What’s the Best Resin Flooring?

The UltraSyntec team is often asked what, in our opinion as specialist resin flooring specifiers and installers, is the best resin system to choose. There is no simple answer. The best solution will depend on various variables, including the condition of the existing concrete flooring or substrate and the environment in which the floor will operate.

There are many different systems on the market today. Many have been developed specifically for certain sectors and operational challenges, and provide tailored and effective solutions. It’s worth consulting with a specialist company to talk about your requirements to ensure you make the right choice.

Correctly specified, a resin flooring system can last for decades, so choosing the right material and ensuring it is installed correctly can save a significant amount of money in the long run.

What is resin flooring and what are the key benefits?

Resin flooring is increasingly the surface of choice, not just for challenging industrial applications but also for high-end deco schemes where the potential for creating striking and practical surfaces is immense. With an infinite range of colour options, matt and polished finishes and different textures, it successfully combines excellent aesthetics with practicality and durability.

Resin flooring is usually made using synthetic materials including polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, methyl methacrylate resins and cementitious urethanes.

Key benefits include:-

• Practicality – resin flooring is highly resistant to stains and dirt, as well as being water-resistant and hygienic
• Durability – specified and installed correctly, a hard-wearing resin floor will last for many years, even when subject to heavy traffic and aggressive spillages
• It’s easy to clean and impermeable – many products are also stable to high-temperature steam cleaning so maintenance is easy and effective
• It looks good – with just minimal maintenance it will stay looking good for the life of the floor, and a wide range of colours and finishes add to the aesthetic appeal
• Anti-slip properties mean it’s safe in use too – added aggregates can provide even higher levels of non-slip performance
• Chemical resistance – This and thermal conductivity add to the list of benefits
• Resin flooring is great for domestic interiors too – thermal conductivity means it’s ideal for underfloor heating such as the bathroom floor

Combined with cost-effectiveness, speed of installation and ultimate versatility, choosing a polyurethane or epoxy resin flooring can be a wise decision.

Best resin for use in residential garages

Epoxy resin flooring makes sound sense for residential garages, which need to withstand wheeled traffic, spillages such as oil and petrol/diesel as well as the potential for impact damage through dropped tools.

The UltraSyntec team usually recommends epoxy resin flooring for this type of application. Epoxy resin flooring combines affordability with durability and lasting aesthetic appeal, as well as availability in a wide range of colours to suit individual preferences. Our product of choice is EpoCoat epoxy resin flooring from the KDR range of epoxy resins for its protective and decorative qualities.

Best resin for use in cellars

Resin flooring can also provide a practical choice for residential cellars. Whilst UltraSyntec does not generally get involved in domestic cellars, we do work in similarly challenging environments for commercial customers and would usually recommend two coats of a solvent-free damp-proof membrane using a two-part epoxy resin flooring system to suppress moisture and rising dampness and create a continuous impermeable surface. A thin layer coat of clear epoxy resin coating can provide an excellent finish.

Best resin for use in car showrooms

When you’re marketing expensive products like cars in commercial environments, whatever the marque, the showroom conditions can have a lasting impression on potential purchasers. Creating the right conditions underfoot, suitable for vehicular traffic and safe pedestrian passage, is vital.

For car showrooms, we usually recommend epoxy resin flooring systems and often install EpoCoat epoxy resin flooring from the KDR range. Alongside great aesthetic appeal, EpoCoat is easy to apply, and provides chemical and abrasion resistance alongside a smooth coloured glossy finish and fast cure properties – vital when you want to get your showroom back into use as soon as possible!

Other benefits include durability, flexibility, non-slip and easy clean properties. Take a look at epoxy resin flooring in action in car showrooms.

Best resin for use in warehouses

The operational challenges in warehouses are many and diverse, ranging from the use of wheeled traffic and heavy loads to the requirement for safety demarcation highlighting safe pedestrian passageways and high-hazard areas.

Here, an epoxy resin flooring system provides the ideal hard-wearing solution, enabling operators to use colour in different areas to denote access and hazards, as well as creating hardwearing, long-lasting floors capable of handling weight and vehicular activities.

Epoxy resin flooring systems are commonly used in warehousing, but polyurethane resins also offer a practical and effective solution. Read this example from one of our food industry customers who required a cost-effective and time-saving solution.

Understand the importance of warehouse floor safety marking and the effectiveness and aesthetic appeal of an epoxy resin coating flooring solution.

Best resin for use in food factories

Food factories and food production and storage areas present a very significant challenge in terms of operational and hygiene requirements. Here, the UltraSyntec team almost always recommends a polyurethane screed system.

This system is not only extremely hard-wearing, it ensures that the food production facilities conform to stringent food hygiene regulations. We use HACCP-certified Pumadur RT or Pumadur HF manufactured by resin flooring specialists Resdev.

Pumadur systems provide high levels of durability, impact, abrasion and chemical resistance, with a textured finish ideal for wet and dry processing environments.

A recent example was UltraSyntec’s work to create a tanked floor for Compleat Food Group.

Best resin for use in professional kitchens

Professional kitchens present an equally challenging environment and require durability and safety considerations when specifying. This is another area where UltraSyntec recommends a polyurethane screed system.

Complying with stringent HACCP certification in line with food hygiene regulations, our resin flooring system of choice is again Resdev’s solvent-free Pumadur RT or Pumadur HF. Read a recent case study on our website detailing a project for a West Yorkshire-based pub and restaurant.

Best resin for use in car parks

Flooring for car parks is a specialist area, and we always recommend purpose-designed resin car park decking systems rather than cheaper alternatives. UltraSyntec’s choice for similar projects would be KDR’s Dekflex or a system from Resdev’s Deckmaster range.

These systems are suitable for both external and internal car park decking areas and are used worldwide for large multi-storey car park projects.

Professional installation

Undertaking the installation or replacement of a floor using polyurethane or epoxy resin flooring systems is a significant investment in terms of both time and money. To ensure you benefit from the optimum return on your investment per square metre, make sure you consult with resin floor installation specialists who can advise with authority on product choice and specification, based on experience and a comprehensive portfolio of successfully completed projects in different industries.

The recommendations given above are based on UltraSyntec’s three decades of experience in resin flooring. Every system that we specify for individual projects is decided following a detailed consultation with the client to achieve an in-depth understanding of their operating needs, the traffic each area is subjected to and an assessment of the condition of the existing substrate through means of site visit and/or submission of photographs.

So why choose UltraSyntec?

• Experienced team with three decades of experience in specifying and installing resin flooring
• Established a reputation for performance and commitment to quality within the resin flooring industry
• Nationwide service to all sectors of commerce and industry
• Focus on suitability for purpose and extended service life
• Experienced leadership team and industry-qualified site operatives

Summary

Polyurethane and epoxy resin flooring provide practical, safe and durable solutions for applications across industry, with a range of products developed for specific operating environments.

Contact UltraSyntec to discuss any upcoming projects or for advice on resin materials.