High-solid epoxies provide outstanding protection against acids and alkalis.
Fast-drying, odourless epoxy mastics, epoxy primer sealers and surfacers are among the formulations currently available.
These coatings offer a number of key benefits including outstanding adhesion, an excellent ability to withstand abrasive cleaning procedures and cleaning chemicals, fast curing properties for minimised downtime of the area being treated, plus compatibility with textured, anti-slip additives.
Additionally, high-solids formulations are low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
A popular choice suitable even for clean-room floors is a self-levelling epoxy system utilising a 100% solids-binder resin with a blended aggregate, which is easily applied with a notched trowel or squeegee and back rolled with a texture roller.
When a rapid return to service is one of the paramount factors in order to minimise plant downtime, 100% solid epoxies are a wise choice for coating floors.
Many operators of meat-processing facilities select 100% epoxy coatings because these coatings offer strong bonding characteristics, resistance to thermal and mechanical shock, and the ability to endure frequent cleaning with hot water at high pressure.
They also may be used in areas where highly-acidic products are processed.
Urethanes
Polyurethane coatings continue to be popular for flooring applications in the food industry.
These coatings typically come in slurry form and tend to be somewhat more costly up front, but their service life often outlasts other product categories.
In fact, these systems are making significant gains on epoxy and vinyl-ester flooring systems in many meat and poultry plants.
Urethane cement slurry and mortar systems provide superior resistance to thermal cycling when compared to epoxy and vinyl-ester coatings in addition to providing excellent long-lasting performance.
They also have very low odour during application and have a seamless, easy-to-clean surface when dry.
Methyl methacrylate
Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) coatings are also used for food and beverage facility floors because they can be applied at relatively low temperatures, cure quickly, and are low in odour, reducing the risk of imparting an unpleasant taste or odour to processed foodstuffs.
As a result, MMA coatings are often used in cold storage areas such as freezer rooms.
Polyureas
When environments demand tough, flexible and impact-resistant floors, polyurea coatings are an excellent choice.
There are 100% pure polyurea coatings available that are USDA-acceptable and even UL-approved to the ANSI-NSF 61 Standard, so they are increasingly being used by tanks for holding potable water, as well as floor coatings for food and beverage industry floors.
All polyureas are formulated with no VOCs, have no odour, and dry tack- free in as little as 45 seconds.
These coatings are especially useful in food processing areas since they provide a seamless and flexible surface that can withstand temperatures as low as -6°C to 121°C.
Because of their elasticity, polyurea coatings are ideal for substrates such as concrete, which tends to crack.
As an elastomer, these coatings have the ability to stretch and bridge gaps up to 1/8-inch.
Due to this flexibility, polyurea coatings are not limited by temperature extremes.
More rigid coatings tend to crack as the substrate expands or contracts because of differences in the coefficient of linear expansion.