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Excavator standing on heavy duty cementitious floor in warehouse

Dry Shake Hardeners for Concrete Floors

Flooring
Decorative Floor
Industrial Flooring

Dry shake aggregate floor hardeners are commonly applied to the surface of freshly placed concrete to improve wear resistance and occasionally to color a concrete surface. They decrease typical plain concrete negative properties like dusting and liquid absorption by improving the abrasion resistance and reducing surface permeability.

White membrane of cool roof system on residential building

Cool Roofs in Hot Climate Countries: a Study

Roofing
Cool Roof

Cool roofs are one of the most effective and easiest solutions to increase the thermal comfort of buildings and reduce cooling costs in hot climate countries with high solar radiation and outdoor temperatures. Brunel University London, in cooperation with the European Cool Roofs Council, Sika Services AG and the University of Technology in Kingston, evaluated a project in Jamaica to study how the application of a solar roof can affect the thermal comfort of residential buildings in hot climates.

Urban heat island effect drawing with temperature distribution in city

Cool Roofs Reduce Urban Heat Island Effect

Roofing
Cool Roof

Many urban and suburban areas have higher temperatures than their rural surroundings. This temperature difference indicates that they are urban heat islands. The annual mean air temperature in a city of a million or more people can easily be 1 to 4°C warmer than in the rural surroundings. On a clear, calm night the difference can measure even 12°C or more. The main cause of urban heat island effect is the modification of the land surface in cities. Natural vegetation is replaced by the built environment. Most surfaces of new structures are characterized by low solar reflectance and high impermeability. Additionally, they are often built with high-density materials which absorb great amounts of thermal energy and release it as heat.

Injection for waterproofing leaking cracks 3d rendering

How to Select an Injection System to Seal Leaks?

Injection Systems

Waterproofing
Injection

Leaks in concrete, masonry and natural stone structures can often be securely sealed and waterproofed by injection. However, to make leaking structures watertight for the long term, it’s essential to select the right injection system. On the basis of our extensive technical and practical experience, we have prepared a guide which will help you choose the optimal injection solution for your project requirements.

Butterfly on textured concrete wall

How to Make Concrete More Sustainable

Concrete Admixture
Concrete

Concrete is in many ways an ideal building material – locally available, cheap, perfect composite material when combined with steel and highly durable and easy-to-work-with when used with Sika products. However, it is not so perfect ecologically - it is the second most used substance on earth after water consuming many resources. Its most important ingredient, cement, is responsible for roughly 8% of global CO₂ emissions, whereby production is an energy intensive process.

One Blackfriars, informally known as The Vase Skyscraper in South Bank district in Central London.

Guide to Secondary Sealants in Structural Glazing Applications

Facade
Blog

All insulated glass units that are used as part of a structurally glazed façade system must be manufactured with a silicone secondary sealant that conforms to EOTA ETAG 002 and EN 15434. Silicone sealants have excellent resistance to ultra-violet light, meaning the energy from sunlight is insufficient to significantly break down the silicone polymers.

Structural Calculations made easy for Curtain Walling Façade Contractors

Blog
Facade

For every structurally glazed project, calculations for bonding the glass to the subframe must be undertaken in advance of any production and installation work taking place. These calculations must be based on the information provided by the curtain walling façade contractor.

Our top 6 tips for Structural Glazing adhesion

Blog
Facade

For every structurally glazed facade, it is critical to request project-specific substrate adhesion testing, in advance of any bonding taking place. Sika offer this service to support their customers.

Why structural silicone sealants play a crucial role in Structural Glazing

Facade
Blog

Sealants play a pivotal role in adding to glass capabilities and can provide added strength and value to complex glass creations. Structural silicone glazing is a technique of attaching glass to a metal frame using structural silicone sealants and gives the architectural design freedom for commercial building structures. However, choosing the right sealant and ensuring compatibility can affect the total outcome of the structural glazing system.

Application of SikaScreed HardTop flooring solution

Screed Evaluation Methods

Flooring
Concrete Repair
Mortar
Industrial Flooring

A prerequisite for a sustainable and beautiful wood floor is a strong and dry screed. Therefore this screed has to be carefully accessed. The first source of information is the architect, engineer, or main contractor who will have all of the information about the build-up and nature of the floor. The second source is the screed contractor who can provide the screed details and if appropriate, any subfloor heating protocols. If, as so often in renovation projects most of this information is not available, there are a few simple methods that can be used to evaluate the screed.

