Flooring That Is Truly Eco Waterproof

The ECO in waterproof flooring means that it is not in any way or manner harmful to the ecology. There are many companies who claim to have Eco waterproof flooring, but once you dig a bit deeper, you find that it is not truly waterproof, and often there are additives in the flooring that makes it in no way ecologically sound.

For instance a quick look around the Net will turn up so called “eco waterproof flooring” but speaking to insurance companies one finds out that they had to pay for many of the so called waterproof floors when floods hit the Northeast part of the United States. Here’s what we found under eco waterproof flooring:

Basically what we found were laminates. In the advertisements it clearly states that “unique waterproof and acoustic properties eliminate most water, moisture and sound problems of typical wood and laminate floors. 100% waterproof.” OK, wait, hold the phone. You said eliminates most water, and moisture problems, then you claim it to be 100% waterproof. So, which is it?

It is amazing that so many companies would advertise thusly. Prove it to yourself, and go to your favorite search engine and put in “Waterproof flooring” and see what the research turns up. How can any type of laminate flooring be waterproof? It simply sounds like, and is, pure puffery.

If something is 100% waterproof, then it should stand up to huge amounts of water, not “most” water. One envisions that their tests consisted of a few sprinkles of water, then they dried off the water, and proclaimed it 100% waterproof. That’s purely amazing. Surely flood waters created huge damages to those 100% waterproof floors.

The ludicrous idea of a laminate floor floating away among the debris of a flood is probably what most people saw in reality and when they returned to their place of business. Also chances are that those laminates had swollen and engorged in a manner making those floors practically impossible to even consider placing them back on the floors they had originally covered. So much water had actually become sponged into those “waterproof” floors that the subflooring was in total shambles.

It would seem to any thinking person that waterproof ought to actually mean waterproof. Now, there is a truly waterproof flooring available on the market, and it is accurately and honestly waterproof. That flooring is called Silikal.

It was originally manufactured in Germany by some of their leading flooring scientists. The predominant ingredient in it is MMA which stands for Methyl Methacrylate. The German scientists took on MMA and noted that it did not last very long as flooring. Granted though, it was 100% waterproof since when water is introduced on an MMA floor, all it does is bead up. The reason for that is that MMA repels water, it does not suck it in. Then those scientists went one step further with the MMA and they enhanced it with a secret ingredient. Their enhanced MMA now serves for a lifetime, it is 100% waterproof because it is a contiguous membrane, known in flooring as being monolithic, and that means that it is totally seamless. So, if you need Eco waterproof flooring, get Silikal, as it also has no VOCs!

Monolithic Poured Floor Covering

When people speak of a poured floor covering, there are a few who are not at all sure what that really means. A poured floor covering is actually basically new, meaning that it has been used in construction for the last 50 years or so. There have been tremendous new products introduced lately, many of which are called poured floor covering.

Case in point is a poured floor covering that is actually made of rubber. The way this is made is to create a concrete base, and when the concrete is dry, yet another product is utilized, called a crushed aggregate base. This is usually about 3 inches thick and it is then compacted. Still another product is utilized, and that is termed Styrene butadiene rubber, and finally it is blended with a binder. The work is not done yet, as then that is followed by a Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer that will also be blended along with a polyurethane binder. Now finally, bingo — you have a poured rubber floor covering that will last a fair amount of time.

These poured rubber floors are mostly utilized in commercial or industrial establishments. As you can readily see, using that kind of poured floor covering is first of all extremely time consuming, and it raises the floor more than the customer desires, and worst yet it will not last anywhere near a lifetime.

The problem faced by the commercial or industrial establishments is that they do not wish to have an epoxy floor installed, nor do they wish to try out a combined Polyaspartic Polyurea, as that does not last a lifetime either. In fact those kinds of poured flooring last about as long as the one year installment warranty most flooring companies offer.

Those who do their homework and look to see what other solutions are being offered, often find a product called MMA. MMA is not a rubberized flooring, nor is it Polyaspartic Polyurea, but instead is actually a methyl methacrylate (MMA) system of various resins. It allows the product to cure within an hour of application, it is temperature insensitive, solvent free, and acid resistant.

But more homework is needed, for a number of processes for poured floor covering utilize this MMA system. Thus one needs to dig into it a little deeper to unearth which company to affiliate with to have this truly amazing flooring put down in an establishment utilized for commercial or industrial usage. Granted it is that promise of being able to return the poured floor covering to service after only one hour following the application that is the most tempting.

Looking into MMA products further, will then turn up a manufactured flooring named Silikal. Its use in commercial and industrial locations has not only been proven for years and years, but it is a “one of a kind” product that Silikal’s own scientists have generated. It too is made from MMA, but has been taken one step further and Silikal calls this wonder of theirs Enhanced MMA. Finally, this product will last a lifetime!

Key Materials in Hospital Flooring

Often the first place that one enters a hospital is through the emergency room. Of course, that means that emergency rooms turn out to be the most demanding areas in any hospital, and naturally that flooring material has stringent prerequisites for complete safety, total reliability and naturally the extreme demands for controlling infection. Not all flooring can meet those critical demands. After all any emergency room flooring must handle extreme foot traffic, and in addition it has to resist such things as various chemicals, strong pigments, and even constant abrasion from the rolling weights as well as medical equipment.

From the emergency rooms, one then travels into the interminable highways of hallway flooring, all of which have their own flooring demands. That flooring must have practical options for those hospital corridors, which now may need to aesthetically match the building design of the hospital, but those floors will also need to take punishing heavy traffic.

