With effective waterproofing, protective coatings and surface treatments, concrete flooring is low maintenance and a durable option for industrial or commercial businesses, allowing them to easily balance aesthetics and functionality through significant customisation.
Concrete flooring can be stained nearly any colour; textured or finished in a variety of ways; and polished to a high-gloss shine, while its cost per square metre is comparable to linoleum, vinyl, carpet or lower-priced ceramic tiling, making it an affordable alternative to high-end flooring such as marble and slate. This is because concrete can emulate the best properties of natural or engineered stone, but has greater durability and requires less maintenance.
Having a seamless and non-porous surface helps concrete floors prevent the accumulation of dirt, bacteria and other contaminants, enabling hygiene and sanitation levels to be efficiently maintained.
The most common types of protective coatings used on concrete floors are epoxy, urethane, acrylic, polyurea, and cementitious floor coatings.
Epoxy is typically used in heavy-duty industrial environments such as warehouses, manufacturing facilities and commercial kitchens due to their exceptional adhesion, chemical resistance and durability.
Polyurea floor coatings are also highly resistant to chemicals and abrasion, but also to impact making them highly effective for industrial applications.
A study published in April that examined the application of polyurea coatings for concrete noted they had gained appeal as an effective solution for maintaining and improving concrete structures’ durability.
Polyurea coatings are resistant to abrasion, solvents and electromagnetic heat, making them particularly applicable for industrial flooring and waterproofing.
The authors said: “In recent years, polyurea coatings have become increasingly popular in the construction sector, with many builders and engineers preferring them for concrete preservation and restoration.
“Pure polyurea coatings provide exceptional abrasion and chemical resistance, making them ideal for heavy-duty environments like industrial floors and high-traffic areas.
“Spray-on polyurea coatings are popular for seamless and uniform application on complex shapes, roofs, or flooring [and] joint filling polyurea coatings guard against water penetration and potential cracking.”
When polished or finished with a high-gloss sealer, the reflectiveness of concrete floors can even save energy and reduce lighting costs by amplifying the amount of natural light during the day, and reducing the need for artificial light at night.
This makes the flooring flat, smooth, and highly abrasion- resistant, and can be maintained with very basic equipment: an auto-scrubber equipped with brushes and a non-toxic cleaner, or even just a mop and water.
Polished concrete floors generally cost significantly less to maintain than other topically-sealed concrete surfaces, such as plastic resin coatings, floor coverings and wax, or guard treatments used in similar environments.
Studies which measured the dynamic coefficient of friction in flooring have found that people walking on polished concrete floors would slip less often than those on almost any other type of flooring.
A report by sustainability-focused organisation the Eneref Institute noted that polished concrete, a natural and inherently sustainable material, outshined other flooring system alternatives by offering their best qualities with few of their environmental drawbacks.
The authors said: “Polished concrete is an attractive, resilient floor that can be both affordably and ecologically maintained.
“These flooring systems use bonded abrasive diamond tooling to grind, hone and polish a concrete floor, creating a durable, non- slip end-product.
“Mechanically refined concrete promises a long-lasting, environmentally sustainable floor, outstanding life cycle performance, and a clean, attractive environment.”
