CPC Floor Coatings Blog

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.

If you’re looking for an economical way to upgrade the concrete flooring in your restaurant, hospital, customer lobby or manufacturing plant, you may want to consider getting your floor polished to an attractive shine. Polishing concrete actually increases the floor’s hardness, is relatively easy to maintain, and can be enhanced with colors in addition to the glossy texture.

But does the smooth surface of polished concrete make it slippery for you employees or customers? Generally, no. But there are definitely some cases in which you don’t want to use it. 

Polished concrete is NOT slippery when dry

Though the process of polishing compresses the surface of the concrete by pushing the molecules closer together, the end product is still slightly porous. When kept clean, polished concrete has about as much grip as regular concrete, and provides better foot traction than marble or even some linoleum surfaces.  

Whether you’re building a brand-new facility or renovating your current one, you don’t want to overlook the importance of flooring that will stand up to your industry’s day-to-day operations and keep employees safe. There aren’t many simple one-size-fits-all solutions out there, especially if your facility does specialized work. So how do you determine what kind of floor coating or flooring system you need to be looking for?

Here are three steps that will get you started on finding the right flooring fit:

Once you’ve decided on the right floor coating solution for your facility and have it professionally applied, you’ll want to keep it in top shape for a long time to come. Whether you’ve chosen to go with polished concrete, an epoxy or urethane coating, or a specialized solution, a little precaution will go a long way in extending the longevity of your floors and keeping them looking their best.

Here are five ways to protect your flooring investment:

As the owner of a veterinary clinic, you know how important it is that your facility stays clean, sanitary and welcoming for your clients. But you also know how much damage dogs and cats can do to your floors in the day-to-day business of keeping them well.

One easy solution is to use an epoxy floor coating in your clinic and waiting room. Epoxy coating is applied directly to the concrete and offers the following benefits:

The primary problem, when it comes to unpolished concrete flooring, is the high profile of its surface (IE, the average size between its hills and valleys). While this difference is largely microscropic, the presence of pin holes and valleys can lead to accumulation of dust and long-term problems with maintenance.

The second problem with unpolished concrete flooring? Its lack of aesthetics and dull, monotonous gray color. Polished concrete flooring not only adds to aesthetics and employee morale, it also provides other benefits, too. Let us explain.

While concrete floors are relatively easy to care for compared to other types of flooring, they do require routine attention. How much maintenance your floor will need largely depends on the amount of traffic it receives, facility operations, and whether or not you are providing maintenance on a regular basis.

How much maintenance your concrete flooring requires will vary, not just based on the size of your facility, but also your industry and what sorts of traffic your floor is subject to.

The process of polishing a concrete floor increases the concrete’s density and durability, helping it withstand more wear and tear. That being said, polished concrete floors are not invincible, and they can sustain damage over time. Here are some of the common causes of damage and their remedies:

Damage due to cleaners

To keep your facility’s floors performing at their best, you need to implement weekly cleaning, even if there are no visible stains or dust buildup.

However, one common cause of damage to polished concrete flooring is the use of harsh, unapproved detergents or soaps being used to clean it. 

So you’re thinking about investing in an epoxy floor coating for your industrial or commercial facility. You want to make the most of your time and money, and you certainly don’t want to have to repeat the process again in just a year or two.