Surface Technology's Michael Greenblatt Interviewed about Specialty Floors in Cannabis Industry

LANCASTER, Pa. - Aug. 24, 2018 - PRLog -- Michael Greenblatt, the president of epoxy flooring contractor Surface Technology, Inc., was recently interviewed by digital publisher MarketScale for its regular series called "This Week in AEC." Surface Technology specializes in restoring and protecting concrete floors by creating and installing custom-made coatings that contain specialized performance characteristics such as antibacterial, antistatic, and antiskid properties. Greenblatt was selected for this interview because Surface Technology is recognized as a knowledgeable industry leader with success in cannabis cultivation facility flooring solutions.

MarketScale creates and publishes digital content for B2B audiences in industries ranging from software and technology to professional audio-visual, transportation, and entertainment. Their AEC segment focuses on the architecture, engineering and construction industry.

With the recent relaxing of laws in some states governing the use of both medicinal and recreational marijuana use, cannabis manufacturing and distribution facilities are quickly becoming ubiquitous. For Surface Technology, this booming industry represents a new frontier from a flooring standpoint.

Greenblatt said his company starting fielding calls about cannabis production facilities several years ago. He said user education is an issue for both Surface Technology and the industry as a whole since all of the details haven't been worked out yet. He believes that Canada may become the model for what cannabis manufacturing in the U.S. might eventually look like since Canada has uniform laws nationwide regulating the drug's cultivation and use.

Greenblatt has found that well-funded companies want to create growing facilities that rival typical food and pharmaceutical production plants. Because marijuana is grown and cultivated for human consumption, cannabis production facilities face the same flooring issues that food and pharmaceutical plants do, according to Greenblatt. Bacteria and mold can destroy crops and affect the safety of consumers, so floors must have antibacterial properties built into them. In addition, floors should be anti-slip to protect employees in wet areas as well as highly reflective to provide as much light as possible in indoor facilities.

Right Flooring Is Key

The right flooring is key in many industrial operations, which veteran plant engineers and maintenance personnel innately understand. While the best time to install specialty coating is during construction of a building, many business owners discover they need a special type of floor after a plant has been built. Surface Technology can still help, Greenblatt says, but some disruption to operations is inevitable and workaround must be instituted.

Greenblatt has seen a growing trend in what he calls "self-diagnosis," in large part due to the influence of widely available DIY tutorials on the Internet.

"A lot of people think that because you can buy a garage floor kit at Home Depot that maybe that's the same thing we do, but it's not at all," said Greenblatt.

Specialty floor coatings typically involve not only complex technology and the precise mixing of chemicals and aggregates onsite but also the proper preparation of the existing surface and application of the coating. Some coatings can be applied only at specific temperatures and levels of humidity. Most DIYers simply don't have the skills or equipment required.

Listen to the podcast here: https://marketscale.com/industries/aec/this-week-in-aec-c...

About Surface Technology

Surface Technology, Inc., is a Pennsylvania-based flooring contractor that installs specialty flooring, wall, and ceiling products for various markets across the country including food processing, aviation, pharmaceutical, and packaging facilities. In business since 1988, Surface Technology specializes in the protection, restoration, and enhancement of industrial concrete surfaces using epoxy, urethane, acrylic, and many other types of materials. The company's highly skilled installers work 24/7 around facility shutdowns to minimize disruptions to clients' operations. Surface Technology installations meet rigorous standards of craftsmanship, design, and aesthetics.

Vist Surface Technology online at https://www.epoxyfloorcoating.com/