Why are resin floors the best choice for commercial kitchens?

PETERBOROUGH, U.K. - Oct. 2, 2018 - PRLog -- Commercial kitchen flooring is one of the most important aspects for businesses where food and drinks are prepared. Due to intensive use, frequent exposure to hot spills, abrasion and harsh chemicals, choosing the right type of floor for a commercial kitchen environment is absolutely essential to ensure suitable durability and long-term health and safety compliance.

Whilst traditional flooring such as tiles or vinyl sheet, has been the most popular choice in the past, poor performance and lack of adequate slip resistance have always been an issue. Grouted joints between adjacent tiles have a degree of porosity, meaning they can be difficult to clean thoroughly. Small amounts of dirt will collect over time which can lead to mould and bacteria growth. Tiles are also prone to breaking and cracking, which can be unsightly and become a trip hazard if left unrepaired.

Similarly, welded joints in vinyl sheets are prone to failure, which allows water ingress to gather in the joints and beneath the sheets making them unhygienic and not for purpose. Additionally, it is almost impossible to repair vinyl sheet floors reliably, so once an issue occurs, the floor can quickly deteriorate into a patchwork quilt of repairs. None of which ultimately stand the test of time.

To overcome these issues and to cater for even the most challenging kitchen environments, increasing numbers of specifiers have started moving away from traditional solutions and are exploring resin specifications, namely MMA.

Resin flooring has been the number one choice for the food processing industry for decades. Due to its superior durability, tailored slip resistance, and design flexibility, it lends itself well to commercial kitchens where rapid installation, health and safety compliance, longevity and aesthetics must often go hand in hand.

There are many different types of resin floor finishes, including polyurethanes, acrylics, epoxies, and methyl methacrylates, all of which offer varying properties. For example, epoxies provide a simple coating, typically microns thick, and whilst some suggest they can be used in commercial kitchens, they are likely to fail in the shortest space of time compared to other types of resin. MMAs offer the fastest cure times, which enables rapid installations and minimal, if any, disruption to business operations, because MMA floors achieve full chemical and physical cure just two hours after application.

Systems are also available in grades that offer various levels of slip resistance. These levels will differ in dry, wet and contaminated conditions, so the correct choice must be made according to each project's requirements.
The benefits of resinous finishes are virtually impossible to match by traditional flooring solutions and there is no doubt that a correctly specified, properly installed and well-maintained resin floor will provide unrivalled performance and unapparelled lifetime value.