CPC Floor Coatings Blog

If you’re a facilities manager for a university science building, chances are you’ve had some challenges maintaining the laboratory floors. Not only do they take abuse from spilled chemicals and harsh cleaners as regular laboratories do, but they also have to withstand high levels of foot traffic from students constantly on the move.

You need to find a flooring option that’s durable, sanitary, and able to withstand chemical spills—and, if possible, one that doesn’t have to be replaced year after year!

One of your best bets is probably to go for a professional-grade floor coating—a specialty epoxy, a urethane, or a combination of the two.

Looking for a way to prevent slip-and-fall accidents at your manufacturing plant or warehouse? Or do you want decorative—but functional—flooring for your retail outlet or healthcare facility?

Here’s why a broadcast quartz floor may be right for you.

What is broadcast quartz flooring?

After an epoxy floor coating is applied to the prepared concrete floor, the installation crew scatters crushed quartz onto the still-wet surface. When the epoxy hardens, the quartz sets into the floor and becomes a permanent fixture. A clear topcoat may later be applied.

The crushed quartz may resemble simple sand, for the most utilitarian applications, or it may be a specially blended colored quartz. Occasionally other minerals, such as mica, are added for a unique look.

Are you an industrial facilities manager approaching the end of your company’s fiscal year? Do you need to use up an expiring maintenance budget, but don’t want to fall into the trap of wasting money on low-value projects?

If your facility doesn’t currently have pressing or high-priority repair needs, now’s the time to invest in preventative maintenance. If your building has a concrete floor, this is a great place to focus on.

Here are five reasons investing in concrete polishing or an industrial floor coating now can pay dividends in the year to come:

1. The right treatment can proactively protect your floor from long-term damage

Concrete is a remarkably durable building material, but it’s not indestructible. As it ages, concrete is prone to cracking, spalling, staining, and shedding. Treating your floors for the first time or replacing an old coating can go a long way in protecting the underlying structure.

Want a simple way to brighten up your existing concrete floor? You may already be aware of how the concrete polishing process can bring dull floors to a beautiful shine, plus improve your floor's ability to stand up to heavy foot traffic.

Did you know you don't have to stick with the existing gray color?

Concrete stains and dyes, applied prior to polishing, are available in an array of earth tones and jewel tones to beautify your floors even more. 

Different colors can be applied in geometric patterns or with the use of detailed stencils. And some contractors can even use skilled hand techniques and a second stain to create marbling or even bolder patterns.  

Have you ever walked into your company’s warehouse, manufacturing floor, or retail area to discover a large crack in your concrete floor that you're pretty sure wasn’t there the day before? Perhaps you’ve just had a brand-new concrete floor poured for your new facility, and a week later it’s covered in tiny cracks.

What happened? Is your floor weakened or damaged beyond repair?

Let’s take a look at some of the common reasons that concrete floors crack and what it means for your business:

Cracking is part of concrete’s natural tendency

When it’s first poured, concrete is a liquid. Over the course of a couple of days, it hardens into a solid, shrinking as it does so. This initial shrinking often results in hairline cracking within the first few days of installation. Different mixtures and ratios of the cement may minimize some cracking, but can’t eliminate it completely.

Looking to upgrade your existing retail space, or opening up a brand-new store? Chances are you’ll want to include flooring that will stand up to day-to-day abuse—without breaking the bank, if possible.

If you want to get away from easy-to-stain carpet, easy-to-crack tile, or easy-to-damage vinyl, consider starting from the bare bones of your space: your existing concrete slab.

Making use of the underlying concrete is a cost-effective way to improve your retail space flooring without spending a fortune. Here are a few ways that you can dress up your concrete for a durable, long-lasting retail flooring solution:

Over the past several years, our area has experienced a good deal of economic growth, even while other parts of the nation were recovering from the Recession.

At times, the demand and opportunity for new businesses has outpaced the availability of new commercial properties, so some savvy economic developers have turned to re-purposing existing buildings, such as abandoned mills and factories. Re-using sturdy historic buildings is often more financially feasible—and more responsible—than tearing them down and building new ones.

Your farming equipment represents a significant investment, and you want to protect each piece in order to get the most out of it. This is why it’s important to build a sturdy machinery shed to protect your equipment from the elements and from theft.

If you’re in charge of maintaining a school building, you want to make sure you provide a cheerful, safe, and sanitary environment where children can learn—but you also know how tough kids can be on the facilities day in and day out!

Floors can be especially difficult to keep in good repair. Whether it’s because of tracked dirt, scuffing shoes, or even accidentally dropped items, it’s easy for floors to start looking chipped and worn.

If you need to renovate part or all of your facility, chances are you’re looking for a durable solution for lobbies, hallways, and other common areas—preferably one that’s easy to clean and doesn’t trap allergens.

Here are three economic flooring options that may be a good fit for you:

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.