We’re asked all the time why our resinous flooring bid was more expensive than another contractor. Our epoxy is the same as their epoxy, right? Wrong. There are many reasons why our floors are different and may cost more, so we thought we’d write an article to explain exactly what you get when you decide to work with us.

Superior Materials and Design

In the world of industrial and commercial flooring, every floor has a specific job to perform. That could be general durability for the heavy traffic of a warehouse, non-skid properties for the wet conditions of a brewery, chemical resistance for laboratory settings, or thermal shock resistance for the heating equipment and hot spills of commercial kitchens, to name a few. That means that all floors are not alike in design, performance or appearance. Every commercial flooring project is different and a lot of thought should go into building the correct floor for the job it has to do.

Think about it, a warehouse with forklift traffic is going to require a very different floor than a meat packing facility or a retail space. Many contractors ignore these details and apply a one-size-fits-all approach to every job they do, pulling from a limited inventory of materials. We have a huge library of resinous flooring options, and we also strategically plan how the system will be built or modified to fit very specific needs. 

Customized Materials

We use various types of epoxy, polyaspartic, urethane cement, urethanes, novolacs, and hybrid materials to build floors that are perfectly suited to the job they need to do. In deciding how to build a floor we may use hybrid materials or vary materials by layer to achieve a certain result.

If an aggregate will be used, we have the inventory and know-how to do everything from tiny quartz or micro flakes (1/16” to 1/8”) to regular or large sized flakes (1/4” to 1”). We’ll also plan the optimal number of broadcasts for the necessary floor-strength, resilience, slip-resistance, or aesthetic. 

When it comes to appearance, we can make epoxy floors with infinite color combinations and finishes, versus contractors who only carry a limited palette.

We can build floors to handle any condition, from heavy physical abuse to extreme chemical resistance to electrostatic shock resistance. Thoughtfully planned, customized floors guarantee your facility, materials and employees stay safe. Our floors will hold up to some of the nastiest chemicals out there, they can protect sensitive or explosive materials from the risk of static shock, and they will last for years on end. 

Number of Material Coats

Another reason our floors may seem more expensive than other contractors, is the number of coats we apply and the overall thickness of the floor. Many budget contractors will apply a generic “garage” floor in all their industrial and commercial projects. That basic floor will consist of only 2 layers: a pigmented base coat of epoxy and a polyaspartic top coat. 

At General Industrial Flooring, we build floors that are meant to last. It’s not uncommon for us to have three, four or five layers in our flooring solutions. The additional layers aren’t for show. They improve durability, appearance, longevity and often contain special properties based on the needs of the space. If your space only needed a basic garage floor, we would certainly build that for you, but we call it a basic garage floor for a reason – that’s where it’s meant to exist. These 2-layer floors simply don’t hold up in demanding industrial and commercial conditions, so any savings you get up front will be wasted when you have to redo your floors in less than a year. 

Moisture Mitigation

Have you ever heard of slab relative humidity? A high RH number means there is excessive moisture trapped inside a concrete slab. If not mitigated, that trapped moisture can cause flooring to fail quickly, with bubbling, cracking, or even water physically pushing its way through the slab and up through the coating on top. 

High slab relative humidity above 75% is extremely common in Colorado. This information is surprising to many people since we think of Colorado as a “dry” climate, but the soil in our state is a different story. Therefore, when installing a new flooring system in Colorado, it’s important to do moisture testing and possibly mitigation before beginning installation. 

At General Industrial Flooring, we do moisture testing on the majority of our projects to ensure successful floors. When we detect high slab moisture, we will recommend (or in some cases insist upon) installing a moisture system. Moisture systems, like a concrete moisture primer or a concrete moisture barrier system, will block the relative humidity in the slab from causing an issue with the expensive coating system above. Moisture systems vary in cost and which one you need will depend on the materials of your floor. 

Moisture is one of the leading causes of concrete damage and flooring failure. So once again, it’ll save you in the long run if you do it correctly upfront. We know moisture mitigation well and will walk you through all the options for your project and the associated costs. 

Decades of Expertise

General Industrial Flooring has been in the business of installing resinous flooring since 1989. Our team member that walks jobs prior to construction and for estimates has been with our company since 1993. Our foremen have extensive resinous flooring experience, having installed countless systems by a variety of manufacturers over the years. Our installation crews have significant commercial and industrial epoxy experience and new team members are extensively trained before working on projects.

Simply put, this combined experience results in better-quality floors. 

Our experienced installers will deliver:

• High-quality troweled cove base
• Better details around floor drains and other obstacles
• More consistent texture/profile
• Reliable aggregate coverage for better appearance and uniformity
• Full coverage vs. blotchy finish
• When mistakes happen or issues occur, they have the skills to fix them

Dedicated Office Staff

At General Industrial Flooring we have a dedicated office staff to help you with engineering, pre-sales, estimating, and project management. Instead of trying to track down someone in the field who won’t answer phone calls, texts or emails, we work hard to be consistently available. When we aren’t able to take your call, we are quick to respond to messages or missed calls. 

Our staff knows how to manage the needs of a project. We’ll cover all the bases with insurance, certifications, and contracts needed to get moving. We work with a variety of clients and are well-versed in the needs of small local projects all the way up to large national projects, general contractors, and project managers.

Summary

A lot goes into building a proper epoxy flooring system. On the surface it may look like you are getting a deal with a “budget” contractor, but when you compare what they are offering to everything outlined above, it becomes clear why their price is lower. You’ll end up with lower quality materials, lower quality workmanship, and ultimately a failed floor that doesn’t hold up to the job it was intended to do. 

When that happens, give us a call. While we’d prefer to install the right floor for you the first time around, we also have plenty of experience grinding off the shoddy work of others and doing it right.

(303) 762-1600