Types of Resin Floor

Choosing a resin floor involves two connected decisions: selecting the resin chemistry and selecting the flooring type.

The resin chemistry primarily determines resistance to chemicals, temperature, moisture, UV exposure and other environmental conditions.

The flooring type determines the system’s thickness, construction, mechanical resistance, durability and expected service life.

This is why two floors made with the same resin chemistry can provide very different levels of performance. A thin epoxy coating and a heavy-duty epoxy screed both use epoxy, but they are intended for very different duties.

Which resin chemistries are available in each flooring type?

Not every resin chemistry is suitable for every flooring type. The table below shows the combinations normally available within the Resafloor range.

Sealers

Waterborne and solvent-based polyurethane systems are used as thin floor sealers. They provide surface protection without creating the thickness or mechanical build of a coating, self-smoothing floor or screed.

Standard epoxy can also be used as a sealer where epoxy chemistry is appropriate.

Coatings and high-build coatings

Water-based epoxy and cementitious polyurethane systems are available as floor coatings. These provide more protection than a sealer but remain relatively thin systems.

Standard epoxy covers the complete range, including conventional coatings and high-build coatings. Its versatility is one reason epoxy is so widely used for industrial and commercial flooring.

Multi-layer and self-smoothing floors

Multi-layer systems use successive resin and aggregate applications to create a thicker, more durable floor. They are available using standard epoxy, MMA and flexible polyurethane.

Self-smoothing floors are normally applied at approximately 2–3 mm. Depending on the operating environment, they may use standard epoxy, MMA, cementitious polyurethane or flexible polyurethane.

Screeds and heavy-duty floors

Standard epoxy and MMA can be used to produce resin screed flooring where greater thickness and mechanical resistance are required.

For more demanding conditions, standard epoxy and cementitious polyurethane are available as 4–6 mm heavy-duty flowable floors and heavy-duty resin flooring above 6 mm.

Cementitious polyurethane is particularly associated with thicker systems designed for demanding processing environments. It is not normally used as a high-build coating, multi-layer floor or conventional 4 mm resin screed.

Combining chemistry with construction

The table shows why specifying only the resin chemistry is not enough. Saying that a floor is “epoxy” does not identify whether it is a sealer, coating, self-smoothing floor or heavy-duty screed.

The correct floor combines:

• A resin chemistry suited to the chemical and environmental conditions

• A flooring type suited to the required mechanical duty

The next step is therefore to calculate the required duty using the Resafloor Load × Frequency = Duty method. That duty can then be combined with the appropriate resin chemistry to identify the most suitable flooring system.