Resin Floors

THE POLYMER

Epoxy resins are thermoset polymer containing, in the precursor liquid, an epoxy ring with three atoms. Epoxy resins are glassy (when they are) at room temperature and than they are mixed with two diluents to lower viscosity and put it to an appropriate level to allow possible fibers’ impregnation. Diluents are monomer styrene and oxide styrene. An epoxy resin viscosity, without diluent, cound vary a lot. It could go from liquid to solid; theese resins usually are in the form of bi-epoxy, depending on which binding agents react durig the polymerisation. Ring-groups contribute to increase rigidity and a sort of heat resistance from resins. The process of polymerisation is significantly different than the other resins’one. In fact, in this case, we use hardeners.
Epoxy resins are equipped with superior physical characteristics and shorter reaction time than polyester and smart vynil, but, in this case, their price is higher.

RESIN FORMULATION FOR FLOORS

As an alternative to theese traditional products, resins include a series of materiales used to cover and protect various supports. Internal and external, for example cement, metal, stone and wood. Resins give to covered material a better resistance against heavy wearing, impermeability, and they prevent dust formation and looks also very pleasant. In the construction sector, resins could be monocomponent or composite (double or triple-component). We use the first one for film coatings: water-based paints, models, glues, fluid sheathes, etc..
We take composite resins to produce coatings with thickness (self-levelling and synthetic mortar or resin/cinder) to use for floors, walls and covers. Composite resins integrate into substances that it’s essential to mix at the moment of use.
Resins, mixed with particular substances (named catalysts and hardeners) form masses able to solidify and become film coatings or coatings with thickness. The base could be coloured or trasparent and could have a variable percentage. It could be used for different applications, while the handener is the variable element, chosen depending on characteristics of the final product.

WHY WE SUGGEST A RESIN FLOOR

Resin floors are:

Scratches proof and abrasionproof: this characteristic depends on various simultaneous factos such as the hardness or granules’number on the surface (for example rubber chips) or the hardner used during the pose;
Waterproof: it is better to know in advance what kind of floor you need, just to distinguish liquid permeability from the vapour one for floors and coatings. In the case of superficial or capillary dampness there are required vapour permeable systems, or compatible with dampness, but it’s not necessary to make a permeable resin floor. Instead of, if there is water or other liquid, it is preferable to choose a waterproof coating;
Slip resistant floor: using resins is not always a guarantee to have a slip resistant coating. In fact, resins floors are slippery, because of their impermeability. To remove this problem and get a slip resistant coating, it is necessary to provide and make a sort of superficial roughness, obtained trough an equal distribution of hard granules on the surface, at first time with dusting technique and than with setting technique on the topcoat until frescher layer. The choise about roughness depends on degree of safety, but also on other factors, such as the way to clean and the risk to hold the dirt;
Impact proof: the kind of resistance that a resin floor could have depends on the mixture between resin and hardner, but especially on the nature of resin. Sometimes adding superficial granules could deform the state that existed before this step;
Resin has a strong adhesion to the support: that is because we treat the support just to get more adhesion between the resin and the support. All this process will give a higher mechanical superficial resistance and a total flooring consolidation: for that reason resin floors are perfect to restore demaged floors.

They are also:

Monolithic: they don’t have joints or grooves (leakage) that attract dirt.
Fireproof: with no solvents.
Hygienic: they are very easy to clean so they are appropriate in places where bacteria are frequent and it is necessary to keep them under control, over to be anti-dust.
Odourless: resin floors avoid unpleasant smells.
The time required to realize it is very short.
They looks very nice.

All of this is cumply with 18/09/2002 Ministerial Decree.