What’s better than cookies? Gluten free cookies that taste the same, if not better! Eban’s Bakehouse is a wonderful bakery locally owned in Columbus, Ohio. We recently had the opportunity to work with them on refinishing their commercial kitchen epoxy flooring.
They had 2 layers of existing epoxy that was wearing through. The first coat was too smooth and was discolored, however it had adhered properly. The second coat was applied by the employees of Eban’s in which they did not do any proper preparation work prior to install. This was obvious as the floor began peeling within 6 months of them completing the work in-house. Additionally, no offense to them, the products they used were greatly inferior for the floor’s environment.
What happens in a commercial kitchen epoxy environment?
Well, lets think about it. What happens in a commercial kitchen environment? Their floor is actually a serious investment and will provide great value over the years. Really put it in perspective, so lets look at it together.
- Always Operating – 5 days a week or even 6-7 depending on overtime
- Many Employees – Any given time there is 5 – 8 employees busily working
- Moisture – constant washing of dishes or adding water to mixtures
- Equipment setup – re-arranging equipment to best fit the current operation
- Those wheels and tables are definitely abrasive to a floor
- Smooth surface – easy to be slippery when wet
- Range of Temperatures – Ovens can make the floor hot, water can make the floor cold
- Impact – dropping of pans, bags, tools, and more
As you can see, a floor can be pretty abused throughout the business day. As time marches on, an epoxy floor can began to deteriorate by wearing through, flake off, or become a hazard. Here is where the immediate value comes from a good floor.
An epoxy floor will provide:
- Durability
- Resist Impact Abrasion
- Resist Scratching
- Non-Slip additives
- Monolithic
- Easy to clean
- Happy employees
These will provide great value of the life of the floor. The last thing a business owner, supervisor, or whomever will have to worry about is their floor. Many people don’t realize that their floor is really an asset. Another major benefit is you won’t have the Health Department breathing down your neck about health concerns. Furthermore, employees truly do value a good floor – something easy to clean makes their job way easier.
So how did Eban’s commercial kitchen epoxy flooring project turn out?
Their ‘first’ epoxy floor was actually installed correctly and had to be removed with very abrasive concrete cutting tools. This process allowed for the concrete to be profiled correctly for our epoxy and polyurethane application. The client ended up leaving their vinyl cove base along the wall. With the base installed, we were able to trowel up to it and fill in the gap between that and the floor. Maybe not the best idea, but overall better for keeping moisture out of hidden areas. From there, we finished up with the polyurethane having a slip-resistant additive.
Floor Preparation and Coating Process:
1. Grind entire concrete surface to create a great mechanical bond
2. Repair all joints/cracks/spalling
3. Grind all repairs flush with concrete to create a seamless surface
4. Apply a gray base coat of epoxy
5. Apply a protective coat of gray urethane
Is this the best overall flooring solution for a commercial kitchen?
To be honest, this isn’t the very best solution for a commercial kitchen.
Are there a lot of immediate benefiting factors? Yes.
Will this provide a durable, lasting coating option? Yes.
Will an epoxy coating meet all health department criteria? Yes.
I’m not going to lie to you, there are definitely better options to protect against thermal shock, abrasion, and has better slip-resistance. But what we’ve found is that this coating option is affordable and can completed in the same time as other expensive flooring options on the market. Typically these expensive options range from $8 – $12 per sq ft which is about 2 – 3 times more than this flooring system.
We’ve used the same materials in several different environments and are very happy with the results. This gives us the peace of mind that owner’s of a commercial kitchen will be highly satisfied with the end result – providing years of value.
Contact us today to learn more and how to invest in your asset of a floor! Click here for more information!
