Pacific Garden Mission with Concrex

Pacific Garden Mission came to Watco in search of a product to level their shower floors where water was not draining. The mission opened their doors in the heart of Chicago in 1877, to help people who were down on their luck and homeless. As the oldest continuously operating mission in the United States housing over 800 people a night and serving 2,500 hot meals a day finding epoxy mortar to fix their showers was of high priority.

Originally, Pacific Garden Mission hired contractors to build the shower areas, but noticed that the showers weren’t draining and the epoxy flooring had started to lift several months later. After a while, mold and mildew became a huge problem between the shower floor and FRP walls.

Derrick McMorris, the maintenance manager, noticed water was seeping into the wall because coves were not created high enough up the walls. He searched the internet for pliable epoxy mortars that were easily applied when he found Watco’s Concrex Epoxy Resin Mortar. Knowing he could do the job himself instead of hiring another group of contractors, McMorris ordered the product and began the application.

Above: Shower floors at Pacific Garden Mission were cracking, spalling and overall not functional for constant water mixed with foot traffic.

Concrex Epoxy Resin Mortar cures granite hard and can be feather-edged for a flawlessly smooth finish. It was the perfect solution for Pacific Garden Mission because of its chemical resistance and anti-slip properties. With the changing of temperatures from hot and humid to cool and dry when showers are not in use, the material will never shrink or expand.

McMorris started by slanting the Concrex application towards the drain to prevent standing water on the floor. By coving Concrex up the new FRP panels, he ensured water could not seep in, creating mold again. McMorris created barriers in the area, using Concrex, to prevent water from flowing into the dorm area creating slipping hazards.

After letting the product cure, Epoxicote High Build was used to coat the surface and vinyl chips were also added to make the shower floor more uniform. Epoxicote High Build's 100% solids protective coating left the showers with an easy to clean surface resistant to heavy foot traffic, oils and cleaning solvents.

To add more of an attractive look vinyl chips were also put down followed by a clear top coat to add another layer of protection.

Above: Concrex used to created a border to prevent water from leaving the shower area. The Epoxicote High Build coating and Vinyl Chips create a more appealing and clean looking area.