Concrete, Polyurethane, Self-leveling and Epoxy Floors
Floors are one of the most load-prone structural elements of a building. Especially in industrial and commercial premises, floors experience increased mechanical, chemical, impact and thermal loads.
Self-leveling floors are one of the most popular solutions in the construction of industrial and civil facilities. Depending on the material chosen for concreting, they have unique characteristics, provide the desired combination of properties and at the same time have an acceptable cost. Service life reaches several tens of years. Of course, it depends on the rate of exploitation, but in any case, their life exceeds the period of use of all available alternatives.
The main condition for achievement of an ideal result is the use of high-quality materials and strict adherence to the chosen technology. We carefully analyse all operating conditions and customer requirements, regulatory documents and facility design. The choice of material is carried out taking into account all the features. All work is done on a turnkey basis. This allows each of our employees to know all the nuances of works at such facilities and avoid mistakes that can affect the quality.
Advantages of self-leveling floors
The popularity of industrial self-leveling floors can be attributed to their advantages over other types of flooring. They perfectly withstand the loads that any industrial premises are subject to. Despite the high cost, self-leveling floors quickly pay off due to savings on frequent replacement of the coating and no need for repair works.
Benefits of self-leveling floors include:
- most of the options have an attractive appearance;
- long service life;
- high reliability;
- coating resistance;
- possibility to get a coating with the necessary characteristics;
- immune to dust generation;
- make cleaning easier;
- comply with fire safety requirements;
- are safe and environmentally friendly.
Varieties of self-leveling floors
This type of floors is in demand in all branches of industry and trade. Polymer coating is a versatile solution that provides resistance to physical wear and tear and chemical exposure. It is distinguished by its aesthetic appearance and ease of cleaning, due to which it is excellent for places with intensive flow of visitors (commercial and administrative buildings, etc.). It is also an optimal solution for warehouses and workshops, food production, and the pharmaceutical industry.
There floors provide high strength and elasticity of surface. Thanks to these qualities, polyurethane flooring is a great solution for promises with increased vibration load (for example, machine-building production, energy sector, etc.). Also, this type of floors is distinguished by maximum resistance to moisture and abrasion.
Topping floors represent an excellent solution for premises with high traffic, high physical and mechanical stress. They are also excellent for facilities where the flooring is exposed to aggressive chemicals and rapid change of temperature. Distinctive characteristics of the topping floor: wear resistance, reliability, strength.
This is the most popular type of flooring for industrial premises. It is perfect for most facilities, except ones where the flooring is exposed to chemicals and fuels. Its service life is more than 10 years, while the process of application is simpler than that of other types of floorings. The main drawback of the this type of flooring is an unattractive appearance.
This is a coating, the strength of which is maximum due to the use of a frame made of reinforcement, fibre or road mesh in the process of pouring. Reinforced floors represent the most expensive type of coating, most often they are made in premises, the operation of which provides for maximum mechanical loads.
They are poured only with the use of high-quality cement, sometimes additional reinforcement or filling with functional additives is carried out. Arrangement of the floor with the use of cement-concrete mortar is carried out simply and in quickly, this coating has a low cost and is perfect for premises with high sanitary-hygienic requirements. Thanks to high strength and excellent maintainability, concrete and cement floors are arranged in warehouses and parking lots.
This is a specialized flooring that protects against the formation of static discharges. This coating is in demand in the arrangement of production facilities with high dust formation, in fire and explosion hazardous premises, as well as “clean” rooms in medical institutions and premises with accurate and sensitive electronic equipment. It is expensive, but it can be used without loss of properties over a long period of time.
These floors are a gypsum or cement mixture designed to level the floor surface and smooth out the most severe defects. The main (finishing) coating is subsequently applied over the subflooring. Various fillers and functional additives are added to the composition of the flooring mixture, providing the required characteristics. Subfloorings represent a solid foundation, the service life of which exceeds several decades.
Range of application
They meet very high hygiene requirements. Almost always, a polymer coating is chosen for such facilities, since it does not form dust, has no seams and joints, and is resistant to mechanical, thermal and chemical loads.
For the proper functioning of a refrigerating chamber, it is necessary to apply a reinforcing layer, as well as vapor and heat insulation on the floor covering. A mandatory requirement to the finishing coating is resistance to temperatures up to -60 degrees Celsius, high mechanical stress, and chemicals. The perfect solution is a polymer coating with functional additives.
When building or renovating premises with a large flow of people, it is very important to choose a high-quality floor covering. It should be as wear-resistant, reliable and durable as possible, so the most appropriate solution would be to use the polymeric compositions. Such floors quickly harden, creating a flat and smooth surface.
The work specifics of these organizations determines very high requirements for the quality of the floor. The main loads: a large flow of people, frequent cleaning with aggressive chemicals in order to comply with the highest sanitary and hygienic requirements. The materials used for pouring must be highly hygienic and hypoallergenic, chemically inert, have long service life, do not have seams in the finishing coating, as well as should comply with applicable fire safety requirements. In view of the foregoing, it is recommended to choose polyurethane, epoxy or methyl methacrylate compounds for medical institutions.
