The flooring in construction and power generation facilities whether they are natural gas-fired, coal-fired, nuclear, or renewable has to be able to handle the kind of activities and potential hazards that can happen at these plants. The kind of flooring that is ideal for these settings must be low-maintenance, extremely strong and durable for obvious reasons.
The flooring also needs to work well with the kind of lighting so too much of it is not reflected which can be distracting to the workers, which can potentially become a hazard.
The best types of flooring that are best suited for these harsh environments are urethane resin-based concrete coatings as well as epoxy flooring. They are well known for their abrasion resistance, strength as well as durability. These types of flooring can handle heavy vehicular and foot traffic without any of it making a dent or a scratch. Stationary and mobile equipment is handled well by these types of floorings too.
Because these machines can vibrate with great intensity, the concrete must be protected by resinous elastomeric coatings otherwise the concrete will not withstand the effects from those machines.
Additionally, floors with urethane resin-based concrete coatings as well as epoxy flooring are able to handle chemical spills that frequently happen in these plants. They are frequently exposed to chemical compounds and solvents; battery acid; other acids and alkaline substances; harsh cleaning solutions; grease and oil; vehicle fluids as well as lubricants. Any other type of flooring will not handle these harsh substances. Concrete that is exposed will not last for a long time, and this is why heavy protection is needed.
The other huge advantage of these types of flooring is that they are free of volatile organic compound (VOC), have very low emissions and do not have any solvents either. However, you have to make sure that the manufacturer of these floors and concrete coating are reputable. Some are not and you need to be careful with this if you are looking into epoxy flooring or having urethane resin-based concrete coatings on your concrete floors.
Another advantage of resinous floor coatings is that they are either free of odor or if not, the odor is quite mild and will not be disturbing to workers or anyone else who visits. And the other great thing is that these flooring types come in a variety of standard or custom textures, finishes, and colors. Those working in generation plants will not be nearly as picky about that. However, facilities like schools and hospitals will care about the appearance of these kinds of floorings which is ideal for these institutions as well.
Last but not least, these types of floorings are naturally very clean which is another reason that they are ideal for hospitals and schools. Epoxy flooring, as well as concrete with urethane resin-based coatings, are not prone to attracting bacteria and fungi and are not likely to become breeding grounds for microbes either. Most other types of flooring like tile even are not as hygienic.
To sum up, floors with urethane resin-based concrete coatings as well as epoxy flooring are the only types of flooring that are best for harsh working environments such as construction and power generation facilities.
