- What kind of texture will give me the best slip resistance?
- What will happen if I spill boiling water on the floor?
- What’s the best way to clean my floor?
- Can you create a slope in a flat floor?
- I’m replacing some drains and want to install a new flooring surface. How high should I set the drains?
- Won’t there be a trip hazard where the flooring system stops?
- Chemicals are ruining my concrete. What should I do?
- Can a new flooring system help reduce the static electricity in my plant?
- Should I make floor repairs if we’re not going to be in our facility much longer?
- Can new flooring or wall coatings help stop bacterial growth in my plant?
- Odor has been a complaint when we’ve had past flooring installations. What can you do about it?
- I can buy epoxy paint at the hardware store. Why shouldn’t I just do it myself?
- Is there a reason why I shouldn’t just grind and polish my floor?
- Our downtime is very limited - sometimes less than 36 hours. Can you help us?
- What’s your warranty?
- Why would we choose Concare over someone else?
- How do I know which application to chose?
- My cooler and freezer need concrete repairs, but I can’t shut them down for more than a day or two. Is there a solution for me?
- How do I know I’ll get the floor I pay for?
- What if I need some advice or assistance after my floor is installed?
- Can I ‘test’ a floor before it’s installed?
“What kind of texture will give me the best slip resistance?"
Rough, angular material like aluminum oxide provides an aggressive texture to improve safety, but that doesn’t mean it’s a universal solution – especially if “cleanability” is essential for your facility. To get the right slip resistance for your floor, evaluate a variety of textures within the context of your requirements. Assessing a wide range of samples is the first step. Then, a Concare Sales Specialist can make system recommendations that will duplicate the samples you approve.
“What will happen if I spill boiling water on the floor?”
With a flooring system that’s appropriately temperature-resistant, nothing at all should happen! If your new floor needs to withstand hot liquid spills, your Sales Specialist should be informed so they can recommend the proper application. Choosing an “alternative” to cut costs can lead to significant damage to your flooring if boiling liquids are applied, including cracking, softening, delamination and even bubbling of the surface.
“What’s the best way to clean my floor?”
The easiest way is always the best way, and the time to determine what will be most convenient for you is before your new floor is even installed. If you already have cleaning methods in place that work for you, share them with your Concare Sales Specialist. The less you have to change your current routine, the better.
However, if you’ve barely swept the floors this year and now you want to create a world-class 5S facility -– a new floor shouldn’t be the only consideration. When doing your planning, ask for suggestions or on-site equipment demonstrations and try different cleaning products with your current conditions. Also, be sure to budget for the labor, material and equipment costs you’ll need for upkeep. For the best in floor care, we recommend the Concare Solutions™ line of cleaning and maintenance products.“Can you create a slope in a flat floor?”
No problem! Concare’s GuardRight™ applications can be sloped as much or as little as your facility requires. The typical slope for USDA or FDA facilities is 1/8” per foot, and you can expect the wet surface to dry overnight. Some applications require a ¼” per foot slope to ensure that all spills drain immediately.
If space is critical, consider sloping only underneath your equipment. When planning for sloping, be sure to consider how the floor’s new contour might affect traffic, too.
“I’m replacing some drains and want to install a new flooring surface. How high should I set the drains?”
One of the unwritten rules of construction is that drains are placed at the highest points in the floor. Since they’re installed only where they’re essential, setting drain heads above the concrete usually means there’s no room for correcting surface drainage.
A new drain at or below (1/8”-1/4”) the concrete provides space to adjust the floor’s pitch as needed. Fluid resinous materials can be shaped to adjust for any deficiencies before a finished floor is installed. However, don’t forget to discuss these plans with your Sales Specialist if it’s critical to your operation.
“Won’t there be a trip hazard where the flooring system stops?”
With a CoatRight™ system, the profile difference won’t even be noticeable. With LevelRight™ or GuardRight™ systems, trip hazards could occur if the material was installed with a square edge (like tile), but Concare’s products aren’t terminated in that way. Edges are very critical in a resinous floor’s installation, since they receive the greatest impact from traffic. To protect edges, Concare crews create a channel (or “keyway”) at termination points like edges, drains and doors. Then, installers turn the material into the channel, strengthening the impact points and eliminating all trip hazards.
“Chemicals are ruining my concrete. What should I do?”
First, it’s important to identify the chemicals that are creating the damage and to review their respective material safety data sheets. Next, determine the concentrations and frequencies of the chemical spills and if elevated temperatures are enhancing their impact. Then decide if the existing floor or wall surface already has a protective finish and if so, examine its condition. Using the existing conditions as a guide, compare chemical resistance charts with the help of your Concare Sales Specialist. Make distinctions between spills and immersion service results to find the best technology for your application.
