By  Lifetime Epoxy Guest Author: Patrick O'Shea 
​
Commercial Decorative Floors

Huntsville Alabama and North Alabama area businesses and industries rely on Lifetime Epoxy for their new and old floor resurfacing and coatings. Many businesses are opting to use decorative concrete and epoxy floor coatings over carpet. 
When treated properly, concrete has many more benefits than carpet in high traffic areas. There are many different styles and techniques that can be achieved when converting boring concrete to a more appealing floor.

Carpet may seem like a logical choice when choosing a floor for a business. Although carpet does cut down on noise, it's practicality for high traffic areas are just not up to par. Carpet retains a lot of dust and dirt, making it difficult to keep clean. Carpet must also be replaced every few years due to wear and tear.

By ripping out the carpet and cleaning the concrete underneath it, the floor can become more useful for high traffic areas. The concrete itself will usually need to be cleaned and prepped for the application of decorative concrete.
There are many different choices for commercial or industrial decorative floors. Some common choices are acid staining, epoxy floors and concrete overlays.

Acid Stained Floors For Commercial Use

Many businesses are now turning to acid stained concrete floors. This application will turn concrete into a marblized appearance. Concrete contains lime which interacts with the acids, which in turn adds color. The acids will slightly etch the concrete and seep down into the concrete. This way the stain cannot chip or scratch off. A sealant is then added after the stain dries to ensure a long lasting application. Stained concrete can be matched to any decor.

Epoxy Floors For Commercial And Industrial Use
Epoxy resins can be applied to any concrete surface to ensure a strong and durable sealer. The resins are combined with hardeners during the application. Epoxy floors will seal and repel stains, water and other chemical spills. This is widely used in factories and industrial settings due to it's strength, ability to repel spills and inability to create concrete dust. Epoxy floors can be made smooth or have a orange peel look. Epoxy floors are very strong and have non-slip characteristics to them.

Concrete Overlays In Commercial Settings
When an existing concrete floor is used in commercial settings and has some chips, cracks or other defects, a concrete overlay may be the best solution. Concrete overlays are thin layers of a mixture of cement, sand and polymers. This is applied topical on existing concrete that will range in thickness anywhere from 1/8th of an inch to a couple inches depending upon the circumstances. Concrete overlays can also be dyed certain colors to match the surrounding decor.

There are many uses for decorative concrete in commercial or industrial settings. The owner or company can decide on many options including designs, colors, sealers and finishes. Decorative concrete is used in many settings including offices buildings, restaurants, shopping malls, high rise buildings, airplane hangars, plants, factories, warehouses, garages, machine shops, schools, universities, banks and other buildings. The options can also be exercised outside of buildings too for walkways, patios, driveways, sidewalks and entryways. There are almost an endless amount of ways that decorative concrete can be utilized in a commercial setting.

Written by Patrick O'Shea, intended for use by Commercial Decorative Concrete Contractor [http://www.decorative-concrete.biz]. For more information and to find a Industrial Concrete Sealing Company [http://www.decorative-concrete.biz], follow the links.  Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5741277

Lifetime Industrial Floors is a division of Lifetime Epoxy Floors. Lifetime Epoxy Floors install industrial, commercial and residential epoxy, polyurea, and other types of interior and exterior surface floor coatings.

By  Lifetime Epoxy Guest Author:  Edward Winslow 
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North Alabama industry is growing at an extremely rapid rate. There is a great demand for industrial flooring of all types including Epoxy, Polyurea  and Stained surfaces.  When it comes to Industrial floor surface decisions, every element of the  project is important. Cost, safety, productivity, and performance are all major concerns.

The new industrial floor surface must meet a specific number of project specifications clearly outlined by the purchasing company's representative. Today Polished Concrete, Epoxy, and Polyurea surface treatments are being chosen again and again because they deliver. Let's take a look at the many benefits these concrete floors offer Alabama Industry.

