Metallic floor coating specification: Section 09 67 23 guide spec

This is a complete CSI 3-part guide specification for metallic pigmented resin flooring under MasterFormat Section 09 67 23. Pigment disperses into the resin and places fluid with it, then gets worked wet to produce the movement in the floor. Nothing is broadcast. Architects, engineers, and general contractors can copy it into a project manual as written or edit the bracketed values. It reflects the process Bel Covo crews run in production under the RESA methodology: Resin-Encapsulated Seamless Aggregate.

How do you use this guide specification?

1. Do not treat pigment as broadcast media. It disperses into Part A before catalysis. A schedule or substitution that broadcasts metallic pigment onto a wet coat is outside this section.
2. Keep Article 1.9. The appearance and variation article is what sets the owner’s expectation in writing. Deleting it turns a hand-worked finish into an argument at closeout.
3. Keep both moisture tests. Part 3 requires ASTM F1869 and ASTM F2170 together. Editing the section down to one test is how a floor passes on paper and blisters a season later.
4. Look hard at the grade check. Low spots read as color defects on this system, not just gloss variation. Resolve them before the schedule assumes a coating date.

Section 09 67 23: metallic floor coating

Part 1: general requirements

1.1 Summary

Work of this section includes metallic pigmented resin flooring: substrate preparation, moisture testing, moisture vapor barrier primer, crack and joint treatment, a pigmented epoxy base coat, a metallic pigmented resin coat placed fluid and manipulated wet, a clear encapsulating coat, and a urethane topcoat.

Metallic pigment is dispersed into the resin and placed with it as a fluid coat. It is not a broadcast media. Any schedule, submittal, or substitution that treats metallic pigment as a broadcast aggregate is outside this section.

1.2 Related sections

• Section 03 30 00, Cast-in-Place Concrete: slabs to receive resinous flooring.
• Section 03 35 43, Polished Concrete Finishing: mechanically polished floors where a polish is specified instead of a coating.
• Section 07 26 00, Vapor Retarders: under-slab moisture protection.
• Companion guide specifications under this same section number: flake broadcast flooring and quartz broadcast flooring.

1.3 References

• ICRI Guideline 310.2R, Selecting and Specifying Concrete Surface Preparation (concrete surface profile, CSP).
• ASTM F1869, Standard Test Method for Measuring Moisture Vapor Emission Rate of Concrete Subfloor Using Anhydrous Calcium Chloride.
• ASTM F2170, Standard Test Method for Determining Relative Humidity in Concrete Floor Slabs Using in situ Probes.
• ASTM D4060, Standard Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of Organic Coatings by the Taber Abraser.

Article 3.1 requires both ASTM F1869 and ASTM F2170. They measure different quantities and neither one substitutes for the other. Do not edit this section to accept one test in place of the other.

1.4 Definitions

• Pigment dispersion: blending metallic pigment into the resin (Part A) before the catalyst, so the pigment travels in the fluid coat rather than landing on it.
• Manipulation: the working of the wet metallic coat by squeegee, roller, blower, or spike roller to produce the scheduled movement and depth. It is the entire source of the pattern.
• Encapsulation: complete coverage of the cured metallic coat under clear topcoats, so the wear surface is clear resin and the pattern is sealed below it.
• CSP: concrete surface profile per ICRI 310.2R, numbered 1 (nearly flat) through 10 (very rough).
• Absorption: penetration of the primer resin into the open pore structure of the prepared slab. Surface profile describes the shape of the surface. Absorption describes whether that surface will take resin into it. Adhesion and resistance to moisture vapor drive both depend on absorption, not on profile alone.
• 100 percent solids: a resin carrying no solvent and no water, so wet film thickness and cured film thickness are equal and nothing evaporates out of the placed coat.

1.5 Submittals

• Product data for each coat in the Article 2.2 build, including published spread rate, pot life, recoat window, and cure schedule.
• Metallic pigment and base coat color selections, [2] combinations minimum.
• Reports for both moisture tests required by Article 3.1, before material order.
• Mockup: [100] square feet minimum, placed in the room that receives the work and viewed under that room’s lighting. The mockup establishes the acceptable range of movement, color, and sheen. It does not establish a repeatable pattern, and Article 1.9 governs what the owner is accepting.

1.6 Quality assurance

• Installer qualifications: trained or approved by the system manufacturer, with [3] years minimum installing metallic pigmented resin systems.
• Resins for the vapor barrier, primer, base coat, and metallic coat shall be 100 percent solids. Solvent-diluted and water-based epoxies are not acceptable in those positions.
• Application at manufacturer-published production rates and spread rates.
• The approved mockup is the standard of comparison for the work, within the variation stated in Article 1.9.

1.7 Project conditions

• Substrate and ambient temperature within manufacturer limits and at least [5] degrees F above dew point during application and cure.
• Slab moisture within the Article 3.1 limits and holding there for [48] hours continuously before the first coat. A slab does not dry on the same schedule the air does.
• Building enclosed, air movement controlled, and other trades off the work area from primer through final cure. Air movement across a wet metallic coat changes the pattern.

