Florock Floropoxy and Florothane flooring, skillfully installed by Prepco of TX.

The term epoxy flooring is often used to describe a variety of concrete floor coating systems that are composed of a variety of high performance resins. With so many resin coating options to choose from, the question might arise: How is it possible to determine which epoxy flooring option is right for a particular facility?

Every concrete floor is different, and even within a single facility, it might be necessary to install several types of floor coating products, depending on the diverse performance requirements. Even the concrete slabs themselves may present different composition and characteristics from room to room. Regardless of some manufacturers’ claims, no one resin floor type can do it all. Following are the major types of resin-based floors and epoxy flooring, along with their characteristics.

Epoxy Concrete Flooring Systems

Epoxy is one of the most widely known materials among floor coating resins, and is one of the most broadly utilized in the concrete flooring industry. As a concrete covering and protector, appropriately-selected epoxy floor coatings can help preserve the structural integrity of a floor slab and safeguard facility investment.

Cementitious Urethane Mortar Flooring

Our USDA approved, antimicrobial cementitious urethane flooring offers the combination of versatility and strength that many challenging environments rely on. Particularly popular in commercial kitchens and food and beverage processing facilities, our urethane cements and coating systems lend themselves well to a variety of industrial, commercial and institutional floor coating applications.

MMA Acrylic Flooring Thin film Urethane Floor Coatings

When you need your flooring to have some of the best chemical, stain and abrasion resistance available, our urethane floor coating systems are the answer. For a high performance topcoat, the array of unique benefits offered by our thin film urethanes is hard to beat.

Polyaspartic Floor Finishes

You don’t always have the time or the ability to shut down your facility—not even for critical maintenance like floor installation. Institutions like schools and universities, 24-hour hospitals and public safety facilities, and even retail and grocery stores sometimes need to get back onto their new floor in a matter of hours. When timing is critical, and especially when air management is not possible, Florospartic polyspartic floor coating is the way to go. With its excellent resistance to chemicals and abrasion as well as its fast, very low-odor curing, this flooring gives you the high performance floor finish you need, when you need it.

Each of these resinous epoxy flooring and other polymer floor finishing systems furnishes the end user with a unique set of performance and aesthetic characteristics. Occasionally a single type of resin chemistry is used to coat an industrial, commercial or institutional floor. More commonly, however, several resin systems are installed in layers to provide optimal properties in a customized flooring solution.

Florock Antimicrobial Flooring, impressively installed by Garcia Smester of Dominican Republic.

Why use an epoxy primer?

It is a common misconception that epoxy primers are an extraneous added cost. However, they provide a variety of important solutions to several widespread problems associated with concrete surfaces. If superior adhesion and endurance is needed, the use of an epoxy primer is a necessity, not an extra. Some benefits provided by epoxy floor primers include:

Penetration into the concrete substrate, providing an overall better mechanical bond to the slab. Superior chemical bond for subsequent epoxy base coats. Because of their lower viscosity, epoxy primers fill the pores of the slab substrate and help to eliminate bubbles and pinholes that can form due to concrete They allow subsequent coats to achieve a higher dry film thickness and uniform finish. Some epoxy primers can serve help mitigate moisture vapor transmission (MVT) from beneath the floor slab. Some are moisture tolerant and work well when being applied over higher relative humidity floors.

Depending on the type of primer used, dry times and recoating windows vary. This includes both fast-curing and slower-curing options, moisture tolerant formulations and moisture vapor mitigating options. Primers may be selected for their ease of handling, lower or higher viscosity, installation temperature range, ability to cure well in a given environment or temperature, pot life, and a host of other reasons.

Compatibility of a given epoxy primer with a chosen flooring system may vary according to resin types and other factors. High performance fluid-applied flooring is intended for use by professionals. Therefore, utilizing a manufacturer-approved installer is the best way to get a correctly applied floor that performs as designed. When in doubt, contact the manufacturer for assistance in selecting a local installation company.

Epoxy Primers Options Floropoxy 4700: A quick-curing 100% solids epoxy primer Floropoxy 4755: A slower-curing, 100% solids, tacky epoxy primer Floropoxy MVT: A 100% solids epoxy primer that can help mitigate lower levels of moisture as part of the FloroProof System FloroCrete P: A moisture tolerant cementitious urethane primer, which is also part of the FloroProof Moisture Mitigation System Prime & Protect

Regardless of the purpose, high quality epoxy primers, applied as the first coat over properly prepared concrete, furnish the best foundation for your polymer flooring systems.

They provide your concrete floor coatings with better adhesion, improved aesthetics and increased durability.

With different formulas available for a variety of needs and applications, our selection of epoxy primers helps ensure the best performance possible from your concrete floor coatings.

 

Florothane MC Hangar Flooring with embedded squadron logos, beautifully installed by RP Coatings of CA.

