Many businesses don’t realise they’ve got the wrong industrial flooring fitted until something goes wrong. Wear and tear, damage and uneven surfaces create a hazardous working environment. Leaving you and your business exposed to risk.
Whether your industrial space is a factory, manufacturing unit or engineering facility, your floors will be subjected to heavy footfall bringing with it dirt, bacteria and dust. As well as accidental spillages of liquids, such as oil, can be difficult to clean and cause irreversible damage.
That’s why your industrial flooring needs to match the specific requirements of your business. The correct flooring should be tough, hygienic and safe. Ensuring your investment lasts for longer, creating an easy-to-clean space and helping to prevent slips, trips and falls.
The 3 Most Important Things To Consider When Investing In Industrial Flooring
1. The Function Of Your Space
What happens within your space will have a direct bearing on the type of industrial flooring you should choose. Does it need to prioritise hygiene? Will it be supporting the weight of heavy machinery? Do lots of liquids get used?
The types of industrial flooring available are…
- Epoxy Resin (including self-levelling)
An epoxy floor will give you exceptional durability, is easy to maintain and can be enhanced with non-slip and decorative finishes. Epoxy resin has incredible strength and can withstand high impact, making it a brilliant choice for busy and hygienic working environments.
- PU Resin
Polyurethane resin is a softer substance than epoxy, but it is still extremely heavy-duty and hard-wearing. PU resin flooring has great chemical and organic acid resistance to corrosion, and is a superb choice for spaces where leakage or spillage of these substances might be expected.
- Polished Concrete
Often used in areas where there is heavy equipment, polished concrete flooring is almost impossible to damage because of its incredible strength. The sealed finish is resistant to chemical corrosion, and its smooth surface makes it easy to keep clean.
- Vinyl
Vinyl flooring comes in many designs, colours and finishes enabling you to add some character and style to your industrial flooring. It’s easy to install, durable, waterproof and slip-resistant. Making it a good option for commercial safety flooring where footfall is high and regular cleaning products are used.
- Rubber
The properties of rubber flooring make it more cushioned than other options and an ideal industrial flooring solution if people are standing for long periods of time. It’s easy to clean, antimicrobial, sustainable and offers a good grip to help people stay on their feet.
2. How Much Maintenance Will Your New Industrial Flooring Need?
Every type of industrial flooring will need regular maintenance to keep it in tip-top condition. Helping to ensure they remain safe, functional and looking great.
The type of maintenance required will depend on the flooring you’ve installed, but all flooring will benefit from regular sweeping and mopping, using the recommended detergent, to keep dirt and debris at bay.
If your flooring had a sealant or anti-slip coating applied, it’s important this is reapplied as advised to prevent corrosion and staining, and potential safety risks.
Regular upkeep of your industrial flooring will help it last for longer, but on average…
- PU resin flooring lasts 10 years.
- Epoxy resin flooring lasts 10-20 years.
- Vinyl flooring lasts 10-20 years.
- Rubber flooring lasts 20 years.
- Polished concrete flooring lasts up to 100 years!
3. Do You Need Zones?
The large open space of industrial spaces often needs to be divided into different zones, and depending on the use of a zone you may require different types of industrial flooring.
For example, if you have a manufacturing zone with heavy machinery, you might consider polished concrete for its super weight-bearing strength. Whereas, softer rubber flooring may be a better choice for a packaging zone where employees stand beside a conveyor for long periods of time. Or a bright-coloured vinyl could illuminate an area with little to no natural light.
Industrial flooring can also be used effectively to make a clear visual definition between zones, highlight hazardous areas and create walkways. You can read more about that in our blog post about walkways and internal line marking here…
Other Things To Consider
Affordability
The cost of your industrial flooring will depend on the type you choose and the space it has to cover. If you’re on a tight budget vinyl flooring is a cost-effective option, however it’s worth remembering that it may need to be replaced sooner than more expensive flooring solutions such as rubber or polished concrete.
Disruption
If your industrial space is a new build, this shouldn’t be an issue, but when business is already up and running, you probably won’t have the option to shut down for long in order to have your new flooring installed. To overcome this rubber and vinyl could be laid in sections, whereas polished concrete, epoxy and PU resin flooring should be poured in its entirety to prevent joint lines.
How quickly your industrial flooring will take to be able to walk on depends on its type…
- Epoxy and PU resins – typically 12-24 hours.
- Vinyl and rubber – approx. 24 hours.
- Polished concrete – up to 48 hours after the concrete pour.
Health & Safety
When you’re selecting your industrial flooring, you need to ensure that it meets the necessary health and safety standards and requirements. This will help to protect you should anything go wrong.
Non-slip options or additional coatings are a fantastic choice to help prevent avoidable accidents, and antimicrobial solutions can help to keep nasty bugs and bacteria from spreading. Ensuring a happy, healthy and productive workforce.
For more information on antibacterial coatings click here…
Selecting Specialist Flooring Experts Will Ensure Your Industrial Flooring Is Up To Standard
Don’t be floored by flooring!
We’re here to help.
With over 50 years of commercial contracting experience, knowledge and skills, GI Sykes knows a thing or two about industrial flooring.
We’ll make sure that you select the right product for your property, and our expert team of flooring specialists will install it to the highest standard to give you total peace of mind for years to come.
For a FREE consultation and quotation for your industrial flooring, please get in touch.