“Can a new flooring system help reduce the static electricity in my plant?”
The short answer is yes – but the full explanation is a bit more complicated. All fluid-applied or resinous materials are created using some type of plastic. Since plastics are insulators, a typical flooring installation actually increases static electricity. However, special formulations are available that dissipate static electricity
and even conduct electricity to solve challenges in electronic assembly, munitions, explosive and other sensitive environments. When even the slightest spark could cause disaster in your facility, consult a Concare Sales Specialist to discuss the various formulations (particle, fiber, carbon) that are best suited for your environment.
“Should I make floor repairs if we’re not going to be in our facility much longer?”
If you’re concerned with safety, making repairs is crucial. After all, accidents won’t wait until you relocate. If you’re a tenant, you’ll probably have to return the building to its original condition before you vacate. In this case, you can choose to make the repairs yourself or the landlord can back charge you for them when you leave. If you own a building, resale value is affected by its condition, so any money spent on repairs is money in your pocket when you sell.
“Can new flooring or wall coatings help stop bacterial growth in my plant?”
New resinous surfacing can definitely help control bacterial contamination. Eliminating surface porosity by filling in cracks and holes eliminates breeding areas and makes your sanitation program more effective. A cleanable surface is your number one defense against Listeria, E Coli, Salmonella and other viral and bacterial contaminants.
“Odor has been a complaint when we’ve had past flooring installations. What can you do about it?”
No matter how few Volatile Organic Compounds (V.O.C.s) a product contains, odor is unavoidable. Even “zero” V.O.C. materials have some kind of scent, but that doesn’t mean it’s hazardous. Consider water, for example — maybe you’ve lived in an area where a sulphuric smell is common, but the water is perfectly drinkable. If there’s a heightened sensitivity to odors in your workplace, be sure to discuss it with your Concare Sales Specialist before your project begins. Then, inform your workforce of the project plans, post MSDS in advance and, if possible, isolate the work area. While your new flooring is installed, minimize the impact to your product by vacating the area and ventilating thoroughly.
“I can buy epoxy paint at the hardware store. Why shouldn’t I just do it myself?”
You can! Just remember that if you also want the paint to stick, excellent preparation is crucial. So be sure to fire up your shotblasting machine, scarifier, scabbler, tile scraper and/or diamond grinder and clean to the correct CSP (Concrete Surface Profile) level required for the product. Next, you’ll want to moisture test, check the dew point and then…
Wait, is this getting too complicated? Consider this alternative: Have professionals, like our Concare crews, at least complete the prep work and then you can attempt to apply a hardware store-grade material.
“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t just grind and polish my floor?”
If yours is a dry environment, you don’t require a nonporous surface and you have no impact conditions, abrasive contaminants or liquid spills, grinding and polishing with the Concare ShineRight™ system is a great choice. ShineRight™ systems create a dense, shiny, cleanable surface that will never flake off. This system is good for warehousing, foot traffic, and other light to medium duty service areas. Just remember that a ShineRight™ system won’t hide cracks, pitting or stains. It usually isn’t a suitable option for old concrete or surfaces with irregular damage.
“Our downtime is very limited – sometimes less than 36 hours. Can you help us?”
Yes! Many materials and methods, when combined with creative round-the-clock scheduling, can used to overcome even the strictest time limitations. Since the possible solutions to your time challenges are influenced by your facility’s conditions, consult a Concare Sales Specialist for recommendations.
“What’s your warranty?”
In 1982, Concare was the first company of its kind to offer a warranty for both adhesion and wear. Back then, adhesion was the only thing covered, so if a floor’s finish wore out after just a year, nothing else was covered anyway! More than 25 years later, Concare still has the best warranty in the business, offering a three-year minimum on every project we complete. The length of a company’s warranty isn’t the only important thing, though. Beware of companies that offer 5-, 10- or even 15-year warranties if they haven’t been in business that long! After all, the length of a company’s warranty means nothing if they’re out of business when you need them.
Read Concare’s full warranty terms in Our Warranty.
“Why would we choose Concare over someone else?”
Concare’s experience, professionalism, standards, dedication and commitment are worth it. Read more about what makes us different from the competition.
“How do I know which application to chose?”
Start by evaluating current conditions, expectations, long-term needs, maintenance and other factors. By doing this, you’ll probably realize there are trade-offs you’ll need to resolve. For example, you may want a 25-year lifespan but expect a two-year payback. Or, you decide you want an easy-to-clean floor but require a non-slip surface.
