Dear all,
I have been asked to specify floor and wall paints for a new build archive store.
If my understanding of PD 5454 is correct, ideally anything used needs to be solvent free. This means that the walls should be fairly straightforward, just a low-VOC water based emulsion, and I was under the impression that the least done to the floor the better providing the concrete is sealed somehow to minimise dust.
Our operations director has suggested painting the concrete floor using a 2 pack epoxy floor paint as it is really hard wearing, but this is solvent-based. I understand that no covering should off-gas, however it would be counterproductive if the covering needed to be regularly replaced or repainted. The room will contain mobile racking and we had considered a vinyl covering but that seemed to come with its own issues.
The NARA in America seem to have applied water-based epoxy coatings directly to shot blasted concrete, so that it bonds: https://www.archives.gov/preservation/technical/tip13.pdf (page 10) but it appears they had this preparation specially formulated which is unlikely to be cost effective in our case as a small business collection.
Is there anything in the UK which we can easily purchase off the shelf that will meet the standard as close as is possible? I have been looking for a long time before it dawned on me that somebody out there may already know the answer, or provide a solution which we haven't yet considered. I'd be very grateful for any advice/recommendations if anyone can help.
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Best wishes,
Charlie
Miss Charlie Whitehead
Heritage Officer (Archivist) - Robert Welch Design Archive
Robert Welch Designs Ltd, Lower High Street, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, GL55 6DY, UK
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