Desco TB-7042 User Manual

DESCO INDUSTRIES INC. Technical Bulletin TB-7042

Statguard® Static Dissipative Floor Finish
Application Instructions & MSDS

General Guidelines

Statguard® and Statguard®-LH both eliminate
triboelectric generated charges before costly damage
can occur from personnel who approach static
sensitive parts and products. Statguard® also drains
static charges from personnel who forget to reattach
their wrist straps minimizing the damage that could
occur from handling. Even when using conductive tiles,
a triboelectric charge is generated. When Statguard®
or Statguard®-LH are applied over conductive tiles, the
enhanced floor tile eliminates charge generation due to
walking across the floor.

Generally accepted industrial stripping and floor finish
application procedures are to be followed as outlined
on pages 2 and 3 in this technical bulletin.

Figure 1. Statguard® Floor Finish

Description

Statguard® Static Dissipative Cross-Linked Floor
Finish is used to dissipate static charges as well as
prevent triboelectric (static charge generation) charges
while providing a clear, high gloss finish that resists
wear. Statguard® Static Dissipative Floor Finish is a
free flowing liquid emulsion, which can be applied on
any hard surface or sealed floor including vinyl, vinyl
asbestos, linoleum, rubber, asphalt, sealed or painted
wood, terrazzo and concrete. Statguard® technology
eliminates the need for static control tile or floor
mats. Statguard® dries in one hour and is ideal for
clean room and electronic manufacturing, assembly,
and test areas. For use in environments with relative
humidity of 30-65%; for low humidity environments use
Statguard®-LH.

SAFE WALKING SURFACE
UL Classified as to slip resistance only. Statguard®

provides superior electrical properties along with
a safe walking surface. Underwriters Laboratory
has eval uated Statguard® and tested it to their slip
resistance standards. To ensure employee safety
and to mitigate user’s liability exposure, it is important
to use floor finish that has been successfully tested
for slip resistance, and is properly installed and
maintained.

NOTE: Statguard® Static Dissipative Floor Care products
do not have a set life span. The chemicals are not known to
degrade over time when stored at the proper temperature
conditions as stated in the Material Safety Data Sheet.
We also recommend that these products be stored in their
original containers and be sealed when not in use.

GROUNDING

Conventional grounding practices like electrically
connecting Statguard® Static Dissipative Floor Finish
to earth ground or internal building ground are required
for applications of static dissipative floor finish that
are less than 50 square feet. For applications that
are greater than 50 square feet, the capacitance of
Statguard® Floor Finish is MANY, MANY times greater
than the capacitance of the human body model.
The difference in capacitance is so great that the
Statguard® treated floor acts as a theoretical reservoir
or natural ground. The capacitance and surface
resistance of the Statguard® treated floor will decay
a 5000v charge to zero in .05 sec. per FTMS 101B,
Method 4046. Statguard® has substantially less than
the maximum static decay time of 0.1 seconds.

Foot grounders should be used in conjunction with
any properly grounded conductive or static dissipative
flooring. It is recommended to wear foot grounders on
both feet.

Made in America

DESCO INDUSTRIES INC. • 3651 Walnut Avenue, Chino, CA 91710 • [phone] • Fax [phone] • Web Site: DescoIndustries.com

TB-7042 January 2011 Page 1 of 9

© 2011 DESCO INDUSTRIES, INC.

Employee Owned

Figure 2. Foot grounders should be used on ESD
protective flooring.

CONCRETE

Two measures are used to determine a good concrete
surface for Statguard

®

Floor Finish:

1. The surface should be dry or sealed.

2. The surface should be cleaned of all contaminants.

SURFACE

Surface to be finished should be clean, dry, and
smooth. Heavy dirt or grease build up should be
removed with a stripper or degreaser. DO NOT use
Statguard

®

on surfaces colder than 45° F.

Statguard Dissipative Floor Finish contains zinc.

SEALING

Surface preparation is absolutely critical for porous
materials such as concrete. Proper preparation
simplifies application, increases durability, and is
essential for proper adhesion of the coating of the
substrate. Industrial grade polyurethane, vinyl, or
acrylic base sealers are recommended to seal high
porosity floors before applying the Statguard® Floor
Finish. Enamel can be used for bare wood, and
enamel undercoat with rust inhibitor for metal.

New concrete should cure for 60 days before sealing.
Not all concrete surfaces are created equal. They vary
widely in physical and chemical qualities due to the
way the concrete was originally formulated, poured or
finished.

Concrete surfaces are very porous and should be
properly sealed prior to the application of Statguard®
Floor Finish. There are several methods to prepare
problem concrete. Each method depends on the
condition of the concrete. Cleaning methods range

from: sweeping, vacuuming, wire brush, air-blasting,

water jet, steam cleaning, or stripping. Adhesion
properties for the concrete sealer can be increased

by profiling or roughing surface through acid etching,
rotary drum sanding, scarifying, or mechanically
scratching the surface. The concrete sealer will reduce
the porosity of the concrete and provide a smooth and
level surface for the finish. The sealer also provides a
barrier to prevent any water migrating up through the
concrete.

