SLAB-TECT™ - What Is It? and Why?

HENRY: Well, welcome. Thank you for your time today. Another MARKHAM webinar. Appreciate you guys giving up some of your valuable time. Just wanted to talk about the MARKHAM SLAB-TECT system today. MARKHAM’s why is: adding life by embracing challenges, and we wanted to come up with a system. Combined with the benefits of colloidal silica and 25 years of concrete and construction knowledge, we put together this SLAB-TECT system.

So I’d just like to, again, welcome everybody. My name is Henry Mitchell. I’ve got Lachie Smith on the line here with me today. I’ve been with MARKHAM for about 10 years. I have a passion for concrete and delivering excellence to yourselves and your clients. Tell us a little bit about yourself, Lachie.

LACHIE: Thanks, Henry. Thanks for tuning in today, from wherever you may be. Great to have you on board. So yes, I’ve been with MARKHAM for over five years, I think it is now; time flies. But yes, I love working for MARKHAM as a company, and working with you guys as clients. It’s so exciting to see the projects come to life and assist by adding life to concrete. Hopefully you can all hear me all right. It’s coming across all right, Henry?

HENRY: Yes, it’s good. Thanks for that, Lachie. So we’ve got a Q&A button down the bottom here. It’s standard webinar practice, we will have a question-and-answer session at the end. You can ask questions as we go. But we will do a quick poll now. Just a couple of questions to see where you guys are all from and what you’re about. So there’s four questions there. Just flick an answer on which one’s most applicable to you guys, and we’ll get this underway.

LACHIE: See what sort of audience we’ve got out there.

HENRY: We should leave it out for another 10–15 seconds, and the results should be coming up. Awesome. So we’ve got quite a wide range here in the cross-section. We’ve got a few architects and designers. The answer there dropped off my screen, it must be timed out. Anyway, good to have you all on board.

Yes, let’s fire away and get into this. So as we said, we want to talk about the MARKHAM SLAB-TECT system today. Some of the learning outcomes we’re going to hopefully get across to you guys and then show you there’s the need for protecting exposed concrete floors, the challenges of traditional methods. We want to talk a little bit about SLAB-TECT and where we can help you there. Then our end-to-end approach, backed with warranties and that sort of thing.

I guess before we start off, some of the things we want to talk about, so we can sort of engage with you guys a little bit better out there, is exposed floors need protection. There’s a number of situational challenges. You’ve got loads, you’ve got static, you’ve got dynamic loads, abrasion from traffic. We’ve got contaminations, we’ve got carbonation. There’s a whole wide range from exposed concrete. Carbonation is probably right up there for health and safety, if we’ve got people working in the areas. Then just as much is our load, so we want to strengthen our curing and that sort of thing to be right up there from day zero. So that the service life of this concrete can be extended.

You can see that freight yard there. So that’s a 35,000 square metre building done back probably about 20-odd years ago now, so early 2000s, that’s still standing up to the test the time. So we treated that whole slab with the hydrogel curing systems. That’s enough about that.

So exposed floors need protection. We need to minimize maintenance or cleaning. Obviously, any time that a slab or a floor, like we can see in this photo here, is not operational, it’s inconvenient and it does cost a lot of money to the client. So we want to protect slabs from day one. That’s a little bit about operational challenges.

Traditional methods. So there are traditional methods out there: curing, treatments starting early on. Some people leave their concrete to self-seal off, that sort of thing. But you can see this slab here, this is an extreme example. But relying on natural durability and things like this, it doesn’t stand the test of time; wear and tear, carbonation, chemical contamination starts going. So it’s not really an option in this day and age to just rely on traditional methods.

LACHIE: That’s good, Henry. I guess our point of view is, we like to look at it as long-term, so something that’s going to last the standard test of time. Obviously, there’s your traditional ways of water curing the slab, but what that looks like long-term is another whole question. Obviously, MARKHAM do believe that curing of concrete is of most importance to ensure that long-term durability, and therefore increasing the service life of the structure. But the only downside is, there’s no protection from day one. The concrete is not sealed right from the outset, so that leaves the concrete exposed to different environments and different harsh conditions, like in workshops and that type of thing. If not protected, that can result in detrimental effects for your build and the client’s asset.

Some of the other traditional methods for concrete hardeners are shake-ons or silicate hardeners. These tend to have the ability to penetrate that top porosity of the concrete matrix, as you can see in that diagram there on the screen, which leaves the bottom off, so to speak. Leaving the concrete liable to cracking and breaking down over time, with different loads, different wear and tear from forklifts and workshop equipment, that type of thing. Whereas, as we’ll jump into it soon, MARKHAM has a different approach with the SLAB-TECT system, where we utilize a unique colloidal silica, slightly different to a silicate hardener, where it’s got very small particles. It gives it that ability to penetrate that 150 mm into the concrete matrix, so densifying the whole concrete slab.

