COMMERCIAL KITCHENS & FOOD PREPARATION RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
From hygiene and slip resistance to thermal shock and chemical exposure, Sherwin-Williams outlines 10 key considerations for specifying resin flooring in food production and manufacturing environments.
Once the decision to install a resin floor has been made, the real work begins. Because understanding the right specification for your facility is far from straightforward – but with the right approach it can be easy to achieve a long-lasting finish that avoids the need for expensive downtime later on.
Resin floors are seamless, polymer-based surfaces which are applied in liquid form directly to a prepared surface and cure chemically to form a durable, abrasion-resistant finish.
Yet there is no one-size-fits-all system. The chemistry and thickness are just some of the factors to consider, along with variables such as resistance to chemicals, thermal shock, types and volume of traffic, as well as slip resistance.
At Sherwin-Williams, our customers often ask for a resin floor without fully considering what they will need from it. Luckily, it is fairly simple to ensure the final product meets their needs, thanks to 10 simple steps.
UNDERSTAND RESIN FLOORS
Resin floors are formulated using synthetic resin binders, usually made of Epoxy, polyurethane, polyaspartic, PU cement and methyl methacrylate. They are applied to a prepared substrate, where a chemical reaction ‘cures’ the liquid to provide the final finish.
Different resin types provide different combinations of application, characteristics, and performance. The right system for your facility, then, will depend on its unique use case.
The Resin Flooring Association (FeRFA) categorises systems according to thickness and formulation. Type 1, for example, is classed as floor seal, has a thickness of up to 150μm, and is suitable for light duty. At the other end of the scale, Type 8, or heavy-duty resin flooring systems, contain specialist aggregates and are impervious throughout their more than 6mm of thickness, meaning it is suitable for very heavy duty.
This is why careful consideration is crucial when specifying a resin floor.
AVOID FALSE ECONOMY
On a 500m² area, a Type 3 system, or high-build epoxy coating, may cost around £20 per square metre, or £10,000, to install. If used in a high-traffic area, however, it may need to be replaced in around two years. A Type 8, or heavy-duty resin flooring system, costs more, at around £60 per square metre or £30,000 for a 500m2 area, but will last for a decade or more.
In this context, selecting a thin system for a heavy-duty environment becomes a false economy. Even before considering
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