No Sealer Application: Sealing is recommended for
increasing coverage and correcting problem concrete
surfaces that are not dry or free from grease, oil, etc.
If the subfloor surface is dry, level, and free from
dirt, grease, oil, paint, sealer, old adhesives, and
other foreign materials it may be suitable to applying
Statguard® finish directly onto the concrete.

COVERAGE

Statguard® Floor Finish covers approximately 2000
square feet per gallon per coat on smooth surfaces.
Coverage is less on coarse or textured surfaces. With

18% solids, Statguard

®

Floor Finish is easier to apply
with significantly better productivity than competing
brands.

DRY TIME

It is recommended that Statguard® be allowed to dry at

room temperature in excess of 70°F for 1 hour or until

dry. At high relative humidity levels, a longer drying
time may be necessary. Do not use force air drying.
Wait 6 hours before any light traffic, 12 hours before

regular traffic, 72 hours before any wet maintenance,

buffing, burnishing, and heavy equipment and floor
truck traffic.

CLOSE CONTAINER AFTER EACH USE. KEEP
FROM FREEZING. DO NOT TAKE INTERNALLY.

Optional Base Coat

Statguard® Conductive Latex Paint can be used as a
base coat to enhance the electrical properties where
conductive applications are needed. Statguard® Static
Dissipative Floor Finish will seal out dirt, debris and
protect the conductive surface allowing for ease of
maintenance and enhanced shine. Statguard® is a
polymer base floor finish/sealer that can be used
as a top coat on the Conductive Latex Paint. Two
coats are recommended, three coats will enhance
electrical properties, durability and reduce frequency
of maintenance. Ask your Statguard Flooring
Representative for Technical Bulletin TB-7001 for more
information on Statguard® Conductive Acrylic Paint.

Floor Preparation - Stripping

Always use in a well ventilated area.
Stripping the floor is recommended for first time

application of any finish. New tiles are supplied with a
protective factory finish that protects during installation
but should be stripped away prior to any floor finish
application. Properly maintained floors should be

DESCO INDUSTRIES INC. • 3651 Walnut Avenue, Chino, CA 91710 • [phone] • Fax [phone] • Web Site: DescoIndustries.com

TB-7042 Page 2 of 9

© 2011 DESCO INDUSTRIES, INC.

Employee Owned

stripped two to four times annually, depending on
traffic and buildup of contaminated finish. Statguard®
Floor Stripper is recommended to strip multiple layers
of floor finish.

Equipment needed:

• Push broom

• Single pad 175 rpm swing floor machine (with a

black or brown stripping pad)

• Mops

• Buckets

• Statguard

®

Floor Stripper

• Wet vacuum

1. Sweep away all loose dirt and trash.

2. Mix Statguard

®

Floor Stripper 3:1 three (3) parts

HOT water to one (1) part stripper.

3. Apply stripper liberally to around 200 square foot
area in need of stripping. Using a cotton string mop,
uniformly distribute the solution. Let the solution
stand for 5-15 minutes. Do not let it dry.

10. Inspect floor to be sure all stripper and old polish
has been removed.

It is recommended to test the stripped surfaces after
the second rinse to ensure that high pH residues
are rinsed away. Some high pH strippers will leave a
residue behind even after several rinses. A high pH
can affect the floor finish curing time as well as other
properties of the finish. To test for high pH residue,
test either the rinse water or the floor using either a pH
measuring instrument or a piece of pH indicating litmus

paper. A safe PH will be 7.0 (neutral). Two sources for

litmus paper are Micro Essential Laboratory, Brooklyn,
NY 11210 or Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, New Jersey

07410.

Statguard® Application

It is recommended that you apply two coats of
Statguard® Floor Finish. After stripping the factory
finish, new tile will have an initial high porosity and will
require three coats on first application. For known high
traffic applications, three coats are recommended for
extended life.

• If Statguard® freezes, allow it to thaw to 70° F

before application.

Figure 3. Stripping the floor

4. Scrub the floor with the floor machine at 175 rpm

(using a stripping pad soaked in stripping solution).
Work methodically, with at least two passes over
each area of the floor.

5. After scrubbing, pick up the solution with a wet vac
or mop.

6. Flood rinse the floor with clean, clear water.

7. Pick up the rinse water with a wet vac or mop.

8. Repeat steps 5 and 6. Entire floor should be rinsed

twice.

9. Damp mop the floor at least twice with clean mop
and clean water (change rinse water frequently to
ensure that all stripper solution residue is removed),
and let dry.

DESCO INDUSTRIES INC. • 3651 Walnut Avenue, Chino, CA 91710 • [phone] • Fax [phone] • Web Site: DescoIndustries.com

TB-7042 Page 3 of 9

Figure 4. Applying floor finish.

Equipment needed:

• Clean rayon (or cotton blend) mop, dedicated to

Statguard® use only

• Bucket dedicated to Statguard

®

use only.

1. Pour Statguard® Floor Finish into a clean mop
bucket and apply with a clean rayon (or cotton

blend) mop using a figure 8 motion.

2. Let the first coat dry at least 60 minutes, then apply
a second coat. Do not use force air drying.

3. Let second coat dry for at least 60 minutes to yield
a bright gloss. Repeat application to attain higher
gloss and higher conductivity (two coats will provide

© 2011 DESCO INDUSTRIES, INC.

Employee Owned