One then might enter into various testing areas that make up the heart of the hospital. Exam room flooring frequently needs to put both medical staffing, as well as patients at ease. Such flooring will thus need to be not only comfortable and ultra-clean environments but that flooring also will have to be able to stand up to the wear and tear occasioned there, yet still serve in calming anxious patients. Most wish to have hospital flooring material that is contemporary in design in order to assuage that “institutional” look. But also the hospital administrators want those floors to also have stain resistance, yet have a tremendous ease of maintenance.

Perhaps our patient is in labor, and thus will be taken to the labor and delivery sector of the hospital. Administrators want this particular environment to be as warm and inviting as possible. On the other hand, they wish for the flooring to be highly durable, have long-lasting beauty, and provide underfoot comfort too. They consider the fact that it has to have high cleanability, yet also be resistant to impact as well as to heavy rolling equipment there too.

But, maybe our patient needs to be immediately taken to an operating room. Now imagine the demands that flooring will make. In this case sterility is the number one priority of course, along with once more the need for high cleanability over and over again.

Now, our patient may be taken to their room. Hospital flooring materials need to be conducive to being a safe, highly comfortable healing environment. Thus the flooring must be not just hygienic, but also slip resistant, and again superbly easy to keep clean. More than anywhere in the hospital, low VOC emissions from flooring is not enough, it must be a no VOC emission flooring for patients deserve not only healthier, but much cleaner air to recuperate properly.

Chances are that our patient will never see the telecom area of the hospital, yet administrators recognize the importance of having anti-static flooring there. Only such flooring will maintain and protect all of the electronic equipment now common in our hospitals.

If you are a hospital administrator, the answer to all of those imperative needs is Silikal flooring. Only Silikal is capable of undertaking all the above and still be lifetime flooring.

Flooring That Covers All Commercial Construction Needs

When we speak of commercial construction flooring we are negating personal home flooring as well as industrial flooring. Thus that excludes all of the residential type flooring markets. So, then what is left are such locations as the K-12 market, universities and colleges, hospitals and clinic centers, in fact the entire healthcare market, airport terminals, as well as all government buildings to name a few.

Thus no matter the commercial entity involved, there are four general factors usually indicated in selecting commercial construction flooring. First is the cost that will be expended in installation. Next is the durability as well as the reliability of the product. Following this, consider the quality of the product, inclusive of its performance. And finally, look at the aesthetics of any commercial construction flooring product.

There is one more very important factor in choosing the correct commercial construction flooring, especially if this is a new floor in an existing location. That factor is how long the commerce will be forced to shut down. For instance, taking into account hospitals and other healthcare facilities, there is no way that an entire hospital can shut down so that new flooring can be installed. And still another important factor is the breathable air that will take place if new flooring is put down. All healthcare facilities will wish to take that into consideration, and thus a “low” VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) product absolutely will not do, healthcare facilities require a “no” VOC product. VOCs have after all been proven to cause health problems in the elderly, children and those with compromised immune deficiencies.

It all makes sense to use a “no” VOC flooring, since the organic chemicals are actually made of fuel. Thus flooring releases VOCs even when in use, so that the flooring products which are “low” VOC ones, still emit VOCs after installation.

Looking over the important factors in selecting commercial construction flooring now, it is quite easy to submit the very best flooring that fits all of these factors extremely well. Thus we will take each individually.

Cost is not always initial cost. That is because there is often maintenance cost that has to be factored in. For example many types of flooring only last so long before they need to be refinished, or perhaps simply polished, and some flooring will actually need replacement. Durability and reliability actually should last a lifetime if it’s the right product. Quality and performance also fit into durability and reliability, so that too should last a lifetime. Aesthetics are of course highly important, and the product must thus be extremely versatile. Finally we have the VOC concern. Did you know that Silikal is the “right” answer to ALL those concerns since it is also a “no” VOC flooring which lasts a lifetime? Selecting Silikal’s commercial construction flooring meets the needs of any type of facility.

What is MMA Resin?

One often hears the terms MMA resin, but what is it exactly, and why should one utilize it when considering commercial or industrial flooring? Those questions and even more will be answered by this small article.

To begin with, MMA stands for Methyl Methacrylate, and is thus shortened to MMA since Methyl Methacrylate is quite a mouthful to say. MMA is an organic compound, and if you’ll remember your classes in chemistry, it means that it contains some carbon molecules. OK, chemistry class is now over, now let’s discuss the incredible usefulness of MMA resin.

MMA resin is actually used in acrylic plastics. One of the best examples might be in a huge aquarium such as can be found in Georgia. You see acrylic aquariums such as that one, are actually 17 times stronger as well as 50% lighter than any glass tank could be. In addition, aquarium tanks made of acrylic will have all its seams molecularly bonded instead of being silicone glued which means that it’s practically indestructible.

Because MMA is completely colorless, and is fully transparent, you should once more refer to the example of the aquarium and envision what it’s like seeing true color when observing all manner of aquatic life, and you can then somewhat comprehend why it’s so useful in flooring.

Next realize the absolute strength that MMA resin has. Going back to that Georgia Aquarium, we are told that the MMA there is actually holding back an astonishing 8.5 million gallons of water. No wonder then that MMA floor coatings are waterproof and last so long!

This is because when Silikal lays down a floor it is all in one solid piece. In flooring parlance, this is referred to as being monolithic, and Silikal is just that, totally monolithic.

Back to a little science, you see with Silikal being monolithic, it further means that it will never develop even a pinhole to allow an infinitesimal amount of water through it. Now, only Silikal’s waterproof flooring will do this, because they have perfected MMA. This is why Silikal refers to their material as “enhanced” MMA. Their scientists have discovered something that prevents even pinholes from forming in the MMA.

This easily explains why Silikal is recognized as the best floor covering for commercial and industrial uses. Silikal enhanced MMA material can be changed, but it can never be destroyed. Hence that’s why Silikal can be referred to as being the most “perfect flooring” possible. It will enable Silikal to potentially last a lifetime.