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<br /> <br />PART IV: SEALING MATERIALS TESTS <br /> <br />Building owners should be provided as many options as possible that have <br />been proven to be successful in making homes or buildings resistant to the <br />penetration of floodwaters. The building owner can then select the system <br />which best meets specific needs. In some cases it is desirable to have a <br />coating which will make a wall relatively impermeable to a head of water; <br />therefore, it was decided to test available materials and determine their <br />effectiveness and durability over several years. <br /> <br />Test Specimens <br /> <br />Test walls were needed for the application of the coatings. Brick cubes, <br />open at the top, were constructed for this testing because of the expense of <br />building prototype walls and bulkheads to test the coatings. Eight 2- by 2- <br />by 2-ft cubes and one 4- by 4- by 4-ft cube (Figure 44) were built for testing <br />the coatings. <br />The cubes were used to test the coatings in several ways. Coatings were <br />put on the inside or outside of the cubes which were filled with water to test <br />the effectiveness of the coating against a direct or reverse waterhead. The <br />larger cube was used to test materials and systems by placing water on the in- <br />side of the cube and also by building a bulkhead on the outside to have a <br />waterhead acting from the outside inward. <br /> <br />Materials Test Results <br /> <br />A search was made for coatings which manufacturers proposed for use to <br />seal a wall against a head of water. The following coatings were obtained <br />commercially or prepared in the lab and tested. <br />Clear coatin~s <br />It was desirable to find a clear coating which would make a wall resis- <br />tant to water penetration. Six proprietary clear coatings listed in Table 1 <br />(coatings 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, and 11) were found and tested. Three of the clear <br />coatings will be discussed in Part IV, and the epoxy and polyurethane coatings <br />will be discussed later. Each of coatings 1, 2, and 3 could be brushed or <br />sprayed on the wall, and both techniques were used with each coating. The <br /> <br />51 <br />