BulletProof™ specification and application

What this page covers

This is the installer's and the specifier's page. It carries the two BulletProof™ documents that are not the product sheet: the technical data sheet and the mixing and installation instructions. If you want what BulletProof is, how the composite behaves under wear and acid, and where Zirconia specifies it, that is the BulletProof™ product page. What follows is the working detail for the crew and the person writing the specification.

One thing carries over from the product page because everything here depends on it. BulletProof is a crosslinking topcoat for CeramycGuard™. It forms a physical and chemical bond with the CeramycGuard base layer, and the two together make a continuous composite that is chemically bonded to the concrete substrate, protecting it against abrasion and acid attack. BulletProof is never applied straight to concrete, and every instruction below assumes a sound CeramycGuard base coat underneath.

Surface preparation

CeramycGuard™ must be fully bonded, cured for at least 24 hours, clean and dry. All quality control procedures for the base coat are completed before BulletProof is opened, and the CeramycGuard technical data sheet and installation instructions govern that work. The surface has to be free of oils, detergents, residues, dirt, debris, loose rust and any other bond breaker.

CeramycGuard may be swept, mopped, power washed or auto scrubbed with hot water. If water is introduced for cleaning, the base coat has to dry fully before BulletProof goes on. Where incidental contamination has occurred from oil, lubricant, detergent or any other foreign material, those areas are cleaned properly and every residue from the cleaning agent is removed as well. The readiness check is simple: wipe several random areas with a clean damp white rag. The rag should come away clean, or with only a very light residue. If the base coat wipes away, confirm the ambient conditions are inside the recommended range and give it another 24 hours.

Mixing

BulletProof is a two-part material. The application surface is cleaned of contaminants and loose debris and allowed to dry fully, and its temperature is confirmed not to exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Part A is emptied into a clean pail, then the entire contents of part B are poured into part A. Where several gallons are being mixed at once, all of the part A goes in first and all of the part B after it.

The combined material is stirred slowly and gently by hand, then left to stand for 45 minutes before use. That standing time is not optional and it is not idle: pre-polymerization takes place during it, the components begin chemically interacting, and the viscosity rises. Material may be mixed the day before application if it is stored cool, dry and tightly sealed with little or no head space, and any head space flushed with nitrogen to prevent accelerated aging. Once mixed, the material begins to age. Keep it sealed when it is not in use, and discard it if any gelling occurs.

Where Zirconia's integral ceramic slip resistance additive is specified, the predetermined amount goes in just before application, with the add rate and grit size settled before the order is placed. It is dispersed slowly and gently with a drill and mixing attachment until the particles are fully distributed. Because of the density difference the particles start floating to the surface as soon as mixing stops, so the material has to be remixed and kept continually agitated as it is poured out or loaded onto roller covers. Particles allowed to congregate at the surface produce uneven slip resistance across the finished floor.

Application

A Zirconia representative should be onsite, or virtual technical training completed, before a crew applies the product for the first time. With the base coat verified and the surface confirmed clean, material is applied by dip and roll, or by pouring a ribbon directly onto the substrate and back-rolling it out. Use a quarter to three-eighths inch nap shed-free roller cover, work in a crosshatch pattern at 50 percent overlap, and finish with a final unidirectional pass to even out the application.

Only light pressure on the roller. It gives a more even film and uses less material. Saturate the surface completely to a wet film thickness of 2 to 3 mils, the figure in the installation instructions, against the 1 to 3 mil range printed in the technical data sheet. Coverage is typically 300 to 400 square feet per gallon and varies with the porosity and the surface profile of what is underneath. More porous areas absorb more heavily and mat early, so re-wet them lightly and keep reapplying until the wet film thickness holds. Spiked shoes are worn to walk the floor and to cross any coated area before initial hardening. Mask off anywhere you do not want coverage, and plan a cut-in brush for anything that cannot be masked and concealed cleanly.

The touch-up window is the first 30 minutes and touch-ups go on wet on wet, without exceeding 3 mils wet film thickness. After that window, let the material dry until it is tack-free before recoating.

Conditions, cure and return to service

Ambient temperature during application is 50 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and the application surface itself must not exceed 85 degrees. Zirconia recommends recording temperature and humidity with a HOBO MX 1101 or a similar logger before, during and at the completion of the installation, so that curing conditions can be shown to have been met rather than assumed, and monitoring continues through the cure.

At 1 mil dry thickness and 50 percent relative humidity, the material dries to touch in 30 minutes at 55, 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Drying time depends on temperature, humidity and film thickness. Keep the area off limits to foot traffic and equipment for 24 hours after application and until it is fully cured, and protect it from water for a minimum of 24 hours. Tools and sprayers are cleaned thoroughly with acetone after application so no material is left in them.

Safety

Read the safety data sheet before use. Wear safety glasses, gloves, a respirator and any other protective equipment needed to keep the material away from eyes, mouth, skin and other sensitive areas. BulletProof carries a high VOC and uses a midrange solvent, with a flash point of 14 degrees Fahrenheit, so ventilation and ignition sources deserve attention on the method statement. Zirconia states VOC per product and never as a claim across the line: ActiveCure™ and Ceramic System PoreBlocker™ are zero VOC, CeramycGuard™ is near zero, Fortress XD™ is low, and BulletProof is the high one.

Warranty

The technical data sheet carries Zirconia's standard product warranty, which covers title, conformance to Zirconia's quality standards at the time of manufacture, and delivery free of any third party infringement claim. All other express or implied warranties are disclaimed, claims are made in writing within five days of discovery and no later than the shelf life or one year from delivery, and liability is limited to replacement or refund. Read the data sheet itself for the operative wording.

The 15-year warranty that attaches to Fortress XD™, on a spec-compliant installation of the full stack, is a Fortress XD term. It does not transfer to BulletProof.