garage flooring inland empire

1. Jetson-Like Self Cleaning Concrete Remember when you watched the Jetsons as a kid. I don't know about you, but I thought by the time I grew up we would be commuting to work in cars that fly; we would each have our own Rosie and household chores would care for themselves. Well if you are disappointed that the 21st century is not as Jetson-like as you dreamed, you will be happy to learn of a scientific breakthrough that makes concrete and masonry surfaces self cleaning... yes, that's right, self cleaning. How? Amazing properties of Titanium Dioxide, when exposed to light produce two physical phenomenons: hydrophilicity and photocatalysis. First, when Titanium Dioxide, aka TIO2, is exposed to UV light, it becomes hydrophilic or "water loving". Why is this a good thing? When rain water touches a regular garage flooring inland empire sealed surface, it tends to bead up. Hydrophilic structures, on the other hand, have a very low surface contact angle. This means that water on a hydrophilic surface lays very flat because it is attracted to the surface at a molecular level. This enables water to get underneath dirt particles that would normally not be washed away. So simple water takes on a detergent-like quality. Second TIO2, when exposed to sunlight, becomes photocatalytic. What does that mean? It means that organic matter like oil stains, mold and algae on a treated surface are decomposed naturally at a super accelerated rate. So they simply disappear without any need to power-wash or scrub, usually between a few days to a month. The traditional method of creating self cleaning concrete is to mix in TIO2 into the mortar mixture. Self cleaning technology has been used to make incredible structures. The Jubilee Church, formally known as Chiesa di Dio Padre Misericordioso in Rome is one of the most well known examples of this technology being employed in architecture. It was designed by Richard Meier, who in a stroke of genius, created a

2. structure that is able to keep itself clean, pure and white in-spite of the city's corrupting smog; a powerful metaphor for the place of worship! There are two drawbacks to this method. First, it's expensive. TIO2 is a hot commodity and is not cheap. Mixing it in with the mortar is expensive because the great majority of the reactive TIO2 is "wasted", trapped within the concrete itself, never to see the light of day. The second disadvantage of this method is that it can only be used on new structures. Therefore the vast majority of masonry structures in the world are left to collect dirt, grime, stains and mold. More recent developments in this field have led to a more economical solution: TIO2 based coatings. This method is more economical because it limits the expensive reactive element to the surface, where it can be exposed to light. The second obvious advantage of this method is that it can be used on new and existing surfaces. This means that concrete driveways, paver patios, stone retaining walls, terra- cotta roof shingles and cultured stone outdoor kitchens can all be protected permanently from engine oil, grease stains, wine, mold, mildew and algae stains.