Food and beverage plants are among the hardest environments a floor can face: hot water washdowns, steam cleaning, sanitizers, animal fats, sugars, acids and constant forklift traffic. Two resin systems are usually considered: epoxy and urethane cement. They are not interchangeable. Here is how to choose.
Why food plants are hard on floors
The biggest problem is thermal shock. When a floor at room temperature is hit with near-boiling water, or a freezer floor is washed with hot water, the surface expands and contracts quickly. Rigid coatings crack and lose their bond. Add organic acids from dairy, meat and produce, and many standard coatings start to break down within a few years.
Urethane cement: built for washdown
Thermal shock resistance: it moves with the concrete and handles hot washdowns and steam cleaning far better than epoxy.
Chemical resistance: it stands up to lactic, citric and acetic acids, fats, oils and sugars.
Thickness: installed thick, typically as a trowelled or slurry system, so it takes impact and heavy traffic.
Moisture tolerance: many systems tolerate damper slabs than standard epoxy.
Cove base: it can run up the wall as an integral cove base, so floors and wall bases can be washed down as one surface.
Epoxy: where it still makes sense
Dry areas: dry storage, packaging, warehousing and offices inside a food facility.
Cost: epoxy usually costs less per square foot than urethane cement.
Appearance: a smooth, bright finish in light colours for visitor areas.
The mistake is using epoxy in wet, hot processing areas because it is cheaper. That is where it cracks, delaminates and has to be replaced.
Many plants use both
A common layout is urethane cement in processing, washdown and kitchen areas, with epoxy in dry storage, packaging and corridors. Floors in wet areas are often sloped to drains and finished with a cove base.
Questions to ask before you choose
What temperature is the cleaning water, and how often is the floor washed?
Which chemicals and food products reach the floor?
Are there freezers, coolers or ovens nearby?
How much downtime can the plant allow for installation?
Get the right system for each area
Hardbond installs urethane cement, food-grade flooring and cove base for food and beverage facilities across Toronto, the GTA and Ontario. Book a free site assessment and we will specify a system for every zone of your plant.
