum entire floor
• The floor was sectioned off into 12’ wide columns using berms
• These berms were created using an epoxy/silica mortar
• All of the floors to receive the deep fill were primed using a 100% solids epoxy
• All areas that were severely broken were pre-filled using an epoxy/silica mortar
• Following the pre-fill, NFW installed over 10 tons of epoxy/silica mortar to ensure the floor would be flat
• Once the floor had time to cure, all areas were prepared using an industrial floor grinder
• This process removed any trowel marks that had been left behind
• Vacuum entire floor
• Install a thixotropic epoxy coat, allowing the material to penetrate only enough to create an adhesive bond
• Install a high-performance topcoat to areas respectively.

Conclusion:

Working alongside an entire contractor group, New England Floor & Wall was able to finish this project on schedule. Shown in the before and after pictures, the transformation of this project has been tremendous!

Customer Name: Hilliard’s Chocolates

Customer Location: North Easton, MA

Customer Needs: A decorative floor finish in the back of the house, and a durable floor that can stand up to the rigors of chocolate manufacturing

Headquartered in North Easton Massachusetts, Hilliard’s Chocolates had been creating their exquisite candy in the same “Kitch-In-Vue Candy Store” that they had been using since 1950. As the need for space increased, they had commissioned a new facility to be built on the property. After meeting with the contractor, New England Floor & Wall and Hilliard’s’ agreed upon two separate systems; a decorative flake finish flooring system for the back of the house, and a ¼” epoxy resurfacer for the manufacturing area, with the caveat being that the entire floor would be installed over plywood.

Scope of Work: 

• All plywood areas were prepared using swing sanders and 36 grit sandpaper
• Vacuum entire floor
• Fill all plywood seams using an epoxy/amorphous silica blend
• Fiberglass over all plywood seams, increasing the structural integrity at all terminations
• Install patches created by epoxy mortar
• Install zinc strip to termination areas
• Install various integral cove base to eliminate the fear of water traveling
• Install ¼” epoxy mortar resurfacer system in manufacturing area- this product is one of the most durable on the market and is easy to clean and sanitize
• Install decorative flake flooring system in the back of house area, allowing for a slip-resistant floor that can stand the rigors of chocolate making while still being an aesthetically pleasing design
• Install a high-performance topcoat to both areas respectively.

Conclusion:

Working alongside an entire contractor group, New England Floor & Wall was able to finish this project on schedule. Shown in the before and after pictures, the transformation of this project has been tremendous!

Customer Name: Randolph Products

Location: Chicopee, Massachusetts: Just outside of Springfield, MA

Needs: A decorative, yet durable, flooring system that hide tile grout lines

The customer had acquired the facility from existing coatings manufacturer BASF and relocated in 2003 to support their growth in military, general industrial and conductive coatings business segments. Throughout the last decade, they have been completing major upgrades to their facility to ensure that they can compete with the growth in this industry. New England Floor & Wall was tasked with the job of providing a seamless floor directly over existing quarry tile.

Scope of Work:

• Diamond grind entire floor with industrial floor grinder
• Chip out existing tile surrounding drains and create a slope to drain that is flush in the finish flooring system
• Eliminate the majority of existing tile grout lines by flooding with an epoxy primer coat that has been mixed with silica sands
• Make feather edged cuts at termination lines to ensure floor has a clean termination
• Diamond grind entire floor to smooth and knock down excessive aggregate
• Use an epoxy impregnated with amorphous silica to patch any grout lines that remain
• Install a decorative flake high performance resinous flooring system- this product has excellent stain resistance, chemical resistance, impact resistance, and slip resistance; it also creates a uniform finish that a business can take pride in for years to come
• All flakes are knocked down with a steel trowel to
• Install a high performance polyurethane topcoat to the entire area to finish this beautiful seamless flooring system

Conclusion:

Working alongside an entire contractor group, New England Floor & Wall was able to completely eliminate the unsightly grout lines to complete this decorative flooring system according to the schedule laid out originally. Given the proper steps, these dated tile floors can be brought into the 21^st century with these durable floors that are also backed by manufacturers’ warranties.