#1 -  Worker Safety - Avoiding workplace hazards should always be a major consideration in industrial interior design. Polished and technologically advanced floor treatments are designed with non-slip surfaces. Their coefficient of friction levels meet or pass the guidelines suggested by OSHA and maintain these levels even under constant use.
#2 - Low Maintenance Expense - All three types of floor treatments clean easy and fast. There's no need for any expensive cleaning solutions since they are bacteria and moisture resistant. Since the surface is dense and hard, there is no place for dirt or grime to attach, so it cleans up quicker than other surfaces. Businesses benefit in reduced labor and supply costs.
#3 - Environmentally Safe - Many businesses are making efforts to choose Green practices whenever possible. Since finished concrete floors use existing materials, other resources are not used. In addition, no toxic chemicals are needed to clean or maintain the surface.
#4 - Enhances Light Reflection - Floors can be finished with a highly reflective surface which reflects ambient light. This creates a brighter, more pleasant work environment and may even help lower energy costs.
#5 - No Disruption to Work Schedule - Concrete polishing can actually be done during work hours. Specialized machines include dust vacuums so one area can be polished while other areas of the building are still conducting business. Epoxy and polyurea coatings have a very short cure time. Floors can often be used just a couple days after the surfaces are treated.
#6 - Extreme Durability - Finished concrete floors are extremely durable because they are integrated directly into the concrete. They don't peel, splinter, or chip. They are ideal for industrial work spaces because they can withstand constant use. They maintain their appearance and high performance standards longer than other types of floors.

When you compare polished concrete, epoxy and polyurea floors with other industrial flooring, it's easy to see why these three treatments are used in factories, warehouses, and storage facilities all over the Southeast.
To view photos of polished concrete and industrial floor epoxy visit http://www.madstonefloors.com/.Home
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Edward_Winslow/169240

For more information on Lifetime Epoxy visit the articles below:
--Lifetime Epoxy Floors - 10 Facts About The Company You Should Know​
​--Top 10 Reasons Epoxy Floors Are the Best for Alabama Commercial Use
​--How To Choose An Alabama Industrial Coating Contractor
​--Alabama Industrial Floors: Do Your Industrial Floors Meet The Highest Safety Standards?

By Our Guest Author: John S Primus ​

The majority of people take for granted how industrial floor coatings my affect their lives. Chances are these people perceive that such products have no relation with them. However, the fact is that such floors have not remained confined to industrial environments yet can be seen even in the most common place like your garage. If you are a business owner, chances are you might want to apply floor coatings at your business premises to protect and extend the life of your garages and floors. In this article, we will cover most options within the sector of commercial floor coatings with a brief overview of the different types of coatings used in various types of commercial floors.

Floors are obviously essential for buildings as they provide the ability to build multiple levels and give a proper structure to the buildings. Hence, it has become the prime duty of both industrial and commercial owners to protect the floors from causing damage by applying the most suitable type of floor coating. Currently, industrial owners are using various types of coatings to ensure protection of their floors. Ceramic based, Polyurethane based and Epoxy based coatings have become the most popular among worldwide industries due to their suitability, durability and protection. These coatings are most commonly referred to as Commercial Floor Coatings or Industrial Floor Coatings.

First, Epoxy Coatings are quite popular and available to us in wide range of colors and finishes. In addition, industrial business owners can use such coatings in wide range of applications. Epoxy is considered one of the Thermosetting Polymers, which consists of two parts, most commonly referred to as Polyamide and Epoxide Resin. In recent years, epoxy coatings have become perhaps the most popular choice for commercial floor coatings as they can create highly durable surfaces, which possesses very high value of resistance against traffic and abuse. Epoxy coatings are available to purchasers in various attractive colors, are highly resistant to rust and waterproof to different types of chemicals such as acids oils and water. You can easily apply any of the Epoxy coatings to uneven, rough and broken floors, where it not only acts as a coating, but also as a filler. As many industries have concrete floors, Epoxy paints have become quite suitable for application directly on top of the floor surface.

Second, Polyurethane is one of the harder and more durable substances used as industrial floor coatings. This substance is more or less similar to Epoxy paints, however, when the coatings of polyurethane are subjected to intense heat or shock, it can split or fracture easily, leaving white patches on the floors. One of the negative attributions of traditional polyurethane is that it contains a toxic substance called isocyanates. Isocyanates have been known to cause various health complication including nausea, asthma and in certain cases even death. As such, polyurethane is now being fazed out of production throughout the Unites States and Europe.

Besides Epoxy and Polyurethane coatings, newer more effective solutions have arisen including Green Polyurethane, which is a non-toxic form of polyurethane that costs less to produce than its traditional counterpart and has greater strength and permeability properties. The Environmental Protection Agency of the Unites States and European Environmental agencies are both helping in a major transition from toxic to a non-toxic based polyurethane solution. Given its superior strength, lower cost and multiple colors to choose from Green Polyurethane could be the choice of the future for industrial and commercial floor coating.

John Primus is an industrial chemist from Southern California who advocates using industrial floor coatings from Green Polyurethane Companies like Hybrid Coating Technologies a Northern California high tech coatings company.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/John_S_Primus/1272751


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7423896