Floors in commercial kitchens undergo some of the harshest treatment.  When installed in commercial kitchens, flooring is exposed to thermal shock from high temperatures and damage from corrosive chemicals.

Frequent washing, constant exposure to hot oil, grease and moisture make kitchen floors extremely vulnerable to degradation and cracks.

How do you select the best flooring system for your commercial kitchen? It’s important to first understand this unique environment’s considerations.

Environmental Considerations

Understanding the needs and environment of commercial kitchens is important to selecting the best flooring system that will withstand day-to-day operations. Keep the following in mind when considering a concrete epoxy flooring system for a commercial kitchen.

Sanitation

An appropriate flooring system for a commercial kitchen must ensure maximum sanitation. More than being food-grade flooring, the best flooring system should be seamless to avoid mold, germs and bacteria from growing in cracks and seams.

Moisture Resistance

Commercial kitchens operate long hours and are often spray washed or power-washed on a daily basis. An anti-microbial moisture-resistant floor coating is necessary to prevent mold, and dangerous microbes from building up.

Slip & Skid-Resistance

Grease, oil and water pose a constant slip hazard in commercial kitchens. A flooring system that offers customizable slip-resistance is important for the safety of your employees.

High Temperatures

Ovens, fryers, broilers and the like require floors to withstand high temperatures.  Floors not designed to withstand high temperatures often disintegrate easily and require frequent replacement.

Thermal Shock

Kitchens with coolers, sub-freezers and meat lockers require floors that can withstand thermal shock from regular steam cleaning. Otherwise, these extreme conditions can easily destroy typical floors.

Our Best Options for Commercial Kitchen Flooring

A commercial kitchen environment is one of the harshest any floor can meet.  The best flooring system must be seamless, sanitary and antimicrobial, USDA approved, moisture resistant, skid-resistant, and be able to withstand chemicals, high temperatures and thermal shock.

Dramatic commercial kitchen floor renovation by Industrial Applications, Inc., of TN.

Though the term “epoxy flooring” is often used to generically describe all types of seamless, resinous, flooring systems, in fact, fluid-applied flooring systems comprised of epoxy resins are not appropriate for commercial kitchens.  They cannot withstand the extreme environment over time.

Urethane Mortar Flooring

In contrast, urethane mortar (cementitious urethane) flooring is the ideal flooring for commercial kitchens, as it can stand up to the harsh environment of a commercial kitchen.

FloroCrete SLX Urethane Mortar Flooring FloroCrete RT Urethane Mortar Flooring Florock Hybrid Floors – FloroCrete with decorative topping

Not sure which one is best for you? Talk to us and we can help you find the best floor for your kitchen!

Come winter, we Michiganders like to make our homes a little cozier, comfier, and warmer. We want our home to embrace us and match that feeling we get when lounging in our favorite robe and slippers.

With the right planning and winter decor, you can transform your home from a cold tundra to a warm and comfortable sanctuary.

To provide you with the best winter home improvement and design ideas, we sought out the expertise of Leen Zabalawi from Leen Designs. To properly dress your home for the winter, these are the things you need:

Faux Fur – Whether you use faux fur as a blanket, bed set or sofa piece, it is sure to keep you warm and cozy throughout the winter. Not only that, but it looks great as a rug or a pillow case and adds a wonderful sense of sophistication to any contemporary or rustic setting. Candle Holders – Using a combination of beautiful candle holders will bring out the ambiance and warmth of any room in the home. Use your favorite scented candles and place them on top of the fireplace mantel or shelves. Lampshades – Even though gray is the fashion neutral that many enjoy, try mixing up your lampshade colors with something seasonal. Blue, green, yellow and red are wonderful for the chilly season and add a little greenery to the interior. Look for some silver or gold lampshades for the holiday season. Recliner – Today’s recliners come in all shape and sizes, and their popularity is steadily on the rise. Formerly known as “the dad chair”, they can now work for any age group. Set it up by the fireplace and prepare for a warm winter.

In the word of Pietro Aretino, “Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.” Let your intelligence in winter home improvement and design blossom this season.

Some Extras to Remember

Nature’s influence on design is very popular in the market, so add some faux bois candleholders in a gold leaf finish to add some sparkle and character to your seasonal display. A glass bowl with some pinecones and evergreen sprigs fits the trend perfectly.

When the holidays are over, you don’t have to get rid of the lampshades you used for that time. Just use them for your next design endeavor.

Warm Up with New Carpet

Our Job Collaboration with Leen Designs

Looking to transform your entire living space with a warm and comfortable renovation? New carpet is guaranteed to make your home snug for the winter season.

Moisture tolerant decorative flooring that’s thermal shock resistant, seamlessly sanitary and slip-resistant is the impressive package of benefits you provide to facility customers when you install cementitious urethane floor coatings like FloroCrete SLX with Decorative Chips.  You give your clients the reliable performance properties they need, the aesthetic appeal they want, and a cure time that fits their tight schedule.

