CPC Floor Coatings Blog

Stained concrete can transform a plain slab into a polished, professional-looking surface, but it’s not the right choice for every facility. Before you commit to the process, it’s important to understand what concrete stain can (and can’t) do, how it performs in commercial and industrial settings, and the factors that determine whether it’s a suitable fit for your space.

Table of Contents:

• Concrete stain in a nutshell
• The advantages of concrete stain
• The disadvantages of concrete stain
• Pros and cons side-by-side comparison 
• Is concrete stain a good idea?

If you’re remodeling an existing facility or renovating an older building, chances are you have a concrete floor in need of refinishing. Perhaps it’s badly stained or cracked, or maybe it’s just lackluster and needs an upgrade to fit into your company’s updated look.

Instead of covering the concrete with carpeting or expensive hardwood, consider refinishing the concrete itself for a cost-effective and fashionable effect. Below are several methods for beautifying your existing concrete floor:

Filling joints and cracks

Before you do any other work, the first step is to repair any damage to the floor. Cracks, pits, and areas of spalling should be filled in and/or sealed to prevent further damage. Existing concrete joints should be examined and, if needed, be filled in with a flexible filler. These steps will extend the longevity of your floor and may help reduce worker fatigue and wear on vehicles.

There are a myriad of reasons to consider an epoxy floor coating for your industrial or commercial facility—including superior durability, ease of sanitation, and pleasing aesthetics. While epoxy’s long life makes it a cost-effective flooring solution, it does include some initial upfront cost.

You may be tempted to save some money by installing the epoxy coating yourself, or hiring unqualified help to install it for you. After all, there are plenty of do-it-yourself kits designed for home garages—why not try to DIY it on a larger scale?

As it turns out, applying an epoxy floor coating is not an easy process as it may initially seem, and a seemingly simple mistake could undermine your entire investment.  

Here’s why it pays to hire an experienced epoxy flooring contractor:

If you manage an automotive showroom, you know that every detail counts when it comes to impressing a customer. A stained, cracked, or aging floor reflects badly on your company and distracts from cars you’re working to sell. An attractive and well-maintained floor, on the other hand, can help create the ambiance you’re trying to create—whether that’s a sense of luxury, elegance, or modern simplicity.

Of course, a car showroom floor takes a lot of abuse over its lifetime, too, having to endure vehicle and foot traffic. So you need a flooring solution that’s both beautiful and durable.  

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.

Looking for a unique way to impress customers and make your business’s physical space stand out? A metallic epoxy floor coating will transform a boring concrete slab into an attention-grabbing work of art.

Offering all the practical features of regular epoxy flooring (such as high durability and longevity), these specialty coatings use pigments and other additives to create a number of visual effects, including:

• A satiny, metallic shimmer
• Glitter or reflective quartz-like flakes
• Two-toned swirls or ripples for a 3D water effect
• Subtle, multi-color tones that look like polished marble
• Bold patterns that look like galaxies or moon craters

Colorful, high-contrast designs can dress up a science center or art gallery, while a subtle shimmer can add elegance to a high-end car dealerships, salon, or premium retail center. No matter what pattern is created, the floor still maintains a smooth, high-gloss surface.

Ever walk through a dark and dingy parking garage at night? It’s not a situation most of us feel safe or comfortable in. But if you manage a parking garage as part of your academic campus, medical facility, or shopping center, keep in mind that the state of your garage directly affects how secure your customers or clients feel when visiting you!

You want to keep the people who patronize your business safe. A simple renovation step that can improve the perceived and actual safety of your garage is to apply new paint and a protective floor coating. Here’s why it makes a difference:

Everyone loves stories of homeless dogs and cats finding their forever homes. When you manage a pet shelter, you know how rewarding this is—but you also know the many, many hours of hard work that go into caring for animals to make these stories possible.

Running a pet shelter is difficult work on many levels, and you want your facility to make it easier to keep pets happy and healthy.

If your pet shelter facility already has concrete flooring, an epoxy coating can be a cost-effective flooring solution with many practical benefits. Here’s how epoxy flooring can make your job just a little easier:

Concrete polishing is an efficient and economical way to beautify and strengthen a concrete floor. Not only does the attractive shine improve the floor’s aesthetics, but the mechanical process of grinding and smoothing the floor actually increases the concrete’s strength.

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.