Provided is a ceiling tile coated on at least one surface with an acoustically transparent coating which creates pores at the tile surface and comprises a high Tg polymeric binder, titanium dioxide, and particles selected from the group consisting of void latex particles, hollow glass beads, calcium carbonate, calcium magnesium carbonate, calcined clay and any combination thereof. Compositions for acoustically transparent coatings and methods for making a substrate surface acoustically transparent are provided as well.

Provided are highly water-resistant, flexible cementitious coating compositions comprising: an aqueous styrene-butadiene latex, one or more epoxy silane, cement, and one or more solid filler. The epoxy silane may comprise one or more epoxy functional groups and one or more hydrolysable functional groups selected from siloxy, silane, and, silanol or combinations thereof. Also provided are kits comprising the components of the cementitious coating compositions, methods for providing coatings, layers or membranes derived from such wet compositions, as well as the coatings, layers or membranes derived therefrom.

Plastomer-modified asphalt binders meeting MSCR specifications, asphalt paving materials with such asphalt binders, and methods for fabricating such asphalt binders are provided. The asphalt binder contains a base asphalt and a plastomer. If the plastomer has a drop point no greater than about 139° C., the asphalt binder further contains sulfur; sulfur-containing compounds, such as hydrocarbyl polysulfides and thiuram disulfides; phenolic resins; metal oxides; or a combination thereof. The asphalt binder is substantially free of elastomer.

Aqueous polymer dispersions are produced by radically initiated emulsion polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers in the presence of protective colloids and/or emulsifiers in a continuously operated tubular reactor, characterized in that the direction of flow of the reactor contents is reversed along the longitudinal axis of the reactor over the course of polymerization.

The invention relates to a composition for a pasty fill and finishing material, a pasty fill and finishing material, and a method for producing a pasty fill and finishing material. The composition comprises at least one filler, at least one binding agent, and additives, wherein the at least one filler has a density dependent flowability (ff.sub.ρ) value of from 3 to 20.

The present disclosure describes architectural blocks configured to give the appearance of real cut stone. A fresh plaster composition may be applied to one or more surfaces of a block, such as a concrete masonry unit (CMU) to form an architectural block having the appearance of cut stone. The fresh plaster composition includes a cementitious component, such as white Portland cement, water, a limestone aggregate component, and optionally an adhesive component. The limestone aggregate component includes a fine sand portion and a coarse sand portion that effectively enable the appearance of cut stone after finishing of the hardened or curted plaster surface via sanding and/or polishing.

The present disclosure describes modular blocks configured to give the appearance of natural or cut stone. An aesthetic coating composition may be applied to one or more surfaces of a block having a low-density, such as an insulating concrete form (ICF), to form an modular block having the appearance of cut stone. The aesthetic coating composition includes a binder component, such as a cementitious binder made from white Portland cement, or a polymer binder such as an acrylic binder, an aggregate component, such as a limestone aggregate component, and optionally an adhesive component. The aggregate component includes a fine sand portion and a coarse sand portion that effectively enable the appearance of cut stone after finishing of the aesthetic coating surface via sanding, polishing, sandblasting, acid etching, acid finishing, or exposed aggregate finishing.

The present invention relates a coating powder comprising a rare earth oxyfluoride (Ln-O—F) and having: an average particle size (D.sub.50) of 0.1 to 10 μm, a pore volume of pores having a diameter of 10 μm or smaller of 0.1 to 0.5 cm.sup.3/g as measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry, and a ratio of the maximum peak intensity (S0) assigned to a rare earth oxide (Ln.sub.xO.sub.y) in the 2θ angle range of from 20° to 40° to the maximum peak intensity (S1) assigned to the rare earth oxyfluoride (Ln-O—F) in the same range, S0/S1, of 1.0 or smaller in powder X-ray diffractometry using Cu-Kα rays or Cu-Kα.sub.1 rays.

Provided is a concrete hardener composition. The concrete hardener composition includes a sodium silicate compound, an acid compound and a balance amount of solvent. The sodium silicate compound includes sodium silicate or a mixture of sodium silicate and sodium methylsilicate. The acid compound includes acetic acid, glycolic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, tartaric acid, nitric acid, boric acid or a combination thereof. The solvent includes water or a mixed solution of water and polyol. Based on the total weight of the concrete hardener composition, the content of silicon is between 5 wt % and 15 wt %, and the content of the acid compound is between 2 wt % and 30 wt %.

An asphalt-cement concrete (“ACC”) interlayer formed of a plant-mix material reinforced with aramid fibers, deposited at a thickness of at least one inch (1″) over a Portland-cement concrete (“PCC”) or ACC base, can extend the service life of a hot-mix asphalt (“HMA”) surface layer installed over the interlayer by retarding or preventing “reflected” cracks—cracks in the surface layer that correspond to cracks, damage and irregularities in the PCC or ACC base. When the surface layer's useable life has expired, it can be removed and replaced, and the interlayer can continue to protect the new surface layer.