Take a look at the showroom floor of a car dealership or perhaps a local retail store. Have you ever wondered how their concrete stays so neat and tidy? It never seems to mark or show cracks or stains. Have you tried to figure out their secret? The truth is, the reason for the durability and hard wearing of these commercial floors is down to the commercial floor coatings that they are treated with. If you had your floors laid by ready mix concrete Southampton suppliers, you could also ask them about the commercial floor coatings that are available.
Special concrete sealers are used by ready mix concrete Southampton suppliers to create the unblemished effect, strength and durability of the concrete floors. Showroom and retail floors as well as those in some wholesalers and other commercial buildings can be subjected to a huge amount of traffic on a daily basis. For many it is only foot traffic, but it can also include vehicles, forklifts, trolley jacks, machinery, pallet jacks and more. Normal concrete flooring would not stand up to this kind of heavy duty wear over an extended period of time.
There are many types if commercial floor coatings available and if you speak to the experts at your local ready mix concrete Southampton area suppliers, they can give you an idea which one would best suit your purpose. The flooring can even include slip resistance elements, multi-layers and decorative elements, depending on the application and what you want to achieve.
Epoxy floor coatings are the most commonly used in industrial and commercial buildings. These commercial floor coatings are generally laid on as a thick flooring layer which is applied on top of a concrete floor. It has impact, heat and chemical resistance, so is often used in areas where this might be an issue.
Slip Resistant floor coatings are made up of a base of epoxy or another type of coating, to which special aggregates are added to create a surface that allows for grip even when the surface is wet. This can be used in outdoor areas, bathrooms and even shop or warehouse floors where grip might be an issue.
Thermal shock resistant floor coatings are generally created from a polyurethane or epoxy base with additives which allow the floor to withstand sudden changes in temperature. Steam or very hot water can be spilled or purposefully used on these surfaces without the coating peeling or cracking.
Polyurethane floor coatings have a lot more flexibility than epoxy coatings, but they are not designed to withstand as much heavy duty wear and tear. Polyurethane coatings are also the base in a number of other flooring types or used in combination with epoxy type coatings.
Decorative floor coatings are usually for floors that need to look good as well as serve a function such as showroom floors for instance. They can also contain other elements such as the slip resistance aggregates. There are additional aggregates that can be used when creating a decorative floor coating in order to give the floor a texture or a specific look, such as pebbles or flakes.
Antimicrobial floor coatings are especially useful for buildings that work with food or medical related industries. This type of coating could be a safety or a government regulated requirement in some areas. These areas are usually coated with an epoxy or polyurethane floor coating which creates a non-porous surface and releases a antimicrobial agent slowly so as to create a germ resistant floor covering.