Industries are far more abusive to flooring. A good flooring application is more important to a company than a residential application. People, machines, tow motors, rubber abrasions, oils, and chemicals will assault the floor surface. An industrial garage floor paint is ideal for resisting the onslaught a floor may receive.
Cement floors have the ability to keep stains and odors imbedded in them. Cement is porous, so the oil or product that lays on top will eventually find its way into the surface of the concrete. Applying a good quality industrial epoxy floor paint will be abrasion resistant, impact resistant and resistant to chemicals.
The advantages of painting with epoxy are its hardiness, the ease of cleaning and it makes the overall look of the building attractive. Cleaning plain cement can be tedious and it never looks as good as the original day it was poured. With a mop bucket and some soap, you can achieve reasonable cleanliness. The floor will have an attractive shine. You can usually choose the color to accent the walls and decor of the business. There are many types of places that would benefit from a clean looking floor like hospitals, dog kennels, fire departments, food service institutions, and hotels. With the germs that circulate in a hospital and combined foodservice they provide, epoxy painted cement floors have a durability that lasts a long time. There are different textures available too, either gloss, flat, satin or even skid resistant. The reason why industrial garage floor paint works so well is that it is heavier than most residential epoxies. It contains one hundred percent epoxy material, therefore increasing its durability. Residential epoxy paint has fewer epoxy solids.
If painting a floor with a product that is meant for an industrial application is what you want for your floor at home then you will need to find a dealer that will explain the proper way to mix and apply the material. Customer service is as important as the quality of the product. Buying an expensive epoxy paint product without the support needed will only hamper your painting efforts and cost you money in the future.
A commercial application for a small business can be costly. Instead of applying this as a do it yourself project you could find a company that will apply your garage floor paint product properly for you. It will take some effort, you will have to get references and identify what they have successfully applied to other commercial floors. Businesses have an image and an improper floor painting job may cause a loss of income. Installing a nonskid surface is also important so people don’t fall and get injured at work.
If this becomes a project that you want to attempt on your own you can save a lot of money, but you may be risking a poor paint job and risk exposing untrained personnel to an inhalation hazard- although 100% solids epoxy has no or very few fumes. Usually, epoxy paint that is used on garage floors has a strong odor. This odor should be a clue that the paint you are using is not as strong as a 100 percent epoxy floor paint. A 100% solids epoxy paint does have an odor but it has low VOCs(volatile organic compounds)These VOCs are basically vapors or gases that are emitted from liquids or solids. There is no substitute for a well made epoxy paint for the floor. With the abuse and shock from pallets, steel, and overall rough service you will find that industrial-grade floor paint has more long-life capabilities than other floor paints. Stay away from your local stores that sell over the counter paints -they will not last long and you will find your paint chipping and popping.