Steel metal fire protection coating black background

Fire Protective Coatings for Load-Bearing Structures

Fire Protection

Coating
Fire Protection
Protective Coating

Passive fire protection is a vital component of any fire safety strategy for buildings. Built into the structure, it safeguards people’s lives and limit the financial impact of damage to buildings and their contents. Sika provides comprehensive solutions for fire resistant constructions such as tunnels, commercial and residential buildings and steel structures especially. Fire resistant coatings for load bearing structures enable to build secure buildings.

Fire resistance illustration of Insulation (I)

Linear Seals, Cavity Barriers and Service Penetration Seals

Fire Protection

Joint Sealing
Sealant

Sika provides comprehensive solutions where fire resistant construction is required such as commercial, public and residential buildings, steel structures and others. Fire resistant sealants, fillers and backing materials for linear seals as well as solutions for penetration seals enable safer buildings and infrastructure to be built. Passive fire protection applications for compartmentations can be divided into the following three main groups: linear joint seals, cavity barriers, penetration seals.

Architectural concrete facade with joint sealing

Considerations for Facade Joint Design

Joint Sealing
Joint Waterproofing
Sealant
Weather Sealing

The facade is the face of buildings. In contemporary architecture, the facade is of special interest expressed by large dimensions, unconventional shapes and high material diversity. Especially with these unique shapes and connections, joint design is demanding and prone to mistakes. For integral joint specification, following some rough guidelines will result in a long-lasting and tight building envelope.

3D Concrete Printing

Concrete
Precast Concrete
Watertight Concrete

Cementitious 3D construction printing (3DCP) or 3D concrete printing is a form of additive manufacturing used to fabricate buildings or construction components in completely new shapes not previously possible with traditional concrete formwork.

Man applying SikaScreed on floor

Potential Screed Issues and Solutions

Flooring
Concrete Repair
Mortar
Industrial Flooring

If the screed is even, strong and dry enough, then only mechanical surface preparation such as grinding and cleaning is required, before wood floor bonding is possible. However there are many situations where the existing or even new screeds are not suitable, and additional treatment is necessary before wood flooring can be installed. Sika has developed complete balanced system solutions for all of the different possibilities that may be found in these situations.

Hydrophobic impregnation for protection of concrete structures

Waterproof Concrete

Concrete
Waterproofing
Watertight Concrete

Waterproof concrete is an impermeable concrete used for long-lasting, durable watertight construction. To improve the impermeability of the concrete, water-resisting admixtures can be added. Nevertheless, design and construction of a watertight concrete structure is a system approach, and waterproof concrete is only one element of it. Water impermeability is determined by fulfilling requirements to limit water permeability through the concrete itself, the joints, installation parts and cracks.

Fireman extinguishing the fire

Intumescence and Intumescent Materials for Fire Protection Products

Fire Protection

Coating
Fire Protection
Protective Coating

Many passive fire protection products are claimed to be intumescent – what does this mean and when can a product be classed as intumescent?

Industrial floor coating with Sikafloor resin cementitious flooring system in food facility

Design Tips for Hygienic Floors in Food and Beverage Facilities

Flooring
Epoxy Floor
Resin Floor
Resin-cementitious Floor
Decorative Floor
Industrial Flooring

A functional and purpose-built floor is key to a safe and hygienic production environment in food and beverage facilities. Floors that are hygienic, non-slip, easy to clean, and durable provide a safe and attractive place to work. Choosing and installing the right floor are critical to every work environment. This article looks at getting it right the first time — achieving satisfactory and long-term flooring in a food processing environment.

Floor joint in warehouse floor

How to Design an Ideal Floor for Warehouse and Logistics Facilities

Flooring
Epoxy Floor
Resin Floor
Industrial Flooring

In warehouses and logistics buildings the concrete slab and flooring are critical to the effective functioning of the operations. However, it is often the perception that the concrete floor is one of the most straight forward elements of the project, and many times the overall attention paid to design and construction detail is less than proportional to its ultimate importance in the efficient operation of the facility. The expectation is that these large area floors must be constructed with lowest possible cost and provide problem free service year after year.

Clean red and white decorative laboratory interior floor with female research technician at work

Designing colorful floor in hospitals and other healthcare facilities

Flooring
Healthcare
Epoxy Floor
Resin Floor
Resin-cementitious Floor
Decorative Floor

A well-crafted color palette can do wonders for a healthcare facility. The use of color and graphic images can align to the existing logo and symbolic color of the facility to achieve an overall visual aesthetic, while it can also elicit emotions and unique perceptions of space. It has an ability to calm or excite, can make a room appear smaller or more grandiose, or even trigger subconscious reactions. Color is the most vital, impactful and expressive design element in a designer’s toolbox.

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