The main purpose of an industrial floor is to provide easy movement of human traffic, material-handling equipment, and vehicular traffic. A quality floor must be abrasion resistant, easy to clean, chemical resistant, easy to maintain, and have anti-stain and anti-slip properties.
There are different flooring options you can consider for your business. So, on that note, here are 6 types of floor preparations for industrial applications you should know about.
1. Cement Concrete Flooring
Concrete flooring is the most commonly used material and is suitable for any kind of construction. Additionally, it is durable and cheaper than other options that can be used for industrial purposes. To mix cement concrete, you need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions depending on what you want to construct and the thickness of the slab. Mix cement with coarse aggregate, and sand mortar and apply to the base.
When the base slab has hardened, apply a cement concrete mix of 40mm as a topping. When constructing an industrial building, a granolithic finish should be applied to provide a hard surface.
2. Floors Reinforced With Floor Resurfacers
A floor-resurfacer is a special kind of floor topping that combines cement, graded aggregates, and chemical agents. The information found at diamaprosystems.com explains that concrete chemicals, coatings, and colorants provide several benefits. The floor-resurfacer provides good resistance to abrasion and high impact in an industrial setup. The floor comes with high surface durability, and it can withstand heavy loads and vibrations from delivery vehicles.
This unique formulation comes in a thickness that ranges from 5 mm to 15 mm, and it is laid on top of the new concrete, and the wet-on-wet method is used. Floor resurfacers can be used in conjunction with liquid floor hardeners to provide smoothness, gloss, and appearance. Liquid hardener reacts chemically with calcium hydroxide to create calcium silicate hydrate which is similar to the material formed from the reaction of water and Portland cement.
3. In-floor Particle Flooring
In-floor particle flooring has been in existence for a long time and is ideal for industrial setups with heavy traffic. An additional 50 to 75 mm concrete topping is poured on top of the base concrete floor. The 12 mm top formulation is mixed with iron particles, and applied on top of the concrete then leveled manually. The concrete floor must be water-cured for 28 days to set before allowing traffic. The main advantage of this flooring is that it’s designed for heavy traffic and provides high abrasion resistance. The iron particles in the top layer make the surface tough and resistant to heavyweight.
4. Vacuum Dewatered Concrete Floor
The vacuum-dewatered floor is one of the most preferred and cost-effective flooring available for different types of industries. The process of vacuum dewatering includes the removal of water in a special way from the concrete. VDF floors are known to provide quality strength and better abrasion resistance as a result of power-trowelling and controlled water removal.
This type of flooring can be applied to any kind of construction and is durable. However, the porosity of the concrete floor allows oil, water, and grease to seep through, and this can weaken the floor in the long run. Joints are necessary to accommodate thermal movements and shrinkage which can lead to breakages.
5. Floors Amour-plated With Metallic & Non-Metallic Hardeners
This type of floor is common and includes dry-shake floor hardeners that are spread on top of the green concrete soon after it has been poured and spread. These floor hardeners consist of a mixture of aggregates including iron particles, quartz, carborundum, cement, and other additives. They consume the water coming from the green concrete to create a dense and hard-wearing surface.
6. Epoxy Floor Toppings
Epoxy floorings provide chemical resistance, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that make them different from other floors. They are also jointless and impermeable which makes them resistant to grease and other chemical substances. Epoxy floorings usually have thicknesses of between 1 mm to 5mm. Special floorings such as the ones installed in cold rooms can have a thickness between 5mm and 9mm. These floorings are installed by trained specialists who know about handling the materials used. The base floor is concrete, and the finishing consists of gloss that increases aesthetics and offers resistant flooring solutions to different particles and chemicals.
There are different types of floorings for industrial applications you can consider. Each kind of floor comes with advantages and shortcomings you should know of to make an informed decision. The suitability of a floor depends on how you intend to use it. Although concrete is a common choice, there are also other types of floors that offer many benefits like chemical resistance, cleanability, aesthetics, and dust prevention. Your ultimate choice is a matter of preference depending on the purpose of the building.
