Will odour keep my Centretown office closed after coating?

Odour and closure time depend on which coating system the contractor proposes, and the data sheet for that product sets the numbers, not a general rule.

Water-based epoxies and water-based polyaspartics carry less solvent odour than solvent-based primers or MMA systems. Whether odour alone forces a longer closure is a product question, not a fixed schedule. What the data sheet does set is when foot traffic is safe: one 100%-solids epoxy data sheet lists foot traffic at 24 hours; one polyaspartic data sheet lists light traffic at 24 hours with a dry-to-touch time of 2 to 4 hours; one MMA brochure (2010) lists cure in about one hour. Those are return-to-service figures, not odour-clearance figures. The two are not the same, and the contractor should tell you both.

A few things shape how long odour lingers in an office environment. Ventilation is the main lever: the Ontario Fire Code (O. Reg. 213/07, s.4.1.7.1) requires ventilation where flammable or combustible liquids are used, and whether a product is flammable depends on its Safety Data Sheet, Section 9 (flash point). Ask the contractor for the SDS before work begins. Section 2 of the SDS will tell you whether the product is a skin or respiratory sensitiser, which matters for any staff who re-enter before full cure. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, your employer obligation is to make the SDS readily available to workers who may be exposed.

Some solvent-based primers and MMA resins may be flammable liquids. If your building has gas pilot lights, heating equipment or any open-flame device, the Fire Code (s.4.1.5.2) says open flames, sparks or heat shall not be permitted in an area where flammable or combustible liquids are used unless controlled in a manner that will not create a fire or explosion hazard. Confirm with the contractor and your building manager which systems are in the space.

R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 851 (Industrial Establishments), s.11 applies to any floor surface used by a worker, including office floors, and says the finish shall not be likely to make the surface slippery. That is a floor-performance rule, not an odour rule, but it is worth confirming the chosen system meets it before you sign.

Before the work starts, obtain a WSIB clearance certificate for the contractor and confirm they carry liability insurance. Under WSIB policy 14-02-19, a business that retains a contractor for construction work must have a clearance in place before work begins; the householder exemption does not apply to a business.

Across the quotes you receive, line up: the specific product and its data sheet, the prep method and surface profile the contractor will achieve, whether a moisture test is included and what happens if the slab reads high, the number of coats and thickness from the data sheet, whether cove base is in scope, any anti-slip texture broadcast, and the closure window the contractor commits to based on the data sheet return-to-service times. You can submit a project request through this page and contractors listed in the Ottawa Construction Network directory will reply by email.

Before you commit to a schedule, ask each contractor to give you the ventilation plan in writing alongside the data-sheet cure times, so you know exactly when staff can safely return.