Whether your business operates from an office building, a shop or warehouse, or you’re in charge of healthcare, educational or leisure facilities, soon or later parts of your flooring will need repainting or a new coating applying.
Industrial floor painting is sometimes carried out for aesthetic reasons, or it could be to deal with health and safety issues, but the approach is usually the same when it comes to addressing the surface and condition of your commercial flooring.
Proper preparation
For commercial floor painting, proper preparation and a clear schedule are essential. Ideally, work should be carried out when your premises are closed, so employees and customers aren’t disturbed by a team of industrial floor painters.
If that’s not possible, you’ll need to work with your commercial painting floor contractor to produce a plan that closes down parts of your building with the minimum of delays or inconvenience to customers and staff.
You should remove any furniture or equipment in the areas that are to be painted and examine the flooring as part of your floor preparation.
Look for areas with problems such as water damage, mould, cracks or pitting that may need to be repaired.
These problems could impact the final results of any commercial floor painting, so they may need to be professionally repaired before the painting work begins.
Clean, clean, clean…
Even the highest-quality industrial floor paints and coatings might not work perfectly with stained or dirty flooring.
After liaising with your commercial floor painting contractors, you may need to wash, sweep, scrub and thoroughly dry flooring before any painting or coatings are applied. This way, the paint will bond to the surface more effectively, and you’ll be happier with the final results.
Working in the right environment
Factors such as moisture and temperature can impact how commercial floor paints and coatings will dry. Your commercial paint contractor should know the ideal temperature and moisture levels for the paints and the process you’ve chosen, and use the right tools and gear to get the job done well.
There are a large number of specialist floor paints on the market, but most fall into three main categories: single pack paints, epoxy paints and solvent-free paints.
Choose your paints carefully
Choosing the right paint or floor coating for your commercial flooring extends beyond simply a colour palette. Are you painting for appearances and aesthetics, or for health and safety reasons?
Does the industrial floor paint or floor coatings you’re choosing need to stand up to high volumes of traffic, and how much time and effort will you be able to commit to keeping the area in a good state of repair?
Single pack floor paints
Practical and quick to dry, single pack paints are handy for cost-conscious business owners who need to paint floors in low to medium footfall areas.
This paint is not durable enough for use in high traffic areas, or where there’s any kind of vehicle traffic, so they are not recommended for use in commercial or industrial settings but are cost effective in other settings.
Epoxy resin floor paint
Epoxy floor paint is more hard-wearing than single pack paint and, as a result, usually has a higher price. Manufactured using epoxy resin, it’s water, oil and chemical-resistant, so it effectively protects industrial flooring areas.
It also looks good for longer than non-epoxy industrial floor paints, even when used in high traffic areas.
This makes epoxy floor paint is ideal for commercial kitchens, garages, hospitals, offices, workshops, warehouses, and factories.
Epoxy paints come in two separate packs: the first contains epoxy resin paint, while the second contains a hardening catalyst. They need to be mixed together correctly before your industrial floor can be painted.
Non-slip industrial floor paints
Both single pack and epoxy floor paints are available with slip-resistant finishes. This is where an aggregate is added that adds a rough textured finish to the floor.
Although non-slip finishes reduce the risk of slips, it’s still a painted surface, so when wet it may still become slippery.
Solvent-free paints
Solvent-free paints use catalysts that don’t contain potentially harmful solvents, which means they can be used in places such as kitchens, food manufacturing units and stores.
They are also the most chemically resistant and are among the most durable industrial floor paints.
GME’s team of highly-skilled technicians are experienced in delivering commercial floor projects of all sizes, with a high-quality finish guaranteed. To find out more about our commercial floor painting services call GME on 01924 723723, drop us a message in the box below or email info@gmepaintingcontractors.co.uk.