Resin flooring
Resin flooring produces a hard-wearing 'plastic' surface. Its highly durable finish means that it is a popular design choice for heavy-use environments such as pharmaceutical, chemical, storage and logistics areas, commercial and public areas.
Typically, resin floors comprise a primer which penetrates and reacts with a substrate layer (usually concrete), creating a high-strength bond. A body coat of resin is then applied on top of the primer, and this creates the bulk of the floor thickness, the decorative finish and key performance characteristics such as impact resistance. Typically, 1-3 seal coats will then be used to encapsulate the body coat and provide additional performance characteristics, such as resistance to chemicals and wear.
The main types of resin used are:
- Epoxy.
- Methyl methacrylate (MMA).
- Polyurethane (PU).
Other ingredients can be added, such as; aggregates, decorative chips/flakes, pigments, cement powder, specific chemical resistance additives and so on. This may increase the thickness of the body coat.
As well as being tougher in compression than concrete, resin flooring can have some stress flexibility, which makes it durable under impact and thermal shock. In addition to its greater compressive strength, resin can dissipate loading and increase the base concrete’s weight-bearing limit.
Other advantages of resin flooring include:
- Ease of maintenance.
- An impervious barrier is created enabling the flooring to be easily cleaned and meaning they don’t harbour bacteria.
- Slip-resistant versions can be created by adding graded aggregates within the base layer, creating safer environments.
- Design flexibility is possible due to a huge range of available finishes.
- There do not need to be joints in the surface layer.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Budget 2022 - CIOB Ireland responds
Institute applauds funding initiatives but presses for additional retrofit and tax measures.
Electrotechnical sector prepares for All-IP networks
The switch from analogue to digital has begun.
The fourth industrial revolution is well underway.
IHBC COP26 virtual Conservation Helpdesk
Free online resource will offer guidance on conserving places and the planet during COP26.
Government allocates additional money for building new homes on derelict land.
Human centric goes beyond user friendly
Smart built environments can be designed around the requirements of real people.
Being practical about digital transformation
Consistency is at the core of realistic strategies.
CIOB's Art of Building photography competition
Entries being accepted until 20 November 2021.
Fuller’s legacy in the field of resource management.