technical reason for tape pull
Been in the staining business for 12 year. I know never to put tape on the stained floor as it will pull up the sealer and color. I have been contacted by a moving company to consult with a claim that they used blue tape and paper to protect the floor during the move. Of course the tape pulled up the sealer and stain. I need to know the technical reason tape pulls up sealer and the stain color so i can write a report. I know it happeneds i just need to know exactly why. thanks. gregg@ggcoatings.com
techinical reason floor was not clean you see it real bad when people are to lazy to get down on there hands and nees and scrub next to walls where the lazy mans auto scrubber will not get.
ok I think that if the floor is white glove clean which no body does because of time tape should not pull the sealer and color
ok tape might pull sealer but should not pull color from acid stain if the floor was clean clean. I have a tequnique that kicks butt for getting the floor clean after acid stain but it takes extra time maybee one day I will feel generous enuff to tell the seceret only one person knows about this and he was not even a believer untill showed but doubt he is still doing it because of time. my price for acid stained floors is going up or they could just wish there floor lasted I hate plumbers
just pulled packing tape off a floor I did about two years ago in an apartment complex. since it was an apartment I just ripped it off as fast as i could and it did not pull sealer or color its all about how clean the floor is before you seal.
The profile, cleanliness, freedom from foreign matter, integral integrity of the substrate itself, as well as various types of barriers that may have contaminated the surface are the primary concerns when it comes to maximum bonding of sealers/coatings on concrete and/or cementitious overlayment materials... however, depending on the type of sealercoating and its physical properties, in relation to how it achieves its bond (topical surface adhesion or penetrating/anchoring mechanical) tape has the potential to damage the surface (being for the reasons I have posted, ergo: one of the reasons that sealer/coatings manufactures advise against applying tape directly to the concrete.
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Lindy A.
i understand, but if you put tape on a dirty floor you pull up shit/trash i have not had a problem but no body wants to pay for a floor that resists tape they now want the low bid and thats what they get because these jack butts had to do it for a dollar a foot to stay in biz----------------- if I decide to do it for a dollar a foot its because I am bored and want beer money..... other wise its 3.50 for acid stain including multiply dye colors $1.00 a foot for scoring 2 coats of acrylic sealer and 2 coats of wax.com
The big reason is that the tape pulled the surface up is because of plasticizer migration. Plasticizers are polymers that make glue, plastic and rubber flexible. In the case of tape, plasticizers are used to allow the glue to migrate into anything porous like concrete. Most often I see situations where the tape pulls up the concrete sealer and stain, but every so often it can pull up the concrete surface as well.
All tapes have plastizers in them. The plasticizers migrate in order to bond to various types of surfaces. Blue tape has a lower degree of plastizers than standard masking tape or duct tape; but, when it comes to applying them directly over an acid stained and sealed surface (including those that are waxed), it still has the potential to cause "tape pull up" (even more so if the sealer was a low resin solid solvent or water based acrylic). Acid stain manufacturers market their formulations based on the ability to react with the concrete (as it does); however, many allude to their formulations deeply penetrating into the substrate that is not in fact the case; therefore, it becomes a chain reaction when tape is applied (wax bonds to the sealer, sealer is bonding to the concrete, with the acid stain probably not penetrating more than 1-2 mils (if even that, depending on the porosity and finish of the concrete itself) ...the plasticizers in the tape fuse to the wax/sealer acid stain "or" sealer/acid stain (which is even more prone to tape pull up), resulting in the perfect image of where the tape was placed when it is pulled up (the longer the tape is left on the surface, especially if over 20-30 minutes, the more damage will be likely to occur).
Suggest you also refer to ASTM D3359-08 Standard Test Method for Measuring Adhesion by Tape Test ... standard test used in the sealers, coatings, paints, etc industry to determine the degree of adhesion when tape has been applied to them under lab conditions over a specific period of time. Important note: certain formulations of sealers/coatings have a hiigher degree of adhesion and bond strength (such as 100% solids/high build epoxies, high solid aliphatic urethanes, and polyaspartic aliphatic polyureas). It must be kept in mind that the ASTM tests are performed over idential testing panels ... not taking into account the rate of adhesion and bond strength as associated with concrete that may have varying degrees of profiles, porosity, possible contaminates from foreign matter (be it visible or invisable), may not have been properly prepared, actual integrity of the concrete itself may have been compromised in som way, or other site specific variables that will have a bearing on the "tape pull off (plasticierr) issue" as well.
Looking in the review mirror, I'm sure we have all been lax to a certain degree in "warning" property owners (perferably in writing) against ever applying tape directly to their decorative concrete surfaces (we know not to do so; however, this is not a common sense issue or general knowledge when it come to residential or commercial property owners). They using blue painters tape, masking tape, and other types to mask off and protect their other types of surfaces (ceramic tile, moldings, glass, laminate flooring, tubs and sinks, etc) when painting and remodeling; therefore, they "assume" when painting or remodeling they can do the same when it comes to their sealed/decorative concrete surfaces ... then, when the tape pulls up their stain/sealer, wax/stain/sealer, or other resinous/sealer/coatings they go on the hunt for someone to blame (which unfortunately will be you, the contractor, that applied/created their surface or the quality of the materials that were applied); if they were not specifically warned in not to do so. This is the issue that Greg is dealing with at this time; being a case he was called in as a professional consultant on ... a moving company applied tape to the floor to hold down protective masking paper in order to shield the floor from damage/marring while moving furniture (they claim damage is not their fault since they were not advised that doing so would damage the floor); the homeowner has a damaged floor (possibly due to their not ever being advised they should never allow this to be done either) ... basically lack of proper care in the protecting of this floor was something neither the moving company (according to them) or the property owner (or so they claim) were actually aware of.
Hope this is the info you need to address and clarify the cause ,effect, and resulting damage associated with applying tape directly to sealed decorative concrete surfaces.
Lindy A.