Vanberg Coatings Can Save Your Concrete’s Life

Published on Thu, 01/30/2020 - 10:09am

 Vanberg Coatings Can Save Your Concrete’s Life

 By Steve Weisman

 A concern for dairy producers is the upkeep required to keep their dairy buildings in good shape and ready for inspection.  Over time, even with new structures, signs of wear and tear begin to appear, compromising the hygiene of the facility, and risking the safety of livestock and employees.  Now what? Let it go, or take care of it? Where can dairy producers turn? The answer lies in Vanberg Specialized Coatings (www.vanbergcoatings.com), one of the only agriculture-focused concrete protection and restoration companies in the world.

Over 25 years ago, the Vanberg team recognized the unique corrosion problems of dairies and began developing protective coatings and repair products to address these issues.  Lactic acid will attack unprotected concrete, as will chemical cleaners. Over time the surface will be eaten away, leaving larger stone exposed. The constant impact of cow hooves gradually breaks down even higher strength concrete, and constant thermal shock from hot water sanitary washdowns can result in spalling of the concrete, particularly if cracks have formed from ground settlement.

Working closely with veterinarians and dairymen, Vanberg tested and developed a wide-range of protection and restoration options, from simple patch and repair solutions, to protective coatings for every area of the dairy facility, such as parlor floors, milk and chemical rooms, wall protection, and more.

Two solutions that definitely meet the needs of dairy producers include Con-Korite Xtra and Armorcoat XC Systems. Both of these products work well in wet, high humidity environments, while at the same time providing fast set-up times, in the range of 30 to 60 minutes. The Vanberg team can point to installations that have been in service for nearly 20 years.

Ben Outlaw, Eastern Region Sales Manager, has been with Vanberg Specialized Coatings for over three years. “These products are perfect for the dairy producer because repairs can be completed quickly. With Con-Korite Xtra and Armorcoat XC systems, you can protect the concrete and make it stronger than the original. At the same time, we understand the dairy industry and know that there can be no down time. The repairs must be done quickly. In addition, the repairs must be made so that the dairy is in compliance with dairy regulations.”

Outlaw notes the importance of customer satisfaction. “We have dealers and distributors across the United States, and Vanberg’s goal is to provide them with the support they need to help their customers. We have a growing list of applicators trained to do the job. We can also work directly with dairy producers and offer technical support if they want to do the work themselves.”

Outlaw adds, “When dairy producers contact me with an issue, I often have them take pictures on their phone and send them to me. I can then look at the situation and help them identify the perfect solution for the specific issues of their environment.”

Con-Korite Xtra is a unique pure cement technology providing a fast-setting extra abrasion resistant, high strength and non-shrink mortar that is tolerant of chemicals like salt and sulfate. It can be used for parlor floors, walls, feed bunks, mangers, gutters, troughs, tank rooms, walkways, curbs for grouting and building edges. Con-Korite Xtra is easy to use…just add water and mix. When mixed with KB25 Acrylic Resin, resistance to absorption by corrosive compounds and enhanced bounding properties are added to the repair. “How-to” videos can be found online to guide each step of the repairs.

Armorcoat XC Systems are designed to be rapidly installed between milkings, minimizing disruption to dairy operations. Once the products are applied, Dairy Operators are often surprised to find that they reduce their cleaning time significantly because they are no longer struggling to clean manure slime from the grooves and exposed aggregate in the surface.  The impervious, crack free surfaces also contribute to hoof health, as they are non-slip, easy to clean, and are sloped to drain to avoid pooling water. Vanberg’s Armor-Stone overlay is perfect for containment areas, or where drainage requires proper sloping.

Vanberg’s Armor-Rock systems are perfect for overlay zones attacked by acids and sulfates. The system provides chemical protection and a non-slip, uniform, durable surface that can last ten years or more. These surfaces stand-up to scraping, and does not warp or allow feed stuffs and liquids to get under the surface.

Brad Hinkle, who is the Midwest Region Sales Manager, has been helping dairies select and install Vanberg products for over 10 years. “Our products help solve several challenges when doing concrete repair work in dairies.” Hinkle finds that some dairy producers want a professional applicator to complete needed repair work. One is Justin Cady from Chatfield, MN, who has been in the coatings industry since 2011 and founded Paveman Designs, LLC in 2016. “I first learned about Vanberg Coatings from an area dairy farmer a few years ago.”

After doing his research, Cady was sold on the Vanberg products, and as a result, Cady has worked with a lot of dairy producers seeking to repair and protect their concrete surfaces. “Being located in southeast Minnesota, most of my work has been within a couple of hours, but if I am asked, I will travel 6-7 hours and will cover Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. The products work well, and by using Vanberg Coatings, we can fix the issue and extend the life of the structure.”

Cady notes, “I had one dairy farmer that had us come in to repair his carousel milking parlor. He liked the results, and I ended up going back for three more repair projects.”

When planning new construction or expanding a new facility, experienced dairy operators will build into their budget the cost of adding protective coating to the new concrete surfaces to save valuable milking time down the road. Waiting for the inevitable erosion of the concrete only increases the complexity of the job but also results in more costly downtime.

Kyle Frans, General Manager of the Vanberg brand, shared that the company’s vision has  always been to respect the values of agri-business by creating cost-effective and durable repair, restoration and protection products that provide lasting benefit for the producers. “We are here to help with technical expertise and support to assure the best solutions and installation for our customers.”
    
Contact information
To learn more about Vanberg Specialized Coatings
Email: vsc@vanbergcoatings.com
Phone: (800) 874- 0631
Email Ben Outlaw at
ben@vanbergcoatings.com
Email Brad Hinkle at
brad@vanbergcoatings.com