a.b.e. Construction Chemicals has expanded its range of dustless cementitious products with the launch of a dustless version of abe.dur – the company’s popular non-metallic high-strength floor screed.

a.b.e. is part of the Chryso Southern Africa Group of companies.

abe.dur is now for the first time available in a dustless format, and also in a single-pack formulation (hence the “S” in the product’s name) which eliminates the need for mixing the product with ordinary portland cement (OPC) and therefore the possibility that the use of sub-standard OPC will negatively affect the screed’s performance.

Peter Jones, a.b.e.’s National Sales Manager: Flooring, says the new product, abe.dur S – Dustless, is a blend of exceptionally hard, high wearing natural aggregates, shrinkage-compensated cement – free from any metallic material – ideal to produce a durable granolithic type of floor.

“abe.dur S Dustless is suitable for both interior or outdoor flooring surfaces that experience heavy wear and operate in very wet or dry situations. Screeds produced with abe.dur S Dustless can be applied to fine tolerances with respect to line and level. abe.dur has been successfully used in mine stores and changerooms, hostel kitchens, abattoirs, warehouses, bakeries, fish shops and shopping malls. It is also suitable for sand blasting plants, pavements, bus sheds, drying tunnels, and freezer rooms. The new dustless version will be welcomed by a construction industry increasingly obliged to meet more stringent ‘green’ operating conditions. The fact that the product is now also pre-mixed will also provide more assurance of consistent quality to contractors,” Jones feels.

Some of the other advantages of abe.dur S Dustless include:

• Ease of application: needs only the addition of potable water to form the mix;
• Scope for selecting specific surface profile finishes;
• Ultra-high strength and abrasion resistance;
• Quick turn-around;
• Uniform application thicknesses of between 10mm and 35mm; and
• Can be monolithically applied on top of a new ‘green’ subfloor.

Jones says when abe.dur S Dustless is laid monolithically on concrete, the slab should be cast to within at least 10mm of the finished level after the concrete had attained initial setting. “When the product is bonded to an existing floor with an epoxy adhesive, such as a.b.e.’s epidermix 116, the floor should have suitable compressive and tensile adhesion strengths.”

He adds that full curing is essential and – if properly carried out – could lead to abe.dur S Dustless achieving compressive strengths of over 80 MPa.

a.b.e.’s East London Technical Sales Consultant, Nick Pike says abe.dur recently formed part of a trio of a.b.e. products applied by Monobulelwa Construction for the revamping of forecourt flooring at the Aloe Oil service station in Butterworth in the Eastern Cape. a.b.e.’s epidermix 116 and duracure SBC were the other products selected for this 330m2 project.

“a.b.e. epidermix 116 two-component, solvent-free epoxy compound was used as screed adhesive with duracure SBC (solvent-based clear) curing compound to ensure faster and adequate curing. The curing compound maximises hydration of cement and thereby increases the strength of concrete as well as its resistance to wear,” Pike states.