Thermal Shock Resistant Coatings: What You Need to Protect Your Floor

While all industrial floor coatings are made to expand and contract with some change in temperature, thermal shock can occur in environments where normally cool floors are exposed to very hot water or steam. Thermal shock is most common in food and beverage manufacturing plants and agricultural facilities when refrigerated rooms are cleaned with hot water or steam. Extreme and rapid changes in temperature can cause a surface coated with normal floor paint to crack, bubble, peel or delaminate.

Fortunately, there are a few options when it comes to protecting your floors from thermal shock. The two most popular flooring surfaces are polyurethane concrete and flexibilized high temperature epoxy, both of which can withstand extreme temperature fluctuations.

Flexibilized high temperature epoxy floor coatings can be poured over a concrete subfloor to serve as a protective layer against thermal shock. Epoxy floor paint is the most common floor coating used in both commercial and industrial settings and typically have excellent adhesion properties, good abrasion resistance and are almost 100% not solvent. When choosing to use a floor epoxy paint or sealant, make sure you hire an industrial coating contractor who knows the difference between a traditional floor epoxy paint (which will delaminate in extreme temperatures) and an epoxy coating designed specifically for extreme temperatures.

Polyurethane floor coatings are not as permanent as epoxy floor coating options, but they do provide more elasticity. Similar to facilities with an epoxy floor, polyurethane coatings are a great option to provide both thermal shock resistance and antimicrobial characteristics, which are a must in medical for food-related facilities. Polyurethane floor coatings are fast-setting and can have a non-skid or decorative surface.

When you want your industrial floors to be long lasting and resistant to thermal shock, highly protective floor coatings are essential. Painters USA is your definitive resource for industrial painting and industrial floor coatings both in the Dallas / Forth Worth area and beyond. For more information on our industrial painting services including thermal shock resistant coatings, visit us online or give us a call today.