CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE GUIDE TO INDUSTRIAL FLOOR REPAIRS

Resin Floor Advice For Retail Environments

While many of us go shopping on the lookout for a bargain, a few of us will be taking the time to look more closely at the surface you’re walking on.

The popularity of resin flooring in commercial and retail buildings is ever increasing, as companies seek to achieve a long-lasting floor system that is resistant to high levels of foot traffic.

Aesthetics are also important. A high street is a volatile place right now, with everyone competing against each other. So, a system that provides a smooth, aesthetically pleasing surface is a desirable commodity.

Resin floor can help to achieve that long-lasting, aesthetically pleasing floor that is so sought after in retail environments, but you must be aware of the different types of resin available to you.

If you have chosen a resin option, most likely, you’ve already specified polyurethane (PU) or epoxy flooring, so here’s a quick rundown of each:

Polyurethane

The compressive strength of PU is great, and it can withstand high temperatures. It’s also a scratch-resistant surface.

The most major disadvantage of polyurethane as a flooring solution is the downtime. This is because PU takes 3-5 hours to dry and 3-5 days to cure completely. Additionally, the gassing out that occurs during the curing process can leave pinholes in the floor, making it a bacteria breeding ground from the start.

Epoxy

Epoxy has high compressive strength, similar to PU. However, the curing time is much longer than PU – it can take up to 7 days to cure fully, depending on the temperature, resulting in significantly longer project timelines.

Another factor to consider with epoxy is that it can be difficult to repair a permanently damaged epoxy resin floor because, once damaged, repairs usually require ongoing upkeep which can be extremely unsightly.

Because of the long cure period, any necessary repairs may require a lengthy shutdown of the area, which can be costly.

Both of these options will cause you to wait significantly longer for your retail project to be completed, increasing the final cost.

Long Lasting Resin Flooring

Flooring in high-traffic areas must be strong, long-lasting, and resistant to the wear and tear that flooring solutions may endure. It should also be low-maintenance.

As a result, it’s vital that the flooring you select doesn’t require a lot of upkeep or hard cleaning. Simply said, the less upkeep a retail flooring requires, the less disruption you will encounter in the long run.

Incorrect cleaning practices can damage the longevity of the floor. Too abrasive and you’ll start to wear away its anti-slip properties, but not thorough enough will cause a build-up of dirt and bacteria in the ‘pores’ of your flooring.

A big problem with PU is the air holes that can appear in the flooring. However, this can be avoided with Acrylicon because it’s monolithic. – meaning no air holes are formed during the curing process and therefore, there is less risk of dirt build-up.

Acrylicon’s Good Looking Resin Retail Floors

Acrylicon offers many attractive alternatives for the non-resin retail floors that you may be used to. Acrylicon’s Composite Terrazzo System offers a good looking alternative to the look of Terrazzo Tiles, but with the sizeable advantage that it has no grout to fail. It also doesn’t have the upkeep of Terrazzo Tiles and is installed far quicker.

Acrylicon’s Variant System can be the choice for those wanting a more basic look and who may have previously chosen polished concrete.

It is however fully cleanable, which is far superior to the polished concrete, as anyone who has witnessed a bottle of red wine broken on it will prove.

Resin Flooring Installation

The retail industry has been hit hard in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and this is why a shutdown is neither practical nor cost-effective. As a result, the best advice is to opt for a flooring solution that cures and instals quickly and can be done out of hours.

It’s crucial to remember that the size and complexity of a project dictate how long it takes to accomplish. The type of resin you use, on the other hand, has a big influence on how long it takes.

Opt for Acrylicon’s unique resin flooring for a long-lasting solution for a fast cure time and easy installation.

Acrylicon is a thermoplastic resin that belongs to the family of thermoplastic resins. Uncured resin reactivates certain resins, allowing them to cure and uncure. There is no risk of delamination within the flooring system because there are no cold joints.

Second, the cure time of thermoplastic resins is unrivalled. Acrylicon cures in two hours and work can be completed outside business hours, allowing retail businesses to resume operations with little delay.

Hygienic Resin Flooring In Retail

If you’re looking for long-lasting resin flooring you’ll want to look for a hygienic option.

Maintaining a retail store clean not only makes it more appealing to potential consumers but also keeps the floor looking its best for longer.

Inadequate cleaning methods, on the other hand, aren’t the main reason for poor hygiene control. The type of resin flooring you pick may influence how much dirt and bacteria accumulate within your retained flooring.

The resin floor you select should include detailed cleaning instructions as well as a care and maintenance plan. Annual visits from the manufacturer are also expected to ensure that your resin floor is in good operating order.

This could be a challenge if you don’t choose a system with a ten-year warranty — or if you decide to install your floor with the cooperation of numerous stakeholders. To put it another way, if you select X for product development and Y for installation, it becomes difficult deciding who to contact in the likely event of something going wrong.

Resin Flooring Designs In Retail

When opting for resin flooring, keep in mind that resin has a lot of design freedom, which is a big bonus. You’ll have a lot of freedom because there are so many different styles and colours to choose from to match your specific retail environment.

Single-colour resin flooring in glossy, satin, or matt finishes is becoming common in retail locations, in contrast to the industrial facilities and parking areas where they are typically found.

Resin flooring is now one of the most popular trends in interior design due to its design flexibility and ability to provide a variety of visual effects.

Conclusion

When it comes to resin flooring for your retail project, you should take a holistic approach and select a solution that offers a wide range of advantages to you or your client.

We understand that any renovation work, especially in a customer-facing industry, can harm daily operations.

With this in mind, Acrylicon creates a unique installation plan that can be completed not just outside of work hours, but also at your leisure, causing the least amount of disruption.

You won’t have to close your retail business because of our minimum flooring downtime. Get in contact with us to find out more about resin floors for retail environments…