HENRY: Into the veins of the concrete really, under nanotechnology. So we’re talking about very fine nanotechnology here.

LACHIE: Exactly. With densifying that whole top 150 mm, you’re actually providing a much more durable slab and a much more durable base. So actually, with more wear and tear and with more traffic, the slab actually comes up better over time; it develops a nice sheen. You can see that we’ve gone back to projects 9–10 years, and you can see it’s coming up; it develops over time.

HENRY: Yes, nice. So tell us what is SLAB-TECT, Lachie?

LACHIE: What is SLAB-TECT? Basically, in a nutshell, it’s a complete system. A system that we have come up with to provide a consistent solution for all exposed concrete slabs. Obviously, you’d all know that every project is different. So our approach is looking at it on a project-by-project basis and determining what is best for you and what’s best for the client, and the most cost-effective solution.

I guess SLAB-TECT has a number of different options. So it’s a complete system, and then we incorporate a number of different options in there that’s all designed and delivered by MARKHAM. It incorporates the penetrating hydrogel, like we’ve been talking about. That’s to ensure long-term durability and that protection from day one. Obviously, very important is the curing of the concrete to keep the concrete hydrated and to minimize cracking. Then along with that is a sheen-enhancing treatment, and that’s to provide a nicely finished looking slab, right ready for handover and looking sharp.

So we’re all about achieving a high-performance slab that will obviously endure all sorts of different wears and tears, and hold up for long-term. I don’t know if you’ve got anything else to add there, Henry.

HENRY: No, that pretty much covers that. I’ll just kind of say that traditionally, we all know about a slab. There’s a whole lot of different parties usually involved in it, from concrete cutting to placing to formwork; there’s a whole wide range. Then you get the other end of the project, where you’re scrubbing and cleaning it and doing that. So by putting our heads together and putting 25 years of knowledge into this, we’ve come up and just combined the whole system into one as such and work alongside of the client, and we can show you what we can give you.

LACHIE: Yes, it’s all from us to you. So what’s in it for you I guess is, we want to make it easy, we want to provide one consistent provider and one consistent methodology, and reduce risk really. We want to provide a system that you guys can rely on; a system that’s backed with insurance-backed warranties and long-term durability. So reducing that maintenance cost for your and your client’s assets, and maximizing yield. So coming up with a system to achieve high-performance slabs; a slab that’s going to last.

End-to-end service is a very important concept to MARKHAM. Obviously because every project is different, we look at each project; what their needs are, what their requirements are. We are definitely not about just firing our product out the back door. We like to get involved, get all parties involved, get everyone involved in the project to ensure a favourable outcome. So we’re involved right from design specifications with architects, and then right through to delivery onsite, where we use predominately in-house applicators, and they are all project-managed by MARKHAM‘s in-house team. Then obviously, right through to final documentation; your warranties, your QA documentation.

So yes, we’re all about delivering excellence on every project we put our hand to. Obviously, if you’re not satisfied with our process at the time, we’re committed to correcting it with urgency and importance. Anything else to add there?

HENRY: No, I guess just taking the risk of the likes of you guys that are designing. Taking the risk off and just covering that ourselves. We can only do that by the supply-and-apply method that’s has been a MARKHAM model for the last 25 years, and by quality-controlling, keeping hold of the QA and giving you warranties, that sort of thing. That’s a pretty good covering of that, I think, Lachie.

LACHIE: Yes. There’s many different applications and different users with this SLAB-TECT system. So your warehouses, your distribution centres, factories, workshops which are exposed to some fairly harsh conditions, like oil spills and that type of thing. So fairly important to protect that. Data centres. So we’ve been involved a lot recently in data centres in New Zealand; they seem to be popping up everywhere. Then right through to exposed retail floor slabs, where an aesthetically pleasing finish is desired. In retail companies, it’s important to have a nice-looking slab.

HENRY: That’s real good, so thanks. We’ve talked about how we can help you guys, and we just wanted to show you this quick example. It’s a quick couple of minutes video. There’s a big project, OJI Warehouse in Christchurch, that’s recently finished.

[MARKHAM OJI Case Study Video]

HAYDEN: Here we are at OJI Solutions slab in Christchurch. It’s a big new building, 35,000 square metres of investment. I’m very pleased to be working with Calder Stewart in conjunction, and getting the slab right for that build. As you can see a lot going on here, but we’re all about the slab here, and what we’re doing to protect the slab and add life to it. What we’re doing here is curing the slab, a process to seal anti-dust, and treat the slab for long-term performance and durability. Getting that result so it’s right from day one.

MATT: With this project, we’ve got a maintenance scrub going wherein we’re scrubbing every last piece of concrete weekly, and it’s to ensure actually delivering exceptional quality.

