Resinous flooring systems are common applications where seamless floors are required. These flooring systems are typical in auto repair shops, medical, manufacturing, kitchens, animal shelters, airplane hangars and garage floors. The benefit of these systems is hygienic, ease of cleaning and maximum chemical, impact, thermal and abrasion resistance.
The word “resinous” is a generic term that defines a variety of liquid applied products including epoxy, urethane, polyaspartic, urethane concrete and MMA (Methyl Methacrylate). The type of resin chosen for your application will depend on a scale that weights economics, aesthetics, durability and chemical resistance to best suit your resinous flooring needs.
Resinous flooring systems can be “aggregate” loaded or smooth in composition based on required millage and texture.
Aggregates are typically one of three products.
1.) Silica
An off-white or colorless crystal compound, occurring commonly as quartz, sand, flint, agate, and other minerals and used to manufacture a wide variety of materials, especially glass and concrete. In flooring applications silica is an economical way to increase milage on monochromatic colored floors that require slip resistant and increased impact resistance.
2.) Quartz
A very hard mineral composed of silica, SiO2, found worldwide in many types of rocks, including sandstone and granite. Varieties of quartz include agate, chalcedony, chert, flint, opal, and rock crystal. There is a misnomer about “quartz” flooring. Based on the cost of true quartz crystals, quartz flooring today is comprised of epoxy coated silica. These epoxy coated silicas are used in “quartz flooring”. Combinations of these silcas with different types of resins results in decorative flooring systems used in commonly in commercial kitchens, animal shelters and bathrooms.
3.) Flake
Composed of water based resin materials, organic minerals, additives and various pigments. This unique product is integrally pigmented, brilliantly colored, random in shape, sized within a standardized range and custom blended with infinite options to achieve optimal appearance and texture qualities with a resin-based flooring or wall coating system. Flake applications are commonly used on garage floors, but becoming more prevalent in medical, kitchens and other seamless applications. Flake floors offer a more modern look than traditional quartz flooring applications with a more economical cost based on reduced milage or thickness.