1.8 Warranty on the installed work

• Workmanship warranty on the installation as stated on the accepted proposal. Manufacturer material warranties pass through to the owner.

1.9 Appearance and variation

The metallic coat is placed and worked by hand. Movement, veining, and color density will vary across the field and will not repeat between rooms, between pours of the same room, or between this floor and any other floor. That variation is the finish, not a defect. The approved mockup establishes the range the owner accepts. Rejection is limited to work falling outside that range, and to the defects listed in Article 3.4.

Part 2: products

2.1 Basis of design

The basis of design is RESA Metallic by Bel Covo (Resin-Encapsulated Seamless Aggregate). This section states process and performance requirements rather than a named manufacturer product line. The installer submits the specific resins proposed for each coat under Article 1.5, for approval against the requirements of Article 2.3.

2.2 System build

Coat 4 is specified polyaspartic. Metallic is the system where UV damage shows first and worst: a clear epoxy chalks and ambers within roughly [18 to 36] months under daylight, and the amber shifts the pigment color the owner selected. Clear epoxy may be substituted only on floors with no daylight exposure and no gas-charged high-bay lighting.

Coat 5 sheen is a scheduled decision. Matte is the durable default: it adds chemical and abrasion resistance and does not telegraph traffic lanes at doors and along main paths, which a gloss surface does within the first years of service. Gloss is commonly scheduled on metallic because it deepens the pattern. Where gloss is scheduled, the owner is accepting visible traffic patterns in high-traffic areas as a condition of the finish.

2.3 Materials

• Moisture vapor barrier epoxy: 100 percent solids, formulated for placement over concrete carrying elevated moisture vapor emission. It is the primer on every floor of this section, not only on floors that fail Article 3.1.
• Base coat: pigmented 100 percent solids epoxy, color as scheduled, placed to full hide of the primer.
• Metallic coat: 100 percent solids epoxy with metallic pigment dispersed into Part A before catalysis, colors as scheduled. Pigment is not broadcast onto the coat under any circumstances.
• Clear coat: polyaspartic, UV stable, in the scheduled number of coats.
• Topcoat: aliphatic urethane, sheen as scheduled, with published abrasion data per ASTM D4060.

2.4 Accessories

• Joint filler: 100 percent solids moisture vapor barrier epoxy blended with clean, dry [30] sieve blast sand, placed and shaved flush before the primer coat. Semi-rigid polyurea joint filler is not acceptable under this system. An epoxy coating does not develop a bond to a polyurea filler, and the joint lines telegraph and open.
• Crack repair: rout and fill with the same 100 percent solids epoxy mortar used for joints, unless the approved repair method for the project states otherwise.
• Integral resin cove base: standard cove is [4] inch height by [1/8] inch thickness with a [1-1/2] inch radius at the floor. Heights from 2 inch through 8 inch may be scheduled in place of the standard.
• Cove on metallic work: cove base is scheduled by room, not by default. The metallic coat is not carried up the cove; the cove is finished in the base coat color unless the schedule states otherwise.

Part 3: execution

3.1 Examination

• Moisture, both tests required. Test per ASTM F1869 [3 lb per 1,000 SF per 24 hr maximum] and per ASTM F2170 [80 percent RH maximum]. ASTM F2170 reports how much moisture the slab is holding right now. ASTM F1869 reports how much moisture is leaving the slab across 24 hours. The two readings separate: a wet slab under humid air at an equalized temperature emits very little, so it can pass the calcium chloride test and still fail the relative humidity probe. That slab will drive moisture into the coating as soon as the temperature changes. Run both, and do not proceed on one result.
• Substrate: verify slab is cured [28] days minimum, uncoated or mechanically stripped, and free of curing compounds, sealers, and contamination.
• Grade: record low spots exceeding a 4 percent slope between two adjacent grade points. Flatness matters more on this system than on any broadcast system. A fluid metallic coat runs to the low spot and the pigment concentrates there, so the low spot reads as a color defect and not merely a gloss variation. Report each spot and present remediation options before application.

3.2 Preparation

• Mechanically prepare the substrate by diamond grinding or shot blasting to [CSP 3] minimum, verified against an ICRI comparator.
• Verify absorption, not profile alone. The objective of the mechanical pass is to remove the cream layer and open the pore structure so the primer resin penetrates. A profile number by itself does not prove that happened. A hard, dense, or over-troweled slab can read CSP 3 from an aggressive scratch pattern and still refuse resin. Verify by placing water droplets on the prepared surface at [3] locations per 1,000 SF: each droplet shall darken and absorb within [60] seconds. A droplet that beads means a closed surface, whatever the measured profile. Continue grinding, and report slabs that will not open.
• Joints and cracks: fill scheduled joints and routed cracks with the Article 2.4 epoxy mortar before the primer coat. Grind and mask edges and terminations.