The main task in the implementation of shopping centre projects is to create comfort for visitors and compliance of the floor covering with the overall design project. The following requirements are imposed on the floor covering: environmental friendliness, safety, ease of maintenance, strength and water resistance. The optimal solution is self-leveling floors that can withstand a high flow of visitors, without losing their appearance, and rapid temperature changes for outdoor areas. It is worth to choose polyurethane, epoxy or methyl methacrylate self-leveling floors.
These facilities require high aesthetics level (in the reception and sitting area for the customers) and durability of the flooring (in the vehicles movement and workspaces). Also, the self-leveling floor must be resistant to the fuels and lubricants, frequent cleaning, accumulation of abrasive dirt and falling metal tools. The best way to cope with these tasks is to use a polymer coating.
The production conditions at the factories provide for the resistance of the self-leveling floor to the effects of large amounts of water and hot steam used for the hygienic processing of chemicals, organic pollution, and the intensive floe of people and equipment. The best choice for such premises is a cement floor with functional additives or a polymer coating.
In this case, the floor must be resistant to heavy traffic, high humidity and detergents. At the same time, the appearance should remain unchanged. The best choice for car washes is a polymer coating that forms a perfectly flat sealed surface, has high strength and is extremely low-maintenance demanding. Epoxy, topping, polyurethane floors are also a good solution for car washes.
In addition to high strength, resistance to rapid temperature change and physical impacts, the floorings at these facilities also require aesthetics and safety under various weather conditions. The fire-fighting properties are also important. Most often, customers choose epoxy or polyurethane coatings with anti-slip additives, or a concrete floor followed by an epoxy impregnation or painting.
Basic requirements are resistance to high physical load, lack of dust, hygroscopicity, ease of maintenance and compliance with applicable fire safety standards. Depending on the type of the warehouse, area and other factors determined by the customer, the best flooring option is chosen.
Manufacturing workshop always have an increased hazard class. Therefore, along with high strength, strict compliance with applicable fire safety standards is required, in some cases even static discharge protection. A prerequisite is the maximum service life, as the industry uses heavy equipment and machine tools, the dismantling and installation of which is very expensive. The preferred type of coating for such facilities is a polyurethane or epoxy floor, as well as antistatic mixtures.
The high produce-ability of the facilities, combined with the active use of chemicals, makes the process of choosing and arranging floors the most difficult one. The certification of all materials, high hygiene standards, static discharge protection, ecological cleanliness are mandatory requirements. Ease of maintenance and cleaning, lack of joints are also important. The most appropriate solution is epoxy and polyurethane self-leveling floors.
In this category of facilities, the self-leveling floor must be both soft and durable, safe, and easy to clean. Sound absorption, vibration damping, thermal insulation are also important. Of all types of self-leveling floors, polymeric compositions meet these requirements best of all.
Features of self-leveling floors
The main features that distinguish self-leveling floors from other types of coatings are as follows:
- Wide range of application due to environmental friendliness and versatility
- Possibility to achieve a perfectly even finish
- Excellent safety performance
- Do not require repair for a long time (10 or more years in the most severe operating conditions)
- Ease of care and cleaning
- Variety of design options
In order for all of the above-mentioned features to please the owner of the industrial premises for a long time, it is necessary to trust the process of arrangement only to professionals with experience in this field. Compliance with the tiny nuances in the process of preparation of the basement and pouring the floor can dramatically affect the result. Given the considerable cost of materials (especially when arranging complex multi-layer coatings over large areas), the desire to save money can turn into huge expenses in the future.
Stages of a self-leveling floor pouring
Most types of self-leveling floors are easy and fast to install. The process includes three main steps:
- Preparation of the base. At this stage, a thorough cleaning is carried out, the base is polished and de-dusted. Depending on the condition of the base, additional works may be required for its restoration.
- Primer coating. A special composition prevents the destruction of the base and provides maximum adhesion between the layers of the coating.
- Floor pouring. Depending on the type of self-leveling floor at this stage, reinforcement is also performed, as well as creation of a copper circuit, enrichment of the upper layer with functional additives, fillers, the introduction of toppings and decorative additives.
Upon completion of the pouring and drying of the material, seams are processed (if any), skirting boards are arranged, different areas are marked, etc.
Self-leveling floor repairs
Repair of self-leveling floors is periodically required even with the most accurate operation. The need for it is indicated by:
- wear and tear;
- damage caused during operation.
The procedure and technology for carrying out repairs, the necessary materials and the scope of work are determined based on the specific conditions at the facility. The cost is determined by the condition of the base and coating, the extent of the defect, the type of materials and the complexity of the repair works.
Repair works include the following steps:
- dismantling of the damaged part of the coating;
- floor cement screed repair if necessary;
- elimination of defects;
- reinforcement of vulnerable areas;
- preparation of the surface for pouring the top layer;
- top coating.
The main condition for achievement of an ideal result is the use of high-quality materials and strict adherence to the chosen technology. We carefully analyse all operating conditions and customer requirements, regulatory documents and facility design. The choice of material is carried out taking into account all the features. All work is done on a turnkey basis. This allows each of our employees to know all the nuances of works at such facilities and avoid mistakes that can affect the quality.