Last Thursday, Dave and I went to see three commercial prospects in northern Virginia and Maryland. That, in itself, wasn't unusual. What was bizarre were the variety of prospects we went to see in just one day. I’ll review them in order to show how broadly our epoxy floor coatings can be applied in different commercial industries.
Urethane Mortars for a Dairy?
About a week before our first appointment, we had received an inquiry through our website inquiring about flooring for a cheese making room at a small dairy. The owner had obviously been doing some research, as his submission included questions about urethane mortars.
Urethane mortars are specialized polymer coatings that are applied thick (typically around ¼”). They are common in food processing plants and large dairies. Urethane epoxy mortars provide:
- Very high impact resistance.
- Tolerance for thermal shock environments.
- High heat resistance.
- Good chemical resistance.
- Outstanding wear resistance.
Urethane mortar in action.
In this specific case, the 1,200 square feet cheese making floor didn't require urethane mortars and their associated costs. The heaviest items rolling over the floors were only 500 pounds. No high heat was present from equipment and the concrete was not subjected to thermal shock.
We only needed to remove the thin epoxy primer and urethane applied by the owner, install cove base around the perimeter, and apply a Novolac epoxy system (we applied the same system to the Cumberland Creamery in Mechanicsburg and parts of the new P&G distribution facility). This type of system only required three days for installation and was worked into their seasonal shutdown.
Novolac epoxy in a meat processing plant.
Coatings Replacements for an Animal Hospital?
Our second stop involved the kennel area of an animal hospital. Coatings had been applied by a coatings outfit from New Jersey, but that company was unresponsive to the staff’s calls and emails about several failures in the industrial coatings.
Originally installed with Novolac coatings (overkill – in my opinion) and then recoated twice with decorative quartz coatings (also overkill for this kennel), the coatings were now over ¼” in total thickness. The floor was pealing up in one part of the center aisle and was obviously floating on top of the concrete in another (tapping on the floor made a hollow sound not found in the bulk of the aisle).
Two competitors had already been contacted. One didn't want to come out to see the project and the other only wanted to do the job if they could remove everything and start over. A total removal would require closing the kennel for an extended period as all polymer cove would have to be broken out of each individual dog kennel and off of all the walls.
Our proposal involved just repairing the areas of the aisle where the coatings were disbanded and then recoating the floor with a decorative chip floor coating to add profile and look cleaner. The cove base and individual kennels wouldn't be touched. Instead of closing them for over a week, we could apply these new epoxy coatings in just two days.
Decorative chip floor coatings in a restaurant in Enola, PA.
Epoxy Coatings for a Crematory?
Last, we visited an active crematorium undergoing a major upgrade. Located in a building that's at least 50 years old, the floor was heavily pitted and scarred. Epoxy paints had been installed by the staff, and now the floor had to be upgraded to meet Maryland regulations.
Due to potential corrosive, hazardous fluids spilling, we proposed the installation of a high build, Novolac epoxy floor on approximately 3,000 square feet. This epoxy system was similar to what we've installed at a funeral home in Harrisburg. The system requires higher builds to end with a clean profile, since much of the floor will require shot blasting to a concrete surface profile of 3 to remove dirt, paint, and other contaminants from the pitting in the concrete.
This project requires coating the floors in three parts, to allow the site to remain functional as we install the coatings.
Wide Range for Industrial Coatings
These three appointments are just a taste of the amount of uses industrial coatings can have in assisting businesses. Check out our Commercial Floor Coatings page for more examples, or read some of the project profiles listed below:
- Novolac Epoxy Protects PA Meat Processing Facility
- Warehouse Epoxy Coatings - Philadelphia Area
- Annapolis Volvo Gets More Coatings
- Production Floor Coatings in Owings Mills, MD
- Epoxy Coatings in Baltimore’s Stay Pet Resort
- York Retail Store Uses Commercial Epoxy Coatings
As mentioned earlier, industrial coatings aren't always just layers of epoxy. They can include polyurea, urethane, MMA, and polyaspartic. Industrial coatings can be sand reinforced, slurries, mortars, and trowel down.
Request a free quote today to get started with your commercial floor coatings project!
