Protecting concrete floors by installing a sealed concrete system is a great way to both prolong the life of your floor and create a unique decorative look. For years, sealed concrete systems have been used in industrial settings for both its affordability and durability.

Sealed Concrete Can Be Industrial or Decorative

Just because sealed concrete is extremely durable and can be used for industrial flooring applications, doesn’t mean it can’t look good too. As the designer appeal of sealed concrete has increased, more and more of these concrete finishes are being used to achieve beautiful floor finishes in offices, retail spaces, restaurants and even private homes.

Top Five Uses For Sealed Concrete

Garage floors – leaking vehicles drip oil and other fluids onto concrete. When this happens in a garage without sealed concrete, those substances can soak right into the concrete floor and create unsightly stains that are extremely difficult to remove. Sealed concrete finishes in a garage is a great option that can keep the floor looking great and is much easier to clean when spills or leaks occur.

Locker rooms/showers – sealed concrete systems are a great solution for this challenging flooring application. The integration of a seamless transition from floors to walls without any grout lines greatly decreases the ability for mold or bacteria to grow in a moist environment. In addition, options are available to create non-slip surfaces so these areas are safe.

Commercial kitchens – since it is vitally important that kitchen floors meet or exceed health code regulations, sealed concrete flooring systems are used that meet USDA and FDA safety standards. Receiving health code violations can be expensive if the flooring used does not meet the federal and state regulations.

Mechanical rooms/boiler rooms – waterproofing systems to contain water are extremely important. Most boiler rooms in large commercial buildings are on upper floors, so the sealed concrete system must contain any equipment leaks so that water isn’t sent down several floors. These systems integrate a fiberglass membrane which eliminates cracking through the material. The sealed concrete system must be highly durable and flexible to perform in this environment.

Airplane hangars – special concern is placed on keeping contaminants from getting pulled into aircraft engines. Sealed concrete floors are essential in these areas because the best way to spot any debris or contaminants on a floor is to have smooth shiny floors. Sealed concrete finishes also offer durability and they are easy to clean if fuel or hydraulic liquids leak onto the floor.

About the Author

MN Painting & Concrete Coatings are certified professional installers of Sealed Concrete and Resinous Flooring systems in Denver, Colorado.

Making the decision to hire a professional installer for your epoxy floor coating project can be daunting. Since this can be an investment, make sure to take into account additional factors, not just the price. While hiring the company who turns in the lowest bid can be tempting, if they don’t install the concrete coatings, properly you may end up needing to pay someone else to fix the epoxy floor coating, losing both time and money.

Here is a list of questions you should ask before you decide who you want to hire to install your epoxy floor coating system.

1. What type of training or certifications do you have for installing concrete coatings?
2. How long have you been in business?
3. How long have you been installing epoxy floor coating systems?
4. Do you have references I can contact?
5. Can I see proof of your Liability and Worker’s Compensation Insurance?
6. Which brand of epoxy floor coating products do you use? Are the materials one or two component products?
7. How long can I expect the concrete coatings to last? Do you offer a warranty?
8. Who performs the work? Your own crews or do you use sub-contractors? If the company hires sub-contractors for their work, sometimes they don’t control the quality of work being done as much as if they are using their own employees.
9. Do you perform moisture vapor transmission tests? The biggest reason that epoxy floor coating products fail is from having moisture vapor levels that are too high. If the moisture vapor is high, special products need to be used before the final epoxy floor coating finish is applied.
10. How do you prepare the concrete floor to install the epoxy floor coating system? Prep work should be done mechanically. It’s best to avoid acid etching due to environmental and concrete surface concerns.
11. What is your application method and why? Depending on the sealed concrete system they will spray material, brush and roll, or trowel. They should be able to give this information when explaining their process or epoxy floor coating system recommendations.
12. How do you repair any existing damage to the concrete? Do you chase out and pre-fill cracking? The epoxy floor coating installers should definitely chase and pre-fill cracking in order to avoid any cracking from going through the epoxy floor coating material over time.
13. How long will the epoxy floor coating floor have to dry / cure?
14. Will there be any odor with the system you will be using?

Which Epoxy Floor Coating Installer Should I Use?

Many of the answers will vary and depend on the epoxy floor coating application you need, but how the questions are answered will give you an idea if the company you are speaking with has enough experience to provide a professional quality concrete floor finish. Please take notice if the answers aren’t prompt or seem unsure.

About the Author

MN Painting & Concrete Coatings are certified professional installers of Epoxy Floor Coating and Resin Flooring systems in Denver, Colorado.

The idea of getting halfway through a concrete coatings project, just to lose steam and motivation shortly into it, plus dealing with the mess, lack of time and just not being sure of what it is you’re exactly doing can push frustration over the top for you and your family.

There is always the option of hiring a qualified or even a certified professional installer for concrete coatings finishes. I know the first thing that enters your mind is cost. But, like a reliable car vs. a lemon or even working on your own lemon vs. going to a reliable mechanic, there are advantages.

Concrete Coatings Preparation Is The Key

Concrete coatings can be attractive, durable and maintainable when all phases of installation are performed correctly. If the preparation and installation is done incorrectly, results can be delamination / peeling, improper chemical bond, uneven curing or drying of material, bubbling, or blushing of the concrete coatings finish. Many of these problems will result in the need for you to completely start the entire process over again.

The first thing to consider, prior to installing your own concrete coatings system, are all the technical aspects of each material choice and also the concrete substrate. There are as many options to choosing the correct concrete coatings materials for the situation as well as the correct preparation for the concrete substrate depending on stains or damage already done to the concrete.

There is the difficulty of the full procedure of installation, some of the little “tricks” of the trade and tools of the trade that would drive the cost up for the DIY’er, just to try and set up your concrete coatings to look great. And then last but certainly not least, manpower. Rarely is a concrete coatings or full seamless system installed and executed by one single person. It can be, if you’re good and the job size fits, but even on some of the smallest jobs there are usually more than one installer.

You can definitely install a concrete coatings system yourself. You can grind or blast your concrete floor, wash it with acid, create your own dust, create a sticky material mess, cleaning up with thinners and reducers that you are now storing in your garage or tracking it through your house, just to end up with a concrete coatings finish that is not quite what you hoped it would be.

About the Author

MN Painting & Concrete Coatings are certified professional installers of Sealed Concrete and Resin Flooring systems in Denver, Colorado. We offer our Concrete Coatings services to Commercial & Residential customers throughout Colorado’s Front Range including, but not limited to Denver, Littleton, Centennial, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, Englewood, Aurora, Broomfield, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs.