Innovative future ahead for concrete floor coatings

For a long time, concrete floors have been coated with a number of products, but new developments in concrete floor coatings point to how concrete floors will be coated in the future.

Many concrete flooring installations requires several layers of coating, but decorative coating firm Byk is working on one layer coating systems. The coatings being developed are resistant to acids, thermal shock and heat. They are quick-drying and easy to clean.

In the home, there is a move to epoxy resin coatings that are available in a number of colours, are quick to apply and can be easily maintained.

Some coatings contain volatile organic compounds (VOC) but these may present a health hazard by causing headaches and affecting asthma sufferers. Manufacturers are changing their formulas so that coatings contain fewer VOCs.

Graphite is being added to floor coating to increase conductivity. High-conductivity floors discharge static electricity, which can build up through people and equipment moving on the floor’s surface. This is particularly important in areas where electronic equipment, which is vulnerable to damage by static electricity, is used. A bonus of high-conductivity flooring is that it limits the build-up of dust.

There have been developments in Polyaspartic floor coatings, which have the advantage of quick drying and the ability to fill cracks. Better still, Polyaspartic is stain resistant and does not fade in direct sunlight.

Concrete flooring is widely used in construction, and recent innovations in coating technology are clearly adding to its usefulness and versatility.