High Performance Epoxy Flooring Installation

High Performance Epoxy flooring installations are difficult to execute. The epoxy flooring products are manufactured onsite and are dependent on the installer. Why are epoxy floors so easy to sell but so hard to install? The answer might surprise you and beg some additional questions. We will discuss some techniques and ways to increase success, reduce call backs, and help your company become more profitable.

The first lesson that all flooring installers and sales folks need to understand is that there is always time and money to rework a floor project; after the fact. In my thirty plus years of experience the biggest challenge installers face is using good judgment and the resources available to them. I would also note that an inexperienced flooring sales representative can also hamstring a project. Epoxy resinous flooring installers have a general I know it all attitude. Installers say things like, just leave me alone and let me do my job. That is great until the job has issues, the customer is not happy, and now the job must be reworked costing everyone time and money. the biggest way to have success on the front end is to ask for help and slow down on the front end of an installation. Asking for help means calling the manufactures representative & technical team and discussing things like slab temperature, application thickness, ambient air temperatures, humidity, sunlight, mix time, pot life, batch sizes, pour lengths, correct squeegee to use, square footage per gallon, what nap roller to use, how much thinner to use, recoat windows, patching materials, sand time, amount of flake or aggregate to use, etc. its recommended that all leadman or journeymen discuss the application with the manufacture ( prior to application ). Being proactive is how to ensure a project is being installed per specification and general application guidelines.

When an epoxy flooring contractor calls and say well the urethane is peeling off the basecoat what do we do? Or a contractor says well the clear topcoat is turning white, or the floor has puddles and does not look correct, or the topcoat has ticks and dust in it, or the urethane cement has roller lines, or the metallic floor looks terrible, etc. I have heard them all and most can be avoided. Now being a salesman first and installer second; I will place some responsibility on the salesperson. A seasoned salesperson should not over sell a floor system. Aviation hangers and metallic floors are great examples. When a client wants a white high gloss floor that needs to look like the hood of a car; a salesperson needs to lower the expectation or run. Another example would be a homeowner wanting a metallic high gloss floor they saw on the internet. Installation is not easy but if flooring contractors work closely with an experienced manufacture representative, they can avoid 90% of all epoxy flooring related issues. But guess what; these installation errors happen all the time and the installers don't seem to learn. I would also note that inexperienced salespeople over sell polymer floors in general. I normally tell clients that the floor needs to bond well to the substrate, have reasonable aesthetics, be easy to clean, and handle traffic or use it was designed for. Aesthetics is secondary to everything else.

Architects, design build firms, project managers, plant maintenance teams, need to really focus on the execution of the floor installation and work with seasoned professionals. Installers need to work closely with the manufactures representative to ensure success and learn best practices. For more information on a new construction project, plant shutdown, polished concrete, or plant renovation contact Carl Boman 913 579 7378

RIO FLOORING CARL BOMAN 913 579 7378 ---