How to install rubber in an occupied or continually operating space
Installing a new ESD tile floor over an existing floor without shutting down the operations in the space
There are several factors that must be considered in this type of application:
- Footwear Type—this influences which static control floors will work and which ones will not work
- Continually Operating Facility--The adhesive needs to set up instantly in order to avoid shutting down the room during installation
- Adhesive --The floor needs to be installed over an old floor
Other considerations include:
- In what type of space would this work best?
- Over what type of subfloor does this best apply?
- What is dry adhesive and what does it look like?
Footwear Type
Static is generated whenever two dissimilar surfaces rub or make contact and separate. Shoe soles on standard footwear are tremendous static generators when they contact flooring surfaces. They will allow static to develop on almost any kind of walking surface. For example, static control vinyl - conductive or static dissipative - will still develop high charges on people wearing regular shoes.
The best surface for applications where a space cannot be shut-down for installation is conductive EC rubber flooring. Numerous studies have proven that rubber flooring significantly inhibits the generation of static regardless of footwear.
Figure 1, right, shows a graph comparing levels of static generation based on the combination of standard shoe soles (the graph is an aggregate of numerous shoe sole types) with various types of flooring.
As you view the graph, keep in mind, electronic equipment is sensitive to 1000 volts and below.
Continually Operating Facility
There are several ways to instantly install a floor:
- Free lay tile - think heavy. There is sufficient mass and static friction to cause gridlock. Staticworx GridLock Tile uses this principle for an adhesive-free installation.
- Snap together flooring--Snap together floors are composed of static dissipative or conductive Vinyl (PVC). As already discussed, vinyl is a poor inhibitor of static for any application where standard footwear will be used.
- Dry adhesives--Conductive dry adhesives can be rolled out over any clean, smooth subfloor. They allow instant attachment of tiles to the floor. Normal operations can continue in the room while installation is in progress. There is no "move-in" or "move-out" time.
Adhesive
Most adhesives cannot be applied over an existing vinyl or epoxy floor. The only compatible adhesives (with vinyl tile) are dry adhesives, releasable adhesives and epoxy. The use of epoxy would require a shutdown while the adhesive cures. Releasable adhesives are not strong enough because they are intended for products that are frequently pulled up and replaced like carpet tile. Dry adhesives, are permanent and they can be walked on immediately.
Cost
Call Staticworx at 617-923-2000 for pricing based on the specifics of your job.
Related Questions
What is Conductive Dry Adhesive?
Staticworx® offers a dry adhesive that is a full surface 104 ohms textile re-enforced ESD conductive double sided self stick roll flooring adhesive.
Some of the features of this product are that it is VOC free, free of odors, carcinogens or out-gassing. This conductive dry adhesive is acrylic based, plasticizer resistant, contains no formaldehydes and has unrestricted waste disposal.
Over which types of sub-floors does dry adhesive best apply?
Dry Adhesive may be installed only over dry (<3.0 lb/1000 sq ft.) structurally sound firm dust and oil-free surfaces, such as concrete, old glue-down carpet, VAT, vinyl composition tile, homogeneous vinyl sheet or tile, poured epoxy, ceramic, stone or terrazzo. It may be used over steel or HPL covered access floors. It may be used over wood and parquet, plywood and laminates only if these sub-floors are free of acrylic finishes and are not directly installed over on-grade or below-grade concrete without an air space between the concrete and the wood products (Moisture!!). Dry adhesive may not be used over gypsum patches. Not suitable for outdoor installations.
To which kind of spaces and applications would this best apply?
9-1-1 Call centers
FAA Flight Control Towers
Control rooms
Command centers
Server rooms
Clean rooms
Operating rooms and emergency rooms
Labs