Begin your own evaluation by downloading our Concare Quality Assurance System.
“My cooler and freezer need concrete repairs, but I can’t shut them down for more than a day or two. Is there a solution for me?”
Any kind of refrigerated space is a challenge for most repair materials. When you turn off refrigeration equipment, the air temperature reacts quickly to the change. However, concrete’s mass and density make it an ideal material to retain both cold and hot temperatures, meaning it could take weeks or even months to change the temperature of the slab. What’s more, cold temperatures dramatically slow the curing of most repair materials.
The best choice in this situation is a methylmethacrylate system, like Concare’s GuardRight MM. Unlike epoxy or other materials, you can expect full cure in about an hour, even in subfreezing temperatures. Time spent working on repairs is reduced to a day or less, and your cooler/freezer can be returned to service with minimum disruption to your operations.
“How do I know I’ll get the floor I pay for?”
Investing your time in research before writing a Purchase Order is the ticket to success when seeking out a flooring contractor. In the industrial services business, there is no ratings system, no Consumer Reports, or J.D. Power to turn to for objective information. A floor’s price won’t tell you who’s best, either.
To make sure you are wisely spending your money:
- Ask for references, and insist on ones in similar businesses to your own.
- Decide on the 3 most important things you want to know, then ask each reference the same questions. Some ideas:
- Did the contractor complete the project within your time constraints?
- Did they perform all of the work themselves, or did they subcontract parts of it to others?
- How would you rate the quality of the finished product?
- Did the company have material inventory, extra personnel and the necessary equipment to respond immediately to changes that occurred during installation?
- Was the work area left clean and tidy?
- How would you rate the sales professionals and operations support team you worked with prior to and after the project?
- Did the contractor complete the project within your time constraints?
- Read your proposal. Ask for clarification on any parts of it that are unclear. If the proposal seems incomplete, with just a few sentences on a preprinted form, ask for a detailed description of the scope of work, job specific details, materials selected and the company’s warranty terms.
- Check the company’s D&B rating. A poor rating may indicate poor business practices.
- Ask about warranties. Ask how long the warranty is and what is included or excluded. Find out how the company tracks warranties and how they pay for them. After all, a company that’s been in business 3 years can’t really give out 10-year warranties, can it?
“What if I need some advice or assistance after my floor is installed?”
At Concare, we know that because the life cycle of our installations is so long, that there may be repairs needed, cleaning questions, maintenance concerns or other issues that arise during that time. We want you to realize the value of your investment, and we will gladly offer our expertise in any way to help you preserve it.
- Literature: Concare has a wealth of printed and online information available, from recommended project profiles to equipment suggestions.
- Maintenance: We can supply you with tested and proven maintenance materials, from the Concare Solutions® line of floor care products. We can even help you get your staff trained in their proper use.
- Follow-ups: Since our primary and extended service areas are geographically condensed, on-site visits can be easily arranged —no traveling across five states to get to your door.
“Can I ‘test’ a floor before it’s installed?”
We believe that the best way to visualize the finished product is to visit a location where it’s already in use. Alternately, Concare also offers two types of “test patches” for “previewing” flooring systems:
- Approval Test Patch: This type of test patch is used when you’ve already issued a Purchase Order to Concare for completing an installation and you want to “test” the flooring first in a small area of your facility. This type of test patch (also called a “mockup”) provides your team the opportunity to decide what should be included in your new system. Concare happily provides one Approval Test Patch at no charge.
- Experimental Test Patch: This kind of test patch is kind of like kicking the tires on a car: the difference is that it takes just a few minutes to kick tires, but a significant amount of material, labor and expense to install a truly representative test of Concare’s system solutions. An area no more than 200 sf that’s accessible during the work week can be installed as a one-time event with Concare management approval.
If your team decides an Experimental Test Patch to get the capital budget to move forward, you can choose from two options, listed below. Either one provides a mini version of the finished product.
- Bill us. If you need to issue a Purchase Order and have us bill against that when the work is complete, the test patch cost is $1,500.00.
- Pay COD. Give us a credit card number or send in a check, and the total cost is $1,150.00.
- Bill us. If you need to issue a Purchase Order and have us bill against that when the work is complete, the test patch cost is $1,500.00.
"I have been in the construction business...
for twenty years, and it is very rare that I have had the opportunity to work with a company such as yours. Your professionalism, from the bidding process to the completion of the installation, was outstanding to say the least."
--Dave C., Project Manager,
Clinton Township, MI
