Commercial floor coatings are particularly beneficial for kitchen flooring because they render the surface impermeable and are easy to clean. Factor in their high abrasion resistance and ability to handle heavy traffic, and these rank among the best floor coating systems.
In this post, the Excel Concrete Coatings team explains more about these systems and how to choose the best option for your concrete surface.
The Benefits of Installing Commercial Floor Coatings in Waukesha
Kitchen concrete floors handle much abuse. Not only is there constant foot traffic and heavy equipment, but there is also high heat, moisture, and spills with which to deal. Installing commercial floor coatings in Waukesha has several benefits.
Read through the benefits listed below and see how coatings can benefit your commercial kitchen. If your chosen sealant won’t offer you these, is it the right product for your needs?
Moisture Repellant
Whether it’s your chef spilling a pot of bisque or standard cleaning procedures, high moisture levels are common in kitchens. Commercial floor coatings are waterproof, making it easy to clean up spills.
The liquid simply sits on the top of the surface until you wipe it away. While it’s important to clean spills quickly for safety reasons, it’s nice to know that they won’t leave permanent marks.
Easy to Clean and Sanitize
Thanks to the non-porous nature of the sealant, cleaning the floor is as simple as wiping it down with warm water. Germs cannot find any purchase on the surface, making sanitization easy. By contrast, concrete floors can harbor germs in the pores, chips, or cracks.
Adhering to the strict health department safety codes is much easier with sealed floors. The seamless nature of the installation means that there are no little crevices where germs can hide and no grouting which can chip away.
Safety
Epoxy by itself is a slick surface, especially when moist. However, we can add aggregates to improve traction, rendering your commercial floors slip-resistant. The result is flooring that is safer than unsealed concrete and suitable for a rushed kitchen environment.
There are other safety features that you may add if you wish. For example, if you like, you can mark out different zones in different colors. You could use this to signal a “keep clear” area in front of the ovens or to mark optimal flow patterns on the floor.
Chemical Resistance
In the kitchen, you need to use several harsh chemicals. These may be in the form of degreasing and cleaning agents, sanitizers, or even cooking ingredients like vinegars. Your standard concrete floor degrades or becomes grubby in the presence of these agents.
The right concrete coating acts as a valuable protective barrier.
Handles Temperature Extremes
Temperatures in the kitchen range from freezing in walk-in freezers to scalding by the ovens. Your flooring must handle all these temperature ranges, a challenging feat. Concrete expands in high heat and contracts in the cold, making it more prone to cracking over time.
A polyurethane or polyaspartic coating is thermally stable and will not warp in high heat or contract in icy temperatures. While traditional epoxy will not cure properly in very low temperatures, newer formulations do not have these issues.
Aesthetics
In a restaurant environment, the ambiance is everything. Perhaps your clients need to see into the kitchen, or maybe you simply wish to create continuity throughout the serving area. Whatever the reason, commercial floor coatings offer a cost-effective alternative.
You can select a range of colors and finishes to create the perfect look. Opt for an opulent “marble” floor or something contemporary like faux black and white tiles. This medium is so versatile that you can match any decor style you like at reasonable prices.
Proper Installation Is Vital
For the best possible results, speak to industry professionals who have your best interests at heart. There are several formulations on the market, and these vary according to quality quite substantially.
Generally speaking, the DIY kits are lower-grade epoxy that will peel off within a couple of years of heavy use. Even if you secure a high-grade product, you might get the same results if you don’t prepare the floor properly first.
For this reason, we recommend dealing with us to save yourself much aggravation. We will discuss your needs with you to help you choose the best product and review all design details and safety features you might wish to incorporate. Once we have a design, we will schedule your installation.
On installation day, things move quickly. We:
- Repair minor flaws and cracks
- Grind away the top layer of concrete to get rid of blemishes and roughen the surface
- Carefully clean away the dust
- Lay the primer coat
- Hand-cast the flakes, if you choose to add them
- Allow the layer to cure a little
- Smooth the surface to remove any protruding flakes
- Pour on the polyaspartic top coat for additional strength and durability
Installation takes a day for the average kitchen, and the floor is move-in ready within 24 hours. Thanks to the fast-curing properties of the products we use, we can minimize the inconvenience to you.
Conclusion
In a commercial kitchen, hygiene, safety, and durability are paramount. Commercial floor coatings from Excel Concrete Coatings make it easy to achieve these goals. Call us at (262) 993-6950 to discuss upgrading your flooring and transforming your kitchen.
