CPC Floor Coatings Blog

If you manage an auto repair shop, you know the physical demands your work places on your facility. When it comes to flooring, you want something that’s going to withstand the daily rigors of mechanic work and doesn’t need to be replaced every couple of years or so.

The expansion of European grocery chain Lidl into the US starting this June is projected to make the already-competitive grocery industry even more strained. Grocers such as Lidl as well as Aldi and even Walmart’s Neighborhood Market now offer organic products at very low prices, and they’re updating the aesthetics of their stores to appeal to customers who are used to high-end chains such as Whole Foods.

Customers are no longer choosing either quality products or affordability; they’re learning they can expect it all in one store.

If you’re looking to keep your independent grocery store or chain competitive in today’s market, you’ll want to make sure your store looks modern and attractive while also keeping costs down.

Do you manage an equestrian center or horse boarding facility? Are you about to build a new horse stall or renovate an old one?

One of the most foundational choices you’ll need to make for your equestrian facility is the type of flooring your stalls will have. While natural soil and wood planks are traditional choices, they can be difficult to keep clean. Wood in particular may begin to smell of urine over time.

Looking for a simple way to improve efficiency in the day-to-day operations of your warehouse? Floor striping—the application of colored tape or painted lines to mark pathways and work zones—may be just the solution you need.

According to the 5S principles of workspace organization, an effective workplace layout allows visitors (and employees) to understand the room’s workflow at a glance. Carefully chosen colors are one of the fastest and most intuitive ways to communicate this kind of information, and floor stripes are relatively easy and inexpensive to add.

Here are four major benefits that floor striping offers your warehouse or industrial facility:

Does your facility have a moisture problem? Maybe you come in the morning to find a wet or damp concrete floor. Or worse, perhaps you just had your floors done in the last few months and have discovered your new floor coating is already peeling or blistering.

If you’ve already checked for leaks and have controlled for weather-related humidity but are still having issues, it could be that the moisture is coming through the concrete slab itself.

There’s nothing more frustrating than taking time out of your production schedule to have a new floor coating installed, only to have it peel or crack just months (or days!) later. What causes new floor coatings to fail?

Here are some of the most common causes for floor coating peeling, bubbling and more:

Oil residues

Does your facility regularly uses oils, greases or corrosive substances? If these have ever been spilled on your floor, they may have soaked into the concrete at some point (after all, concrete is a porous material).

Previously on our blog, we’ve discussed some of the workplace safety hazards that damp concrete floors can pose, including the risk of slipping accidents and respiratory issues caused by mold.

If you’ve noticed your facility’s concrete floors are wet or damp in the morning, there are a couple of potential causes. The moisture could merely be condensation resulting from temperature differences between the air and the concrete. However, the moisture could actually be coming from the concrete itself—either as a byproduct of the curing process, or as vapor from the ground works its way up through the porous floor. (For a fuller explanation, see our recent post Why is our facility’s concrete floor wet?)

Maintain your concrete floors to keep your employees safe

We know that workplace safety is your priority, and no employer wants to see their workers injured on the job. However, when you work in an industrial-style setting—such as a warehouse, manufacturing plant or even commercial kitchen—you may find that you have unique safety challenges related to your concrete flooring.

One way you can protect your employees from slip-and-fall accidents as well as a number of other health hazards is to make sure your facility’s floors are properly maintained. Below are common flooring-related hazards to be aware of, plus tips for how to prevent them:

Have you ever come into your facility first thing in the morning to find your concrete floor damp or sweaty? Have you found puddles in low-lying areas, or noticed that your new floor coating is starting to blister or get discolored?

Besides being an unsightly nuisance, a wet concrete floor can cause a host of other problems. It can compromise worker safety by creating slippery surfaces, can damage sensitive equipment, and can cause mold problems, especially if there’s wood or carpeting on top. If the floor is coated with epoxy or another coating, moisture can cause it to bubble, stain, peel, or crack.

If you’ve ruled out the possibility of a leak from the roof or from your equipment, you may be dealing with an issue with the concrete floor itself. So what are common causes for wet concrete floors?

Recently our crew applied a protective coating to a concrete off-loading containment ramp for an aerospace client. Since this ramp functions as a containment area, it was important that we chose a coating that is chemical resistant as well as one that could stand up to the outdoor elements.

Our Concrete Coating Solution

Our team applied a water-based, modified urethane coating, which features characteristics of both epoxy and urethane. It protects the concrete underneath from chemical attack, and it’s strong enough to provide wear resistance and prevent impact damage that may happen during loading and unloading heavy materials. The concrete ramp coating is also non-slip for increased worker safety.