When Judy, the principal owner of Hansen Buildings, purchased the 20 plus year old 10,000 square foot pole building used as a shipping warehouse for Hansen Pole Buildings, little did she know it came along with a hidden “gift”. The previous owner had let his dogs run loose in the building, and the dogs did what dogs do…..all over the concrete slab floor.  She knew the floor was “needing some cleaning up”, but little did she know just how long it would take.

The problem is, concrete is not a solid, it is more like a sponge. Concrete will absorb liquids, and it will absorb both the urine and the smell. If the concrete gets wet, the urine which soaked in will begin smelling once again.

Once temperatures began to rise, the gift became more than merely odiferous. All the concrete floors were repeatedly scrubbed with industrial strength disinfectants and deodorizers, and then a concrete floor sealer applied similar to what the military uses to seal concrete floors in their out buildings. For the most part, the stench is now manageable.

In September, the owner of a dog breeding facility allowed Tippecanoe, Indiana county investigators to inspect a pole barn housing 40 dogs on his property.

On Oct. 1, the health department declared the pole barn a public health hazard. Now none of this was the fault of the pole barn, it was the fault of poor design and planning as well as not having an adequate waste disposal system.

Some advance planning before dogs get onto a concrete slab is the best answer.

A penetrating concrete floor sealer is likely the best bet to protect and maintain a concrete floor. These concrete floor sealers penetrate deep into the concrete’s pores coming into contact with the alkali and calcium ions, forming a gel.

This gel expands filling the pores and hairline cracks inside the concrete, turning the concrete into a solid mass. This process will prevent moisture and vapor migration up through the concrete floor, as well as down into it.

Look for a penetrating concrete floor sealer which is water based and says silicate penetrating solution on the specifications. These sealers can be applied with a pump up sprayer.

Oh, and the Indiana kennel owner? The health department has requested he install a commercial waste system which meets state requirements.  That’s going to take a little more than…pocket change.