Commercial Construction Flooring Selection

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.

MMA Resin

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.

Poured Flooring Types

The Many Poured Flooring Types Available Today

There are many poured flooring types, all depending on the optimum final use you are seeking. Often times there is a specific reason for using one type and not another. For instance, perhaps your company desires to have a renewable flooring installed. Or, they may be seeking instead to have something that is totally slip resistant, and of course there are many poured flooring types that can be rendered exceptionally non-slip.

Some companies are seeking a poured flooring type that can be made impact resistant. That mainly appeals to commercial garages, and even some distribution chains who utilize forklifts. Yet another need for a different flooring type may be a company that utilizes many different types of electronics, thus what they usually seek is a poured flooring type that can be totally antistatic in order to preserve the electronics they use.

There are even some commercial establishments who are seeking some type of poured flooring which can be cured in a low temperature. This may include a company that deals in frozen foods, or perhaps a company that has many freezers filled to the brim with frozen goods that will ultimately go to grocery stores.

Also, there is a plethora of various food establishments. They want a floor that is superbly easy to clean, and some deal in foods that do require messes to be made. This includes bakeries or dairies, where spillage may frequently occur. We must also include commercial kitchens in this requirement, for after all they need to pass all manner of inspections, yet spills do occur there also.

Imagine the poured flooring types that are necessary for a rendering plant, as yet another example. Those floors may become greasy as the work is processed, and quite often harsh cleaners are utilized for cleaning, but in addition often they employ steam cleaners for those locations.

A chemical company will need some kind of poured flooring type that can actually resist chemical spills. Now, that’s a very tall order for flooring, as it would be for a laboratory, where they also have chemical spills. Not all poured flooring types can resist that kind of punishment.

Further, take into consideration an airplane hangar. Within the parameters of that flooring has to be the need to resist hot tires, as well as the machines that pull the airplane out of its hangar. Strangely enough one of the most difficult items to deal with in such a hangar is jet fuel. Jet fuel seems to “eat away” almost all poured flooring types.

There is but one answer to all the problems listed above as far as poured flooring types, and that is Silikal. Silikal has been especially engineered to do all of the above, including resisting all kinds of chemical spills including jet fuel, and it will last a lifetime, even when forklifts are utilized on it. Food establishments, rendering plants, and other companies find that cleanup with a Silikal floor is actually a breeze! So, no matter what kind of poured flooring types you are considering make sure you also check out Silikal and you’ll be very happily surprised.

Animal Clinic Flooring

Finding the Right Flooring for your Animal Clinic

Flooring for an animal clinic or veterinary office is often terrazzo or some other kind of very hard durable flooring. There are a plethora of reasons for this, not the least being that it must be monolithic, which means that it is all one piece, so that absolutely nothing can permeate it or worse yet find its way beneath it.

Today though, the high cost of terrazzo has made it almost impossible to consider for animal clinic flooring. Part of the high cost is of course, that it is exceedingly labor intensive. After all preparation is labor intensive, but once it is poured into place, then it has to be polished, and that is what gives it its distinctive smooth surface. To save costs, today there are even terrazzo tiles available, but the tiles have unfortunately developed a problem with them, and that is that any tile floor of any kind utilizes a medium called grout to tie together the tiles. Grout is unfortunately not monolithic and worse yet grout is regrettably permeable which means that water and waste can seep through it, and can leach beneath the tile to create a wondrous site for growth of bacteria and smells.

Terrazzo also has other reasons to not be used for animal clinic flooring. For instance one must utilize special pH-neutral cleaners which unfortunately are extremely expensive. Then too, terrazzo must be resealed annually always using an acrylic-based sealer. This too raises the cost of having a terrazzo animal clinic flooring. On the pro side, not only is it beautiful, but terrazzo is also considered one of the very first products to be environmentally friendly, for it is made of recycled products and natural materials. It never emits any volatile organic compounds, referred to as VOCs. VOCs after all have both many short term and long term adverse health effects because it is a breathable gas.

And so, animal clinic owners tried to find a type of flooring that was comparable with terrazzo. At last they found one that is actually better than terrazzo. That product is Silikal.

Silikal, you see is also beautiful and offers tons of designs, textures, and styles and also even offers logos in the flooring if desired, geometrics and an abundance of different graphics. Like terrazzo, it is all in one piece. Remember the word monolithic? Silikal is not only one seamless floor coating, but is also urine resistant, anti-slip, and easy to clean.

Silikal is also completely VOC free, it will never ever emit any volatile organic compounds not even when it is being laid, thus no short term nor any long term adverse health effects. Silikal is considered a “green” installation as well and therefore is environmentally friendly. Further, Silikal has earned the OK from both the USDA as well as the FDA for food establishments, thus you know that it is acceptable for the animals coming to your animal clinic.

Silikal utilizes enhanced MMA (methyl methacrylate), which ensures nothing but absolutely nothing will ever seep into or through the animal clinic flooring, and it will not be discolored by animal urine or feces. It will never require resealing either, for Silikal is renowned to be a lifetime flooring.

Industrial Building Flooring

Unsurpassed Flooring for Industrial Buildings

Just the word industrial alone tells us that the flooring needed is going to have to be special in one way or another, perhaps in many different ways. Take for example what kind of industrial building flooring is going to be required for a foundry. That flooring absolutely must be able to tolerate terrible heat, and in addition it will have to also be able to withstand chemicals. Imagine if you will that this industrial flooring system has to not only survive mechanical abuse, but also have to deal with dross, hot skim and slag! Now those are industrial rigors, and only the very strongest of flooring can withstand that. Its mechanical strength must be absolutely awesome, and its abrasion resistance has to be the paramount as well.

Industrial building flooring has met many other challenges such as that described above, and if there is anything that has been learned by those providing such flooring is that each and every instance is going to be different than the last. Take for example industrial building flooring for a bakery. Once more high heat is involved, but in addition to that since it is required to be kept ultra-clean because it is involved in making food; some additional needs come in to play.

Also, in a bakery there are sometimes some spills, so that in order to keep the bakers safe, one needs to think about their safety and render that flooring anti-slip. It’s not that the bakers are careless, but accidents do happen. And since oils and various kinds of grease are used in a bakery the non-slip flooring is but half the problem. The other problem is to be 100% sure that such things cannot ever get underneath that flooring. If we utilize tile, as an example, the tile is surrounded by grout in which germs and bacteria might flourish, and eventually the germs and bacteria are going to allow that tile to put out some very strong unpleasant odors. Worse yet, the tile are going to begin to lift because dirty water has seeped underneath. For industrial building flooring located in a bakery that spells disaster.

It is thanks to Silikal that there are answers to these problems for just about any kind of industrial building flooring needed. Silikal uses enhanced MMA in its formulary for flooring, which is totally different than the MMA used by its competitors. “Normal” MMA unfortunately allows pinholes to form, and nothing stops them from forming except the additive that was invented by Silikal thus enabling them to call it enhanced MMA. Without those infinitesimal pinholes the flooring is totally sealed, and will remain sealed.

Only Silikal flooring can be considered lifetime flooring. That means that its industrial building flooring will probably outlast the building it has been installed within. In addition, even though it is for industrial use, it can still be made to be eye appealing, and in that way workers can be made happier as they work in a pleasing environment.