When embedding graphics or epoxy logos into resinous flooring, every seasoned professional installer has his or her own secrets for achieving the crisp, clean-edged result desired. It takes significant technique and skill to get it right and the different shapes, sizes, color combinations and other factors can play a role, challenging even the most experienced pros.

In general, one of four different methods is typically employed when adding unique graphics to polymer flooring systems:

1) Logo or message pre-printed on special perforated mesh

2) Logo or message pre-printed as an adhesive decal

3) Logo or message cut out of coated paper in the form of a stencil.

4) Freehand drawing and painting

How to Choose a Logo Method

The reasons for using one method over another are varied and many. The size, shape and number of colors involved in a given graphic design can play a roll, as can the installation crew’s preference and experience in using a specific material.

In addition, the thickness, cure time and composition of the floor coating system can influence which logo application technique gets employed.

Common to all methods of floor graphics installation is the need for meticulous planning. Decisions about the logo’s design and size, as well as its location on the floor must be carefully made.

An appropriate background for the graphic can then be selected from an almost unlimited number of offerings, ranging from solid colors to blends of multi-colored chips or quartz, or even one of the new shimmering “metallic” floors.

When using a pre-printed design or stencil, ordering the graphic as early as possible can be important. Using the services of a reputable specialty printer may cost a bit more, but can save time and headaches at the job-site.

Once the graphic is delivered, getting the facility manager’s approval on the final printed or cut-out design before installation onto the industrial floor is always good practice.

Preserving the Graphic

After the logo or message is embedded into the resinous flooring system, one or more topcoats of clear, non-yellowing epoxy, urethane or other high performance resin helps ensure that the beautiful graphic and floor design will adorn the facility for years to come.

Beautiful FloroBuild Flooring Installation by Hubbard & Associates, Inc. of NC.

Every manufacturing operation presents unique challenges that call for precise flooring solutions. In addition to adding visual interest to industrial facilities, warehouses, or factories, industrial epoxy and other high performance resinous floor coatings can help improve workers’ productivity, as well as support their health and safety.

Like many design and engineering decisions, site conditions play a key role in the type of floor coating that should be applied. For instance, food and beverage production plants, storage facilities, laboratories, and pharmaceutical plants require high performance and sanitary floor surfaces that are easy to clean and resist abrasion, staining and deterioration from chemicals.

Why Choose Epoxy Floors?

Benefits of applying epoxy coatings and other high performance flooring in industrial manufacturing facilities include:

Chemically Resilient: Well-designed epoxy floor coatings and other resinous finishes can survive exposure to strong chemicals, solvents and exposure to extreme pH. This is ideal for manufacturing facilities that may use such substances on a regular basis. Depending upon formulation, once the high performance coating components cure, the resulting solid polymer surface can be incredibly strong and prevent chemical and physical breakdown. Safety: Epoxy and other resin-based finishes have customizable skid-resistance to help prevent slips and falls. Some offer static control properties and most have a “self-extinguishing” fire rating. By nature, resinous flooring does not promote the growth of harmful mold, however additional antimicrobial additives, such as FloroSeptic can help further inhibit the spread of pathogens. These and other factors will help uphold both the safety of your employees and your structure. Cost-Effectiveness: Concrete floors coated with resinous finishes, such as epoxy, last longer and resist substantial wear, thus saving facilities money and allowing managers to devote resources to other aspects of the business. Time-Saving: In most cases, epoxy flooring and other resinous systems can be installed relatively quickly, reducing or, depending upon scheduling, even eliminating lost production time. Inexpensive and Easy Cleaning: Once concrete has been properly prepared and coated in a high quality resin or epoxy floor covering, it is no longer porous. That means dirt, chemicals and other substances remain on the surface and the floor is easier to clean. Lack of grout lines means quicker sanitation and fewer man hours scrubbing. Plus, many resinous finishes, such as Florock Floors, never need waxing. Visual Appeal: Florock offers a wide variety of floor coatings in an array of colors, patterns, and even customized logos to fit each facility’s specific style. Brightness: Many of our customers prefer a high-gloss option for coatings, which can enhance lighting due to reflection. Light-colored floors can also help brighten the space and occupants’ mood. Easy on Forklifts and Vehicles: A properly coated concrete floor has a safe, monolithic surface, free of unevenness, cracks and potholes. This helps keep forklift loads level, vehicle suspension systems and tires intact. As the result of well-selected epoxy or resinous floor, the money and time spent maintaining and repairing truck loading equipment can be greatly reduced. Eco-friendly: Epoxy and other resin-based flooring can be a green option for your business, eliminating the installation cut-off waste of tile and rolled goods. Facility managers like knowing that the majority of today’s liquid flooring components contain zero VOC, and that products from leading manufacturers contain no heavy metals. In addition, Florock is formaldehyde and phthalate-free, offers recycled glass aggregate blend options and furnishes recyclable packaging for many products. The infrequent replacement and sheer long-term durability of epoxy flooring and other fluid-applied alternatives add to their environmentally-friendly benefits.