The Essential Qualities of a Good Floor Coating System

As a general rule, the required properties of a floor coating cannot be met by a single coat. Typically three or four coats that have been balanced with each other are necessary for a long term performance of the floor coating system. The various coats in a multi-coat system can be designated as follows:

1. PRIMER – its functions are:

• to act as the basis of the multi-coat system
• to provide adhesion between substrate and coating
• to protect the substrate against environmental influences (e.g. corrosion)
• to protect subsequent coats from the substrate (e.g. the alkalinity of concrete): barrier layer

2. BODY COAT – could be one or more coats depending upon the thickness specified and functionality – its functions are:

• to improve the barrier effect of the primer
• to create optimum surface for the topcoat – covering, levelling of substrate roughness, grindability
• to absorb mechanical load
• to build the required thickness
• to optical properties – color, gloss, design, etc.

3. TOPCOAT – its functions are:

• weatherability (e.g. UV radiation, humidity, etc.)
• chemical resistance (e.g. battery acid, chemical spills, etc.)
• resistance to solvents
• impart abrasion resistance to the body coat
• act as wear layer

The individual coats in a multi-coat floor coating system need to be balanced to each other. Multi-coat systems can have an over all thickness of up to 1/4″ or sometimes even more. 

Duraamen has floor coatings that can be as thin as 5 mils and they can be as thick as 1/4″. For floor conditions requiring more than 1/4″ thickness, we recommend building the thickness with self-leveling concrete.

Duraamen Industrial and Polished Concrete Flooring Products are designed to provide labor saving and long lasting flooring solutions. Talk to an expert about your flooring challenges…Please Call + 973 230 1301 / eMail Us