An office block above shopping units in Congleton, Cheshire, underwent a complete strip-out at the end of a tenency. The removal of old floor tiles exposed a worn, tired looking floor with a log of cracks and holes.

After areas of damage were attended to with resin filler, two coats of High-build Epoxy Resin Flooring transformed the building, provided a fresh, clean substrate for the next tenant. The image below shows the completed project –

The image below shows the floors prior to the repairs and resin coating application –

The above shows worn coatings in the walkway at Clark Cables in Congleton. The coating had been applied onto smooth concrete and a more durable type of coating was needed for the heavy amount of traffic.

The concrete was well abraded under vacuum-control and two coats of High-build Epoxy Resin. The finished job shown below shows the transformative effects that can be achieved with fresh floor coatings in Epoxy Resin.

Self-smoothing Epoxy Resin finishes really do exactly it says on the tin!

The resins are mixed with powered-aggregates to form a slurry but after spreading out (and a little help from a spike roller), the special additives in self-smoothing epoxy resin formulation ensure a mirror-like smoothness that cannot be achieved just by brush or roller application. The result is a durable finish that will enable industrial usage but with a showroom-like appearance.

The above image shows an application at the National Velodrome in Manchester’s Sport City. The specilist bike maintenance are subject to heavy-duty usage but are also a showpiece for the stadium and so need to look good! The solution? A self-smoothing epoxy resin finish applied at 2-3mm nominal thickness.

All too often, we encounter floors where a quality floor coating has been well applied but failed simply because the concrete was no prepared before preparation. The above, taken at JD Seasonings in Wigan, shows an instance where a resin coating was applied onto power-floated concrete which was not abraded.

We removed the coating and mechanically abraded the substrate before applying two new coats of epoxy resin (viewed in the above image). The result is now a coated floor which will give years of high-performance without de-bonding or breaking up.

A garage in Ramsbottom had a large section of their servicing which was bad worn and in need on a complete replenishment. This required a four-stage process to transform the floor into a smooth, clean working environment. The four-stage process is outlined below:-

Old, worn floor which is badly pitted.	Concrete mechanically ground and primed with holes filled.
Polymer sub-screed applied.	Sub-screed sealed with clear epoxy resin.
Two coats of coloured High-build Epoxy Resin applied.

Epoxy resin is primarily a functional material, providing durability and chemical resistance. Most commercial vehicle maintenance sites opt to have a concrete floor but why is there an increasing demand resin flooring ind domestic garages? There is no single answer to this question but there are some specific reasons for this.

Certainly, a lot of car enthusiasts like to have a clean, attractive environment, particularly if they have a classic or top-end vehicle. A typical choice for this kind of environment is a 2-3mm self-smoothing epoxy resin rather than a coating finish because of the showroom like appearance, as in the image to the right –

Another reason is that garages are increasingly being used for purposes other than storing cars or gardening tools. Garages are increasingly being used to site exercise machines and a dull, concrete floor naturally is not the most desirable surface on which to exercise. Related to this is that with modern houses, especially those most recently built, the standard of concrete applied in domestic garages is increasingly poor and hence liable to dust easily. A resin coating can make all the difference, once the surface laitance is ground down.

Whatever the reason for choosing, whether an epoxy coating or a 2-3mm self-smoothing epoxy system, a resin finish can transform a domestic garage from a dusty storage area into a practical extra room in a house.

There are many practical reasons for having resin floors installed, the importance of each varying from client to client. Ease of cleaning may be the priority in a food-related environment but in an oily workshop, slip-resistance is likely to be a greater consideration. A warehouse may little need for chemical resistance and be focused on durability whereas as a laboratory floor will have the opposite priorities.

One thing can be said to be common to all the above scenarios; a fresh resin floor coating can transform the appearance of a working environment, creating a better impression for clients and a more pleasant place for staff to operate in.

Before

After