Floors work hard! They get walked on every day and have heavy objects placed on them. We tend to forget how much a floor goes through – until a large unsightly crack or a hole appears! A broken floor not only looks a mess, but it’s a safety hazard meaning your flooring will not be in line with the Australian Standards benchmark.
Industrial and commercial flooring needs to be made from a quality material and able to withstand abrasion, heavy loads, impact, large amounts of traffic and chemicals. Particular businesses need added qualities like anti slip, anti-static or anti-microbial qualities for medical settings.
Common Types of Industrial Floor Coatings
There are four main types of industrial grade floor coatings. Each coating has its strengths and weaknesses and will suit certain settings better than the other. They all work similarly by pouring the coating onto a surface which seals the flooring below. Common industrial floor coatings include:
Epoxy
Epoxy floor coating works in a range of settings and is chemical resistant, abrasion resistant and decorative. It’s one downfall is that it’s generally not UV stable, chalking up when in direct sunlight.
Polyurethane
This floor coating is as resistant and seamless as epoxy, and has the added benefits of being UV stable and more comfortable to walk over. It’s well suited as a top coat over epoxy, but can be sensitive to temperature and moisture during the application process.
Polyurea
Polyurea is an extremely resistant floor coating and the heaviest duty out of all mentioned here. But, it does require a bulky spray apparatus for application and it can fade when exposed to UV light.
Polyaspartic
One of the newer resin floor coatings on the marketplace. It’s highly durable, UV resistant, rapid curing and has a low moisture transmission rate, meaning a thinner layer works just as well.
Applications and Uses of Industrial Floor Coatings
Industrial floor coatings have a wide range of uses and applications. These include:
- Smoothing and levelling of a floor. Epoxy floor coatings create a smooth, level texture for a variety of industrial settings. This helps large machinery and vehicles stay level
- Flooring topcoat. Being more comfortable to walk on, polyurethane is often used as a topcoat to epoxy which doubles the strength, durability and protective properties
- Antimicrobial floor coating in healthcare settings. Hospitals, leisure centres and healthcare practices need an antimicrobial flooring to minimise the spread of bacteria, fungus and mold
- Anti-slip floor system. Anti-slip floor coatings are needed in the workplace to prevent injury
- Reduce the build up of static. Anti-static properties prevent dust build up which is preferred in settings such as manufacturing plants, hospitals and laboratories
Benefits of a Quality Industrial Floor Coating
Quality floor coatings in commercial and industrial settings is imperative. Without it, the floor is open to damage, unsanitary growth and can be a potential hazard for workers. The main benefits of an industrial floor coating include:
- Extremely durable
- Cost effective
- Easy to clean
- Made to high Australian safety standards
- Chemically resilient
- Visually appealing and customisable
- Helps to keep forklift and vehicle loads level
- Eco-friendly
What is the Most Durable Concrete Floor Coating?
Epoxy offers the best durability out of all the industrial grade floor coatings. It’s usually the go to paint for factories and industrial facilities being water resistant, chemical resistant, abrasion resistant, floor levelling, easy to maintain, hygienic and heavy duty. Anti-slip properties can be added and if paired with a topcoat of polyurethane, it becomes UV stable also.
Which is the Fastest Drying Industrial Floor Coating?
To get back to business quick smart, polyurea offers the fastest application and cure time. While it’s the newer floor coating on the block, it’s becoming popular due to its impressive physical properties such as chemical resistance, waterproofing, abrasion resistance, thermal resistance, flexibility and speedy cure time.
Industrial Floor Coating Services in Brisbane
Warren and Sons has over 25 years’ experience offering industrial and commercial floor coatings throughout Brisbane. All coatings are tested and guaranteed against failure. Contact us for a free quote on your project today.
