Overview
Ocean Alliance, based in Gloucester, Massachusetts, has a new home and it’s a New England landmark. The Tarr and Wonson Paint Manufactory has stood strong and proud for more than 150 years. Through a grant provided to the Ocean Alliance team, the site was purchased and is being restored to serve as the organization's home base. This iconic site has a number of buildings and is ideal for the long-term success of the organization. The Copper Mill Building restoration presented a unique challenge; its 143-year-old concrete floors were in desperate need of new life. The team at Ocean Alliance discovered the services of Reliance Concrete Polishing would be a perfect solution. We enthusiastically embraced the project and enlisted the help of willing partners to not only revitalize the concrete but also create beautiful murals of a humpback whale and a right whale mother and her calf. The result is a polished concrete floor that gleams while the murals bring the whole environment to life. Reliance Concrete Polishing is proud to have been a part of this historic renovation and unique solution for the Ocean Alliance.
Challenge
One hundred and forty three (143) years ago the Copper Mill Buildings’ floors were constructed. The surface had endured as many years of foot traffic, machinery traffic, chemicals, ocean air, dirt, grime, and more. Ocean Alliance was looking for a different type of restoration allowing for preservation of the past but also with a look revealing a bright future. Due to the age of the floors, this restoration needed to proceed with great care.
Solution
Reliance Concrete Polishing worked with the Ocean Alliance team to assess the challenges of restoring the floors while achieving the desired results. Our experienced team cleaned the entire floor, carefully removing any obstacles or imperfections that would slow or reduce the effectiveness of the polishing process. A water-soluble densifier was applied to the cleaned surface. This solution causes the concrete to densify and harden. A smooth and reflective surface was accomplished by using progressively higher grit diamond-embedded sanding discs. The final steps included applying a protectant to the surface and burnishing the slab. To increase the attractiveness of the finished look, we introduced the idea of staining the polished concrete with an image reflecting Ocean Alliances’ innovative whale conservation work. Enter the printing experts at FloorMaps who created a magnificent humpback whale image for the surface of the floor. The final result is absolutely beautiful, the durability unmatched and is easily maintained.
(Ocean Alliance Staff member) had this to say in a recent newsletter “…the floors look amazing, but they also are more environmentally friendly, resilient, and easy to clean. We can't thank the Reliance team enough.”
We would like to express our thanks to the following companies who were excited to be a part of this effort; Husqarvana, Prosoco, Jon Don and FloorMaps.
We are very happy with the results and proud to have been a part of this historic renovation project. Call us today to learn more about how Reliance Concrete Polishing can help your company or organization create an unforgettable environment.
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