EPOXY COATED FLOORS
FLOOR CARE PROTECTION PROCEDURE
Description
Self levelling epoxy coated floors are gaining popularity in food industry and industrial sites due to their incredible wearability and inert, non porous surface.
Epoxy Coated Floors are more easily cleaned and sanitised than porous concrete with the major benefit of being highly chemical and abrasion resistant.
New Applications for Epoxy
Whilst architects, industrial designers, builders and office fit out companies are investigating new textures, surfaces and colours for concrete floors in offices, restaurants, laboratories and showrooms, self levelling epoxy floors have exploded in popularity. They can be designed to look like wet glass or they can be made to look matt flat in many colour options.
New Maintenance Solution Required
Whilst industrial floors can be cleaned and maintained with industrial scrubbing or pressure cleaning equipment, these smaller areas need a completely different technique.
As we have mentioned previously, there is no synthetic flooring tougher than epoxy but in these new applications the surface has a tendency to black mark and scuff as well as transfer tyre marks onto the surface. These can prove difficult to remove in areas like this so epoxy requires a protective finish to protect the surface.
Protection of Epoxy Coated Floors, why is it needed?
For the ultimate protection clean, bright and a shiny appearance it is recommended to apply a water based sealer finish to the floor to act as both a decorative stain and black mark resistant sacrificial wear layer. This surface is much easier to repair (lowering maintenance costs) and is easily re-coated when required. The system we recommend keeps epoxy floors looking brilliant.
Products Recommended
We recommend two products that show hight levels of adhesion that can be buffed with slow, medium or U.H.S floor polishing equipment and provide the level of gloss, as the customer requires.
GLAZER
This is a high solid, urethane fortified acrylic sealer finish which has a high level of adhesion as well as an ultra high gloss off the mop with minimal coats (2 to 3 average) required. Glazer has very high resistance to black mark pickup.
New Floors - Preparation
In certain conditions a light oily film may be apparent on the floors after curing, it is important to remove this film by stripping the floor. Follow instructions set out on page 3.
Existing Coated Floor Surface
Light/Dull Floor
If the surface has yellowed or soil penetration had occurred, scrubbing and buffing or re-coating may be necessary.
Heavy Soil
If the surface is dull or ,deeply ,as well as, badly soiled or black heel marked, the sealer finish may have worn away. Test the floor finish depth by scraping with a coin in an inconspicuous place. Stripping will be necessary if low finish level is indicated.
How to Bring Floors to Life
Light cutback
Use Sledgehammer diluted 1 part to 25 parts water. Apply enough solution to stop the floor drying while scrubbing. Autoscrub or machine scrub using a blue or green scrubbing pad. Damp mop rinse with cold water to remove soil slurry. Allow floor to dry thoroughly prior and dust mop.After dry burnished with a red or tan pad or bassine brush.
UHS machinery will require a Jackaroo or Jackaroo Light pad.
Heavy Cutback/Re-coat
Use Sledgehammer applying 1 part to 10 parts water. Use a blue or green pad and scrub the floor in a left to right arc. Wet mop, rinse with cold water to remove scrubber residue using clean water in a bucket every 2 square meters. Allow the floor to dry thoroughly and dust mop prior to burnishing and prior to re-coating as described.
Dry Stripping - Small Areas
To cut time in small awkward areas like high density funnel areas of traffic. Dry stripping can be an alternative using Sledgehammer 1 to 20 parts cold water and Brown pad. Just spray lightly, wait 5 minutes then dry pad off. Dust mop prior to re-coating.
Total Stripping - “No Scrub Method” - Larger Areas
The Labour Saver
Flood mop, apply stripper with a cotton or fringe mop using Sledgehammer or our new Steamroller II, 1 part to 4 parts cold water. Allow up to 15 minutes for activation/penetration. Re-apply if drying too fast. Wring out stripping mop, mop off sealer build up into stripper solution bucket. Push the mop ferrule heavily onto the floor to dislodge the existing finish. Particularly required for edges ( an alternative is a doodlebug and black pad). Dust mop then dry burnish the floor as described above. When fully dry - re-coat as above.
NB. Sledgehammer is a product with new technology and provide a “no scrub” water “rinse free” application - a huge time and labour saver. Steamroller II is more aggressive and alkaline and must be rinsed.
Applying Sealer Finish
Because Epoxy lacks porosity there is no need to pre-coat with Bedrock sealer. A harder sealer finish such as Spartacus or Glazer is necessary to reduce scuffing and help the surface resist damage. A minimum of three coats of sealer finish is recommended.