When you oversee the construction of a commercial building, you may be asked to select a floor covering. According to the Spruce, many companies choose an epoxy floor coating because they want a durable, easy–to–maintain floor. To further clarify, epoxy coat flooring occurs when a layer of epoxy is applied over a concrete floor. An epoxy coating is preferable to other floor coats due to its seamless surface that is easy to clean.
If you decide to overlay a floor made from concrete with epoxy coating, you must first prepare the floor. Epoxy won’t adhere properly to a polished concrete floor or a cracked or chipped floor. You must repair any cracks or chips in your concrete floor before applying an epoxy coating. Once your concrete is ready for epoxy, use an epoxy primer and allow it to dry.
According to the Spruce, having epoxy coated floors will give you a smooth, high-gloss surface. Anti-slip additives can be added to the formula to reduce the risk of slipping on the floor. A little creativity with the solution will allow you to apply it in different patterns to identify walkable areas. Consider hiring a flooring company to install epoxy for smooth, durable floors.
A floor coating can be a helpful addition to the flooring in any number of industries, from the construction industry to the restaurant industry. Though many of us may not initially realize the importance of a good and sustainable floor coating, the presence of a floor coating can have a large number of benefits.
For instance, a floor coating can drastically reduce the number of work related industries. As many of these work related industries originate from workers slipping and falling, the right floor coating can reduce the risk of this occurring in the first place. As nearly ninety percent of all claims looking for workers’ compensation are due to a slip and fall incident that happened in the workplace, it is important to note that a good amount of money could be saved with an investment in floor coatings in the workplace. In fact, slip and fall accidents cost as much as one hundred billion dollars in a single year. As many of these workplace slip and fall injuries amount in more than a month of missed work, the right floor coating will benefit not only the employer, but the employee as well.
Slip and fall accidents, though they mainly are suffered by employees, can, in certain industries like the restaurant and hotel industry, happen to clients and customers as well. Unfortunately, a slip and fall accident suffered by a customer or client is likely to lead to a lawsuit and a subsequent often highly expensive settlement. Fortunately, the implementation of commercial floor coatings can help to prevent the vast majority of these accidents, both for employees and consumers alike. Not only are people better protected from what can sometimes be a serious injury, industries and companies are also able to save a considerable amount of money that would have gone towards workers compensation costs when they invest in the right floor coating.
Choosing the right floor coating is important, however, and it is important to weigh the pros and cons for each type of coating that could be invested in. Take epoxy coatings, for instance. Epoxy coatings are incredibly durable and waterproof and very effective at preventing falls, but they have the potential to become brittle within a year of application. If the company or business is not willing to provide regular maintenance to its epoxy coated floors, it might be in their best interests to seek out a different type of floor coating, one that requires less regular servicing.
Polyaspartic coatings are another option for floor coatings that are ideal for a number of reasons. One of the main selling points of a polyaspartic coating is that it contains a very low number of VOCs. VOC stands for “volatile organic chemical” and so VOCs can be bothersome to those with many allergies or a high degree of chemical sensitivity. Because polyaspartic coatings are known for their low rates of VOCs, they help to maintain the quality of the indoor air. Polyaspartic coatings are also ideal because they can be installed and cured in just a day, meaning that the company they were installed for is able to get back to full function in a short period of time.
No matter what type of floor coating that you choose, the right choice of commercial floor coatings can be hugely beneficial for preventing slip and fall injuries and also for maintaining the quality of your floors in a rough work environment.