How Resinous Flooring Benefits Grocery Stores

August 12, 2021

Grocery store flooring isn’t a consideration to take lightly. The look of the floors in a store can be just as important as the quality and freshness of the food it is selling. In fact, Consumer Reports found that, “Nothing is as big a turn-off as a dingy grocery with stained floors, free-floating crumbs, and sticky puddles underfoot. It’s enough to make you abandon your cart and run.” One flooring solution that can make any store look great is resinous flooring. 

Resinous flooring systems are liquid applied floors that are built in layers to address both aesthetics and function. They create a seamless, durable, and hygienic surface with many additional benefits for grocery stores.

Designer Looks

Resinous flooring is available in a wide variety of design options. The floors can range from solid color to decorative chip blends. Colors can be combined to match a store’s branding. Patterns and borders can be created through the use of multiple colors, and logos and decals can also be embedded into the floors.

Safety

Resinous flooring is a safe option for flooring for both customers and employees. Since they are seamless, the potential for tripping hazards is reduced. Slip resistance is also a key feature to resinous flooring. Slip resistance can be dialed in through the increased use of Dur-A-Grit.  

Low Cost of Ownership

Resinous floors offer a lower cost of ownership and longer service life than many other flooring options. Performance topcoats enhance the durability with added properties such as abrasion and chemical resistance. Resinous floors will hold up against foot and cart traffic and food acids. They do not require stripping or waxing to maintain their “like-new appearance” and unlike tile, there isn’t any grout to clean or replace.  

Easy to Clean

Seamless floors are innately more hygienic than other options as they eliminate the crevices and additional spaces for moisture, bacteria, and germs to hide. A simple to follow cleaning schedule is all it takes to keep these floors looking great. While we are on the topic of cleaning, it is important to note that seamless floors were built to stand up to the strongest sanitizers.

Common Uses

Resinous floors can be installed virtually anywhere in a grocery store. The most common uses include:

• Sales Floor
• Deli
• Bakery
• Cafeterias
• Restrooms
• Coolers / Freezers
• Outdoor areas
• Storage areas

Which Resinous Floor Should You Choose?

There are several options available when it comes time to determining the right seamless floor for your grocery store. Most important to choose the right chemistry. Your store’s conditions determine what that is, and you may find that a different chemistry will work best in the different departments.

Cementitious Urethane Systems (Poly-Crete®)

Cementitious urethane systems are solid-color floors. They are suitable for any part of the store, but since they are not as decorative as other resinous systems, they are primarily found in the back of house and food preparation areas. Poly-Crete floors are ideal for these environments as they are easy to sanitize and maintain, provide slip resistance, and can stand up to food acids and oils.       

Advantages:

• Low VOC, low odor (CA 01350)
• Can be installed over tile
• Thermal shock resistant
• Withstands high moisture vapor transmission

Methyl Methacrylate Systems (Cryl-A-Flex®)  

Methyl Methacrylate(MMA) flooring systems are an excellent choice for grocery stores. These systems are durable, extremely quick to install, and are available in decorative options. They are most commonly used on the sales floor, in restrooms or in outdoor areas, but they can also be used in freezer areas. MMA can be used for the floors and cove base. MMA does require ventilation for the curing process and to dissipate the smell. All food products should be removed from the installation area.

Advantages:

• Moderate chemical resistance
• Quick cure (1 hour)
• UV resistant (great for outdoors)
• Low temperature cure (as low as 0°F)
• Great resistance to foot traffic
• Can easily be recoated

One thing to note about MMA systems, they do require air flow and ventilation for proper curing. In most situations this can be easily achieved. If a quick cure time is necessary but ventilation is not feasible, then it is best to consider another resinous flooring product.

Accelera® Systems

Accelera flooring systems can be used throughout a grocery store. These decorative floors are ideal for the sales floor, or back of house, bakeries, delis, and other locations. Accelera products have a quick cure time which enables the floors to be installed with minimal downtime. They are UV stable, offer slip resistance and chemical resistance. Accelera floors are also easy to sanitize and maintain.

Advantages:

• 2-hour cure per coat
• No offensive odor
• Easy to clean and sanitize
• UV stable for outdoor projects
• Superior chemical resistance to harsh sanitizers
• Smooth broadcast, decorative quartz, and vinyl chip options

Hybrid Systems (Hybri-Flex®)

Hybrid seamless flooring systems essentially take the best features from each chemistry and combine them into one. Hybri-Flex systems are decorative flooring systems that have a Poly-Crete base. These systems are ideal for areas where a decorative floor is desired, but the in situ relative humidity is too high for other chemistries.  

Advantages:

• Self-priming
• Tenacious adhesion
• Tolerates substrate variations
• Tolerates high moisture levels
• Fast cure time
• Can be installed over tile

Performance Topcoats

As important as the right chemistry is the right performance topcoat. The right topcoat can contribute to a longer service life, and ultimately decreases the maintenance cost of the floor.  When choosing a topcoat for your grocery store, the typical considerations are:

• Gloss or satin finish
• Abrasion resistance
• UV protection
• Chemical resistance

Questions

For more details or help selecting a resinous flooring option for your grocery store, feel free to reach out to your local territory sales manager. They will happily assist you in picking the best resinous flooring solution for your space.

Author: Jes Grant
Jes Grant is the content development manager for Dur-A-Flex. She has over 15 years of experience creating content for various technical industries, and has been featured in several publications for her writing and design work.

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