Best Flooring Options for a Manufacturing Facility

The Best Flooring Options for a Manufacturing Facility are Epoxy Flooring and Polished Concrete. But which one to choose?

Deciding what kind of flooring to install in your business can be a huge consideration. When it comes to industrial settings such as manufacturing facilities, distribution warehouses, assembly plants and more; the flooring can experience heavy amounts of wear and tear. Harsh, corrosive chemicals, oil, heavy machinery and scratches can put a lot of mileage on a floor in a short amount of time. That is why it is so important for manufacturing facilities and similar industries to invest in a high-quality epoxy floor or polished concrete system.

Since polished concrete and epoxy coatings have their own merits and qualities, determining which might be the best option for your Manufacturing space depends on a thorough understanding of both options. The decision mainly comes down to a few factors, type of manufacturing facility, durability, longevity, aesthetics, and cost.

Epoxy Flooring

Epoxy Flooring, also known as resinous flooring, is highly durable, customizable, sustainable and decorative. Resinous flooring consists of a two-part epoxy system – a combination of polymer resins and hardeners, much like epoxy glue. When properly mixed, the epoxy resin and hardener react to one another resulting in a chemical bond with each compound and with the floor itself. The chemical bond creates a stiff plastic material that is durable and bonds exceptionally well to its substrate.

Aesthetics – Epoxy flooring can be applied in a range of customizable color options, textures and gloss levels. In manufacturing facilities customized line striping is used for safety walkways and traffic indicators.
Maintenance – Since epoxy is a seamless flooring option, the substrate is protected from chemicals, dirt, liquids and other contaminates. This makes the floors easy to clean, requiring only a walk behind scrubber or standard mopping with a general-purpose cleaner – no waxing or buffing is necessary. Epoxy floors do not require much maintenance other than standard cleaning, making them a great long-term value option.
Durability – When choosing a floor finish for a manufacturing facility the floor has to be durable enough to survive the work environment. Workloads on epoxy floors can vary from foot traffic to truck and forklift traffic. This industrial flooring option can withstand daily abuse from a wide variety of equipment and manufacturing processes. As an abrasion and chemical-resistant material, epoxy flooring meets the durability needs of most industrial manufacturers.
Longevity – Epoxy flooring done right typically last 10-20 years and can last even longer with proper maintenance and touchups.
Hides imperfections – Not all concrete is created equal. Especially when working in old manufacturing and industrial buildings the concrete will show lots of cracks and spalling. Epoxy flooring works great to hide the concrete’s imperfections.

Polished Concrete Flooring

Polished Concrete is a mechanical grind and polish process that utilizes industrial diamonds & permeating densifiers to level, densify, polish, and finally seal the floor from within the interior of the concrete surface. There are many low-odor, nontoxic versions of densifiers and sealants, making polished concrete a sustainable flooring option perfect for meeting green goals. The end result is a beautiful sealed finish with a clean crisp look.

Aesthetics – Polished concrete finishes can be applied with a wide variety of color stain options and gloss levels. One of the main aspects of polished concrete flooring is its ability to be polished down to see the aggregate which has its own natural beauty.
Maintenance – Needing only a daily sweep and a weekly scrubbing, polished concrete floors are much easier to clean than regular concrete flooring. Keeping your floor swept of dirt and harsh particles will keep your floor shiny for many years.
Durability – If your flooring will be seeing trucks or forklifts driving across it, you won’t have to worry about tread marks when you have a polished concrete floor. The polished component makes the floor difficult to mark up, especially with tire marks. The high strength and density of polished concrete give it a smooth and shiny surface. Highly resistant to scratches and chipping, making it the most durable solution. One of the benefits of polished concrete floors is that they are practically indestructible.
Longevity – Polished concrete will never walk off the floor. This is a forever floor and you will save big dollars by never having to do your floors over again. Polished concrete floors may require rejuvenation every ten years. This is a simple maintenance of re-burnishing the floor to bring back its shine.
Resistant to moisture transmission issues – When dealing with industrial floor coatings a big issue that comes up is high moisture in the concrete slab. With epoxy flooring this can be remedied with a moisture mitigation systems but with polished concrete its already resistant to moisture so no additional moisture mitigation primers are needed.

Types of Manufacturing Facilities

Dry Manufacturing – For manufacturing facilities that do not require an impervious flooring solution, polished concrete flooring is an ideal match. While polished concrete is able to get wet and can withstand minimal fluid on its surface, it is not ideal for facilities that have a consistent presence of water on the floor. However, for facilities that maintain a dry environment, polished concrete flooring is the perfect solution.
Wet Manufacturing – Epoxy concrete floors are a good option for spaces that may encounter water or chemical spills, many pedestrian or machine crossings, or other substances and activities that would quickly degrade polished concrete floors. Epoxy acts as a concrete sealant and helps to protect your concrete from water, moisture, and stains. When you use the right product, you can help to keep out the elements and maintain your concrete for many years to come. For installations that require a chemically resistant surface that can withstand exposure to hazardous chemicals and heavy-duty wear on floors, epoxy is the best option. For wet areas, it’s also important to keep the floor slip-resistant. Epoxy floors are made to be slip-resistant keeping staff safe from slips and falls.
Other Uses – Warehouses, storerooms, and showrooms are ideal for a polished concrete floor. Not only is the look of the polished concrete professional and attractive, but it also offers a surface that is durable, easy to clean, and incredibly economical.

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Benefits of Polished Concrete

Harder and stronger than other floor finishes
Does not lift, peel, or flake
Dense surface helps protect against absorption of oil and contaminants
Resists tire marks from fork trucks and other traffic
More abrasion resistant than unfinished concrete
No hydrostatic / vapor pressure issues
Installation requires no cure schedule
Flatter, more level surface
Lower initial costs compared to most other floor coverings
One time application with minimal maintenance
Long Life Cycle
Sustainable and meets LEED requirements.

Benefits of Epoxy Flooring

Hygienic, sanitary, and easy to clean.
Completely seamless, eliminates cracks and crevices that can harbor dirt and bacteria
Skid and slip-resistant for safety
Meets ADA, USDA, FDA, and OSHA standards
High chemical and abrasion-resistant.
Moisture tolerant options
Durable
Stain-resistant
Anti-Static options
Antimicrobial/ Antibacterial.
Meets LEED requirements.

Final Thoughts

Whether you are in the pharmaceutical industry, food processing, packaging plants, manufacturing, beverage production and bottling, aviation, or looking for the best flooring solution for growing cannabis, your needs and requirements are unique. Either of these two flooring options would be great for any industrial space but depending on which benefit you value more will determine what is the best value options for your facility.

Just remember the right floors can increase safety, reduce maintenance, protect sensitive equipment, and provide the long-term durability you require to make the most out of your facility.

Everlast Industrial Flooring is an award-winning polished concrete and commercial floor coating specialist. They have built their reputation as one that does the highest quality work and dedication to their customers no matter what size of a job. Commitment to the customer, detailed to the job site, the right surface preparation, and the highest quality materials and skilled workers is Everlast’s purpose.