Problems associated with concrete industrial floors on the ground remain the subject of most of the calls for assistance received by The Concrete Institute, says the Institute’s MD, Bryan Perrie.

Perrie says the volume of calls for help is not surprising as it is not generally realised that design and detailing, as well as sound construction practice, are aspects of concrete flooring that require specific training.

“A thorough understanding of all the characteristics of concrete, the influence of material selection, environmental inconsistencies, as well as handling and finishing, are essential to produce a quality floor. A disregard for any of these factors can cause problems normally observed too late in the process for remedial action,” he warns.

The Concrete Institute’s School of Concrete Technology’s training on Concrete Industrial Floors aims to help consulting engineers and contractors overcome these problems. The syllabus is extensive and covers, for example, thickness, design, joints, reinforcement, construction and surface finishing. The training on construction covers the selection of materials, construction of the sub-grade and sub-base, concrete requirements, as well as construction and finishing of the floor surface.

Flooring training courses are presented by The Concrete Institute regularly. For the rest of this year, the ‘Concrete Industrial Floors on the Ground’ one-day course will be held on May 29 in Durban, July 1 in Cape Town and September 12 in Midrand. Arrangements for other special flooring courses can also be discussed with the School.

The industrial floors training course has full Engineering Council of S.A. accreditation, with one full Continuing Professional Development credit awarded for attendance. “The course is gaining in popularity as more and more designers, specifiers and contractors want to understand the underlying principles to prevent costly claims, replacements and repairs that go hand in hand with flooring defects,” Perrie adds.

In addition to the School’s training courses, free publications on flooring available from The Concrete Institute include ‘Repairing spalled joints in concrete floors’ and ‘Sand-cement floor screeds and concrete toppings for floors’. These publications can be downloaded from the website  www.theconcreteinstitute.org.za free of charge. The acclaimed handbook, ‘Concrete Industrial Floors on the Ground’, by Bryan Perrie and Louis Marais, can be purchased from the Institute.

The Concrete Institute can also provide advice on all aspects of concrete flooring and the Institute’s Information Centre stocks a wealth of reference material on the subject.