Over time, concrete floors tend to reveal a little more than they should. To prevent further deterioration, many companies consider protective coatings. If your concrete floor is starting to show its age, consider these four factors to help yourself understand the scope of your project, and ensure you'll get the longest life possible from your new coating.
Will you need a coating with slip resistance? Will you be driving fork lifts or steel wheeled carts in this area? How cold is the area when in use? When not in use? All of these factors: temperature (room temperature, and operational temperature), traffic, and exposure to chemicals play a very important role in the type of coating to be considered. This will allow you to select the proper product, thickness, and application method to accommodate your unique environment.
Understand the degree of corrosion in your space.
For best results, areas with cracks and small or large aggregate exposed must be prefilled before the coating system is applied. It may take some extra time and material, but proper preparation will ensure a longer coating life.
You will need time for surface preparations, installation of the coating, and cure time. Try to plan your installation for a time when the coating can have the longest time to cure. The longer it has to cure, the tougher and more resilient it becomes.
Talk to your installer about what time is best for you. Coatings can be installed during the week if the space can be shut down during that time, during planned shutdowns, weekends, or over a holiday.
Puddles? New drains? Now is the time to address this issue. A good installer will be able to pitch or build up your floor to ensure proper drainage and remedy potential slip and fall areas. Oftentimes when an installer sees your floor for the first time it is completely dry. Be sure to mark or point out these areas.
All of these things are important to think about when preparing to resurface a floor. But perhaps one of the most important things to consider is hiring the right team to do the job. Surface preparation, proper coating selection and expert installation are the most important factors to guarantee a long lasting floor. Be sure to choose an installer with years of experience, and references to back up their work.
Crane Engineering has been installing corrosion resistant epoxy floor coatings and tank liners for over 20 years. Review our case studies and see how others have solved challenges in their facility with floor coatings.