HAYDEN: So MARKHAM has been involved with concrete treatments for over 25 years now, working in New Zealand, Australia, UK, Southeast Asia. Our supply and installation package is to provide you with that total result. Being the manufacturer of the product and the deliverer and the installer, we can guarantee that result to you, and that long-term performance.

LACHIE: MARKHAM has the capacity to deliver, from small-scale projects right through to large-scale projects like this one behind me. MARKHAM has a great team culture to help deliver and provide that consistency across the board, and we pride ourselves on making it easy.

OUTRO: Saving the world, one concrete structure at a time. MARKHAM: Adding Life to Concrete.

[End of video]

HENRY: That showed you a little bit about what we can do. There’s a whole lot of different options out there. So this is just getting towards the end of our webinar now, and we wanted to open the floor up for some questions.

LACHIE: We’ve got a couple come through here, Henry.

HENRY: What have we got?

LACHIE: One came through. How do we include this in specifications?

HENRY: Yes, well, that’s a good question. So we have got a dedicated team working with architects and designers and engineers, our specification and design team. There’s a number of options we can do, across Australia and New Zealand. Here in New Zealand, we’ve got Masterspec specifications. We can also get access to the online portal, where if you guys send us your request, we can get on there, edit it for you and you can drop it straight back into your system. In Aussie, I think we’ve got EzySpec, and we work with a number of spec writers as well.

But it is a good point which you bring up in relation to specs. Because every project is a little bit different, and it’s not just a rinse and repeat as such. So we like to have a discussion early on, to make sure that we’re pointing in the right direction and doing that sort of thing. So hopefully that answers your question.

LACHIE: Yes, I was just going to say, it is important to have a quick sit down at the start of the project when they’re looking at the spec. Just sort of guiding them, I guess, pointing them in the right direction, to make sure that we’re speccing about the right product and everything.

Got another one come through. How long is the warranty? So the standard warranty is 15 years, and that’s the full performance-based warranty, and insurance-backed. So we’re not just providing a product warranty, we’re actually providing a full supply-and-install warranty. I don’t know if you have anything else.

HENRY: Yes, that’s good. There’s another one here that just jumped in there. What’s the design life of the material? So we didn’t really get too much in the technical side of things today, I think. But with the colloidal silica treatments that form a hydrogel inside your concrete; they’re in the concrete for the lifetime are the concrete. So they can’t be worn or abraded off the surface, they’re right through the concrete. The beauty of this is that essentially over time, it turns into the C-S-H of your concrete. So we’re not adding anything foreign to concrete here, we’re just putting more of the good stuff in. In fact, it’s beefing up the strength of your concrete, beefing up in the early days. It’s good curing, it’s more durable and more harder concrete from day one.

LACHIE: I was just going to say that it’s permanent inside the concrete, so it’s less maintenance. So you don’t have to come back in two or five years to reapply it or anything. It’s there for the lifetime of the concrete.

HENRY: The next one’s a good question. Isn’t it necessary to seal the concrete surface for carparks to protect from oils, etc? Well, it’s essential and necessary to seal and protect any concrete. That’s how you add life to concrete. With the hydrogel treatments, yes, we can stop the deep ingress of oils and contaminants getting into concrete, and therefore, protecting the concrete. This is essentially done by the hydrogel, which forms a blockage in the pores, feeds the hydration process, and also stops any nasties getting in there.

We do a whole ‘nother range, which will be another day for another webinar, in waterproofing and things like that. But essentially, if you can stop the moisture migration in and out of the concrete, you can stop all the nasties jumping on the back of that.

There’s another question there. How much is it approximately per square metre, this method?

LACHIE: I guess it really depends on the project, so we are project by project. It depends what sort of level of the SLAB-TECT we are providing, whether that’s just the densifier and the curing, and then the sheen enhancement. So I guess it ranges from around $5 – 8 a square.

HENRY: It can go up to whatever your budget requires as well. We can offer things like scrubbing, end-of-project, curing blankets, polishes, enhancers. So really, it’s about understanding your expectations, understanding your client’s expectations, and what we can offer there. But yes, every project is a little different.

LACHIE: Yes, I guess it just reiterates the fact that it is a complete system and varies from project to project. Great questions, thanks for firing them through. Doesn’t look like we have any more come through at the moment. Otherwise, feel free to reach out to myself or Henry afterwards.

HENRY: Yes, thanks for that. We will put an email out to you guys with some details as well. For any New Zealand projects, you can reach out to Lachie and myself, happy to help you out. We will also put some contacts for our Australian-based colleagues as well, if anybody’s joining in from Aussie. But yes, feel free to reach out, give us a yell anytime. We’re always keen to help, keen to add life by embracing your challenges. Whether it be curing, anti-dusting, carbonation, protection, right from top to bottom, we’re happy to discuss anything around that. So thanks very much, everybody. Have a great day.

LACHIE: Thank you for joining, we’ll catch up on the other side.