As a business owner, you should ensure that the solutions you decide to implement are efficient and effective for you, your staff, and your company. Part of this entails ensuring that all your employees work in a safe workspace. Efficiency and effectiveness aren’t just affected by your staff’s outlook towards their tasks; it’s also affected by the space they are working in. Your employees are motivated to give their best when the workspace is safe. It’s for this reason that you should use commercial floor coatings in your workplace. Regardless of the sector, your company belongs to, commercial floor coatings will offer you many benefits such as quick installation and worker safety. The value of commercial floor coatings surpasses that of pure concrete floors by offering a safe and productive setting for everyone.
That said, in this review, we’ll look at why you need commercial floor coatings in your workplace. But first, let’s look at factors to consider when it comes to commercial floor coatings and some of the floor coatings you can install in your workplace.
Factors to Consider When Installing Commercial Floor Coatings
Environmental Risk Factors
Commercial floor coatings can boost the durability of your floor against everyday hazards such as acids or other harsh chemicals. So you should pick a floor coating that can hold up against the kind of chemicals or elements used in your workplace. Also, consider mapping out the flow of vehicle and foot traffic in your workplace and any changes to the layout that you could make in the future.
The Condition of Your Surface
Surface condition is a significant factor when it comes to commercial floor coatings. This is especially vital when your workplace has an older concrete surface. If your flooring is uneven or worn down, you might need to sandblast such areas. Also, even if it’s in good condition, it should be cleaned well before floor coating is applied.
Your Budget
Another crucial thing to consider when it comes to workplace floor coatings is your budget. Obviously, the most durable coatings are the most expensive, so you need to pick something within your price range that can still improve your workplace.
Commercial Floor Coatings to Consider
Antimicrobial Coating
An antimicrobial floor coating helps limit the spread of harmful bacteria. Such a coating won’t kill all bacteria on the surface, but it will slow down their growth and spread, making infections acquired in the workplace much less likely.
Anti-Skid Coating
An anti-skid coating can be added on top of other floor coatings, and it helps protect your employees against slipping on mud, oil, or snow. So if your workspace is exposed to such elements, consider this floor coating.
Concrete Floor Paint
This is the simplest and cheapest coating you can get for your workplace. It’s a satin finish that only requires a single-layer application. It can change your floor’s color and help protect against stains, but it won’t hold up against extreme heat and harsh chemicals.
Epoxy Floor Coating
This is perhaps the best option because it’s an all-rounder. It can hold up against numerous industrial hazards such as acid, chemical spills, extreme heat, grease, and oil. It also has an aesthetic appeal and is resistant to wear and tear.
Polish
You can also add a layer of polish to floors in your workplace. This is similar to epoxy floor coating but can be done at a fraction of the price. Unfortunately, this means it doesn’t offer the same durability and safety features as an epoxy floor coating.
Why Use Commercial Coatings in Your Workplace?
Compatible with Vehicles
Floor coatings are compatible with vehicles. What does this mean? It means that if you install floor coating in your workplace, including warehouses, your vehicle’s tires won’t wear and tear quickly compared to when vehicles are on concrete floors. This is because commercial floor coatings have little or no resistance when they come into contact with vehicle tires. This reduces the deterioration of your vehicle, so you won’t need to replace the tires. Some coatings, such as epoxy floor coatings, are better for heavy vehicles compared to concrete, thanks to their enhanced tensile strength. Concrete alone will be corroded over time by vehicles due to their weight and require restoration frequently. Also, sometimes vehicles leak coolant, oils, and other substances which are no problem for floor coatings such as polish and epoxy. However, if you have concrete floors in your workplace, they will corrode over time due to the harsh chemicals. A floor coating is also better for your vehicles during harsh weather conditions such as winter because your tires don’t deflate quickly or be affected by stains from workplace messes.
Cost-Effective
When you’re looking for a floor for your workplace, you want something that is affordable compared to all other options available. Commercial floor coating is that solution because if you already have concrete installed on your floor, it won’t be removed; you only need to but the coating and get a professional to apply it. This also saves time which is of the essence considering you’re running a business.
Durability
Commercial floor coatings are durable, and once you’ve called professionals to apply them, they can last for a long time without needing reapplication. Commercial floor coatings are better than concrete floors because they are resistant to many substances. Floor coatings typically tend to be shock-proof, so when heavy items are dropped on the floor, you shouldn’t worry about them getting chipped. Some people apply commercial floor coating such as epoxy in their home garages because they work well with tires by reducing wear and tear. Some floor coatings are resistant to extreme temperatures of 250 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Floor coatings are also resistant to chemicals such as motor oils which is why they are common in both residential and commercial garages. Floor coatings are also water-proof, unlike concrete which absorbs water. This feature is especially handy when spills or floods happen in your workplace because it means that your flooring will remain intact in the harshest of conditions.