Installing Commercial Flooringat Lower Temperatures

Now that many regions are experiencing cooler temperatures, FloroCrete cementitious urethane floor coatings are more advantageous than ever.  They cure relatively quickly at room temperature.  And as we head into winter, just a touch of catalyst can bump up the cure time, when desired.

Applications for Cementitious Urethane Floor Coatings

FloroCrete SLX with Decorative Chips is ideal for any facility that favors the look of FloroChip or even terrazzo flooring, but needs the additional properties of a FloroCrete urethane mortar basecoat.  FloroCrete SLX provides moisture tolerance, thermal shock resistance, antimicrobial properties — and even MVT protection when installed as part of the FloroProof System.

Consider FloroCrete SLX cementitious urethane floor coatings with MacroChips or MicroChips for applications like:

Food and beverage processing areas Restaurant, hospital and school kitchens Correctional facility food service Restrooms and locker rooms Retail and hospitality Sports and entertainment venues Healthcare clinics, offices, foyers and hallways

These and other slab-on-grade commercial flooring installations benefit from the unique properties of the FloroCrete SLX with Decorative Chips System.

Additional Options for Cementitious Urethane Floor Coatings

In the above commercial flooring video, FloroSpartic Polyaspartic Coating is used to grout the floor after the colored chips are broadcast.  Like SLX, FloroSpartic is a good topcoat choice for cool weather.  It’s ready for foot traffic in just 1 hour in moderate temps and only slightly longer as the mercury drops.

Both FloroCrete SLX and FloroSpartic are low odor commercial flooring products that alleviate the concern for air management during installation in occupied structures.  All FloroCrete products contain FloroSeptic Antimicrobial protection.  To get a floor that inhibits pathogen growth throughout, request that FloroSeptic be added to the grout and topcoats when ordering.

Other great finish coats for cooler weather include:

Floropoxy 4905 Standard Cure – Faster than Floropoxy 4805, with excellent hardness FloroCryl MMA – Ready for foot traffic in approximately 2 hours in moderate temps.  Like all MMAs, air/ odor management is required. More Information about Cementitious Urethane Floor Coatings

What’s New

Unique features offer improved convenience and time-savings.  See these fun and useful ways to access important concrete flooring information:

Streamlined flooring selection – simply click on your Industry, System or Requirement to get the product recommendations for your project Product Detail Pages provide all you need to know on any given system – conveniently access a product’s sales brochure, colors/ blends, architectural specs and tech data sheets in one location All new Floor Gallery, with commercial floor coating photos categorized by industry Expanded Detail Drawings collection, downloadable for your use Real life Case Studies discuss concrete flooring challenges and solutions Demonstration & Training Videos let you learn the ropes online

What you see is only the beginning!  We’ll be adding to these regularly – fresh inspiring photos, skill-enhancing videos, enlightening case studies and of course, always the latest concrete flooring product innovations.

What’s the Same, Only Better In Resources, quickly access: Downloadable product brochures Product technical data sheets Architectural specs in multiple formats Selector charts for colors and blends MSDs Indexed by Part Number or MSDs by System The dedicated Architect Center continues to offer: AIA Approved Continuing Education, free to members and non-members alike USGBC LEED information, including point contribution Technical data, detail drawings and more

So take a minute to explore and enjoy. Finding the commercial concrete flooring information you need has never been easier or more fun!

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In a healthcare environment, floors must be free of bacteria that could result in disease or infection before, during or after a procedure. By using a bacteriostatic epoxy flooring, a hospital can ensure that its floors help prevent the spread of pathogens that can be harmful to patients and their families. Learn more about how epoxy flooring works for medical establishments.

Why Epoxy Flooring?

Flooring for healthcare centers must meet additional specifications that other industries do not. First and foremost, hospital floors must be hygienic, easy to clean and supportive of infection control. Floors must be chemically resistant to the many substances utilized by medical professionals during patient care, including acids, alkalis and more, that can potentially cause floor damage or decay. An epoxy floor coating can effectively meet all these requirements. Floors covered with epoxy can resist chemical exposure, harsh solvents and staining. With epoxy floor coatings, hospitals can conveniently and effectively extend the life of their flooring.

How FloroSeptic Works for Medical Flooring Other Healthcare Flooring Considerations

As professional floor installers consider which systems would be best for a hospital, they also consider factors related specifically to a given space. For example, the right epoxy flooring for a medical facility should be comprised of materials that are durable and able to support pathogen control.

Healthcare floors must also be slip-resistant and stain-resistant for both practical and aesthetic purposes. High compressive strength epoxy systems to support heavy equipment, plus indentation and puncture resistance are additional considerations. With FloroSeptic antimicrobial flooring, hospitals can achieve these important goals, effectively increasing the longevity of their flooring, while knowing that their new flooring is contributing to all-important infection control efforts.