3.3 Application

Each step below states its objectives, its hazards, and the key best practices and methods that matter to the end result.

1. Slab readiness

• Objectives: place the first coat only on a slab that has held below the Article 3.1 limits for [48] hours continuously.
• Hazards: coating on the first dry day after a wet or cold stretch traps the water the slab took on during that stretch. Slabs change temperature and moisture content far more slowly than the air around them, so a warm dry morning proves nothing about the slab. The result is blistering and delamination months after the crew leaves, when the trapped vapor expands.
• Key best practices and methods: leave the relative humidity probes in place and read the trend, not a single number. Dehumidify the enclosed space and hold it. A falling probe trend under a stubbornly high calcium chloride reading means the slab is giving up its moisture and the drying is working.

2. Vapor barrier primer

• Objectives: a heavy, fully absorbed coat of 100 percent solids moisture vapor barrier epoxy at [75 to 110] SF per gallon, set by the porosity of the slab.
• Hazards: an unmonitored spread rate. Wet film equals cured film on a 100 percent solids resin, so nothing evaporates and nothing recovers a starved coat. The second hazard is viscosity. A two-part resin thickens from the moment it is mixed, and a thickened resin sits on the slab instead of going into it. A batch left standing in the container will go exothermic, reaching 150 to 180 degrees F within minutes, and exothermed resin is broken down and brittle. Do not place it.
• Key best practices and methods: verify the rate by material consumed against area covered. Mix batches small enough to place at working viscosity, and keep material out of sun and heat. Return after [2] hours and look for spots where the resin disappeared into the slab, then prime those again. On a slab porous enough to drink the whole coat, squeegee a tight skim coat first and let it tack so it seals the pores, then place the full primer coat at the normal rate.

3. Base coat

• Objectives: an opaque pigmented base coat at full hide, so the metallic coat reads against the scheduled ground color and not against the primer.
• Hazards: thin or patchy hide shows through the metallic coat as a shadow the manipulation cannot remove.
• Key best practices and methods: place to full hide and confirm under the room’s own lighting before the metallic coat.

4. Metallic coat

• Objectives: the metallic pigmented resin placed fluid across the field and manipulated wet to the movement, color density, and depth approved on the mockup.
• Hazards: the working time of the coat is the whole constraint. A resin that thickens stops moving, and the pattern locks early and unevenly across the field. Wind or air movement across the wet coat pulls the pattern. Placing the metallic in bays that go off at different rates leaves a visible line between them.
• Key best practices and methods: disperse the pigment into Part A before catalysis, never onto the wet coat. Mix batches sized to the working time and keep material out of heat. Place and manipulate the full field wet edge to wet edge with no cold joint inside a continuous room. Shut down air movement across the area.

5. Clear coat

• Objectives: full encapsulation of the cured metallic coat under clear polyaspartic at the scheduled number of coats, so the wear surface is clear resin.
• Hazards: sanding into the metallic coat between clear coats cuts through the pattern and cannot be repaired locally.
• Key best practices and methods: abrade between clear coats only to the depth the data sheet allows. Repair pinholes and craters before the next coat, not after.

6. Topcoat

• Objectives: the urethane topcoat at the specified build, setting the scheduled sheen and the chemical and abrasion resistance of the floor.
• Hazards: skipping this coat to save a day. The clear coat alone leaves the floor less chemically resistant and, at gloss, quicker to show traffic lanes.
• Key best practices and methods: apply within the recoat window of the clear coat. Verify sheen against the approved mockup under the room’s own lighting.

7. Details

• Objectives: cove base, terminations, and transitions matching the approved mockup.
• Hazards: details improvised in the field rarely match the mockup the owner approved.
• Key best practices and methods: install per the approved mockup at the scheduled locations and dimensions.

3.4 Field quality control

• Verify spread rates by material consumption against area covered, per coat, and record them.
• Inspect the primer coat [2] hours after placement for starved and absorbed-out areas, and re-prime before proceeding.
• Inspect the cured field for pinholes, fisheyes, craters, roller lines, cold joints between bays, and pattern outside the mockup range. Repair per manufacturer method before the next coat or before acceptance.

3.5 Protection

Protect finished surfaces until full chemical cure. Prohibit traffic and chemical exposure before the cure time the topcoat data sheet states.

Which resinous system should you specify?

Each system gets its own section because the products and the execution genuinely differ. Flake and quartz are broadcast systems where aggregate lands in wet resin and interlocks; metallic is a pigmented fluid coat that is worked by hand. Specify the system that matches the floor.

Selected metallic flooring projects

Recent work

Metallic flooring projects

Ready to price a metallic floor instead of specifying one? The online quote calculator prices the system and its options live, and the epoxy flooring page covers the same family for commercial buyers. Or call (888) 852-3528.