Encasement

Encasement is the coating over, covering or "encasing" of all building components, interior and exterior. This includes all roofing and toxic hazards materials, such as asbestos, lead-based paint, mold/mildew and other harmful substances, found in buildings. The technique of encasing all building components, including unsafe ones, with green coatings is by far the most efficient way to reduce the harmful effects on people and the environment while lengthening the life of buildings. It is an economical alternative to other abatement methods such as removal, disposal and replacement.

Encasement with green coatings is a long-term, sustainable, and renewable solution compared to typical paints or coatings which only last a few years. In place management and restoration with encasement green coatings is the best and most practical way to extend a buildings life along with safely dealing with most of its components.

Encasement is also less disruptive of ongoing services. It does not require shutting down buildings or having to relocate occupants, which is costly and time-consuming. Most work can be completed with minimal amount of time and with no building disruption at all.

Encasement with green coatings can result in savings of 25% to 75% over removal and replacement, and extend the life of most building surfaces.

Green coatings have no environmental downside to using them. They are non-toxic, water based, low VOCs, (Volatile Organic Compounds), no ODS (Ozone Depleting Substances), and Class A fire rated. The products are backed up with toxicological reports proving that they are so clean, that pregnant women and children can be present when applying them.

Green coatings used for encasement should be extremely durable, long lasting and able to take a lot of abuse. They must be especially flexible; being able to elongate with the expanding and contracting of any typical building movements.

Since the early 1980s, four major methods have been used for the abatement of Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACM) and Lead-Based Paint (LBP).

Enclosures – Dust-tight barriers such as sheetrock or plywood are erected to protect against the release of the hazardous material into the environment. When the enclosure is eventually removed, the hazardous material is once again exposed and it usually has become more friable and prone to being released into the atmosphere. Care must be taken to insure that untrained or uninformed workers do not re-expose the hazardous surfaces unknowingly and endanger themselves and/or the inhabitants by causing a release into the environment.

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Wikipedia