Easy Installation
Commercial floor coatings can be used in any kind of establishment because they are easy to install and won’t entirely disrupt your workplace operations. This is important because in any workplace, time is of the essence, and with the quick installation, you won’t need to worry about shifting your operations or halting them. Compared to concrete which takes weeks if not months to install and dry, floor coatings take several days and can even be applied partially to avoid messing with your productivity. Also, depending on how big your workplace is, floor coatings such as polish can be applied in one day or less than a day and dry up overnight such that your workplace will be ready for occupation and operations the following day.
Easy to Maintain
Most commercial flooring options are easy to maintain compared to concrete floors. Ideally, one mop or sweep and your entire workplace are clean, unlike concrete which you most likely need to scrub with detergent to remove stubborn stains. Basically, you won’t need to spend a lot of time cleaning your floor. In fact, if your workplace doesn’t have a lot of traffic, you can clean it once a week if it has floor coating. Another thing to consider about floor coating when it comes to maintenance is that it’s not porous. This prevents elements such as acid and grease from penetrating your floor. Suppose you have concrete on your workplace floors. In that case, it can be a bit risky because concrete is porous, and repeated exposure to certain elements can result in stains that will harbor odors and even bacteria which might be harmful to your workers’ health. With a floor coating, you don’t even need to cleanse deep several times a year, which is recommended for floors such as concrete. All you need is a mop for typical cleaning and maybe detergent if there is an oil spillage.
Eco-Friendly
Although most commercial floor coatings such as concrete floor paint, epoxy, and polish are chemical compounds, they are eco-friendly because they require few materials and don’t need to be replaced from time to time. As a result, the environment will benefit from the reduced machinery and materials required to install flooring. This is more evident compared to typical commercial floor installations that require concrete mixes or tile cutting machines for the job to be done. For instance, epoxy floor coating is very eco-friendly because, typically, no machines are needed. When you call a professional service to apply this coating, they can mix various resins depending on what you want and use an epoxy spreader brush to apply the layer. Also, since coatings last a long time, a lot of material isn’t used for repairs compared to concrete which chips easily and needs lots of materials to repair. So if you want to reduce the carbon footprint of your workplace, one of the best ways is to have commercial floor coating applied.
Has a Great Appearance
Another reason why your workplace needs a floor coating is its aesthetic appeal. Floor coatings can help transform your workplace by providing a shiny and stylish appearance. This is why you’ll find them applied in commercial spaces such as offices, schools, shopping malls, etc. Floor coating will also look good if you use it in your home. Floor coating solutions such as epoxy can help cover up any defects or imperfections that might have been evident on your workplace floor. For instance, coatings can be the ideal solution to conceal flaws if you have a concrete floor in your workplace. Unlike concrete floors, which are mainly grey in color, floor coatings such as epoxy and polish are available in various colors, and you can even mix these colors to have a chromatic effect. So you can take your workplace floor from bland to gland easily.
Improves Safety in The Workplace
You shouldn’t bet on concrete flooring if you want your workplace flooring to be safe. Instead, consider calling a professional contractor to apply a commercial floor coating to improve the safety in your workplace. Commercial floor coatings are made with safety in mind. When your floors are coated, they become resistant to all manner of elements, including but not limited to acid, bacteria, and oil. A quality commercial floor coating such as anti-skid coating will improve foot traffic. Your employees aren’t worried about falling or causing accidents with forklifts if your workplace involves materials such as oil.
While it might not seem like a safety feature, commercial floor coatings are not prone to dirt and dust. As a result, your workplace is cleaner and healthier for you and your employees, allowing them to focus on their productivity instead of the mess on the floor. Compared to concrete, you can now see that commercial floor coatings are better because concrete is general and isn’t necessarily made for special applications and could result in massive losses if accidents happen.
To Enhance the Layout of Your Workplace
Another reason you should have commercial floor coating in your workplace is to enhance the layout. By applying a colored layer to specific areas, you can better direct workflow in your workplace by establishing spaces with specific purposes. Just imagine how much safer your workplace can be if your employees could see the path set for machines such as forklifts to stay out of their way or if they could avoid wandering into danger zones when they see floors with a red coating.
There are various reasons you need to have commercial floor coatings installed on your workplace floors. So if your current workplace floors are made of concrete, you need to call a professional floor coating service to install new flooring for you.