grind and seal repair processCracked, stained, and under-performing commercial flooring doesn’t necessarily mean a full blown remodel. For those with concrete substrates, your solution may be as simple as a grind and seal repair.

At Black Bear, we help clients determine the best course of action for renovating or replacing industrial flooring systems. Often, clients assume their existing floors are inadequate. They may have even been advised that the flooring is damaged beyond repair. And that’s simply not the case. By removing the topcoats and initial layers to expose the concrete below and assess viability, clients may be able to salvage the foundation and essentially rebuild a floor solution that meets their needs.

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urethane coating pros and consIf you’re looking for industrial or commercial flooring solutions, there are several options that tend to stand out.  These include polished concrete, epoxy coatings, and urethane coatings, to name a few.  All are viable options depending on your needs. However, urethane coatings are an “all around” solution that offers numerous advantages for a variety of spaces. While the positives of urethane coatings outweigh the negatives, it is important to look at the urethane coating pros and cons during the decision process.

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flooring for educational facilitiesThere’s no “one size fits all” solution to flooring for educational buildings.  Schools and university floor solutions must be engineered specifically to fit the use of the space – only then can you create an environment that protects students and visitors and stands the test of time.

Black Bear partners with colleges and universities to develop and install resinous systems and concrete coatings for different areas on campus. Each floor is reverse-engineered for optimal results based on the individual stressors of the space. Continue reading this blog post to learn about some of the top areas of flooring for educational buildings that we often work with:

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Epoxy floor coatings are one of the tried-and-true mainstays of floor solutions among a wide variety of commercial and industrial applications.  From commercial kitchens to pharmaceutical research laboratory facilities, there’s an epoxy flooring solution that can accommodate even the most stringent set of requirements.

Why Do So Businesses Rely Heavily on Epoxy Flooring Solutions?

1 – A Seamless, Easy-to-Clean Surface

Because epoxy is applied as a coating on top of another floor material, typically concrete, it creates a perfectly smooth and seamless surface.  This is both hygienic, because it doesn’t leave gaps that trap microbes, as well as making it simple to clean.

2 – High Chemical Resistance

While not impervious to all aggressive byproducts, epoxy flooring is extremely durable and can be engineered to resist most types of chemicals commonly used in commercial and industrial facilities.

3 – Affordable and Fast Curing

Epoxy is an affordable option for many facilities.  It’s also fast to cure, so it can be applied to your floor without too much additional labor cost, and with minimal downtime involved.

4 – Plenty of Style Options

Unlike many floor coating types, epoxy comes in a wide variety of styles and colors to fit your overall design.  There are even metal-blended epoxies which produce stunning “three-dimensional” color displays for cutting-edge showrooms and other applications that need to impress visitors.  Epoxy floor colors can also be used to differentiate between zones in a warehouse or other large facility.

5 – Improve Workplace Safety

Depending on the type of epoxy coatings used, it can be slip-resistant, impact-resistant, heat/fire resistant, or all of the above.  It may look smooth and slick, but epoxy can be even safer to walk on than many other flooring types.  It’s also safer for any workplace vehicles, such as forklifts, because it reduces wear-and-tear on them.

6 – Brightness Options

Do you have issues with visibility in portions of your facilities?  Epoxy coatings can help with that!  High-gloss variations can increase visible lighting in a facility by up to 30% by reflecting it upwards, whereas other materials like concrete tend to absorb light instead.

Black Bear is a leading floor coatings partner in the Northeast. We have value engineered epoxy flooring for clients in a variety of industries. Take a look at a few of the examples below, and contact us to learn how we can develop the right epoxy solution to meet your company’s individual needs.

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Black Bear will work directly with you or your general contractor to develop a longer-lasting product that saves money and withstands the environmental elements in the Northeast. Whether it’s new construction to enhance the look and feel of your property, or a restoration project that ensures the safety of your patrons, trust the professionals at Black Bear Coatings & Concrete to make sure you get the exact concrete foundation and restoration services that you want and need.

With over 25 years of experience, our crews have the skills required to create a production floor that meets each client’s unique maintenance and aesthetic needs. Call Black Bear to learn how we provide longer-lasting, more effective solutions for manufacturing and production buildings.

Black Bear is a leading concrete and coatings flooring company that serves New England – Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Northern Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, as well as New York (north of New York City). Rest assured that we have the staff, equipment, and expertise needed to make your floor project a success. We spend time upfront to assess each client’s needs, identify the best flooring solution, engage in the right preparation, and then install the floor using industry best practices. We’d love to help your company.

Contact us today for a free estimate.

Yes, there really is a difference between epoxy and self-leveling epoxy.

While both are ideal for performance in commercialepoxy flooring and industrial spaces, the formulation and application process is slightly different. Self-leveling epoxy is a coating applied to a slab of concrete and, as the name suggests, it’s easy to apply because it self-levels and spreads out across the flooring surface.  It quickly creates a single seamless surface across the floor. While general epoxy coatings can also create a seamless floor, self-leveling epoxy leaves nothing to chance. Rather than use rollers to apply the epoxy compound onto a floor that could cause and inconsistencies, self-leveling epoxy is specially formulated for an application to balance out and give you a truly smooth and even surface.

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commercial flooring demolitionSometimes you have to tear down before you can build up.

Not every commercial floor space is ready to have new flooring or coating laid down. When it’s a building that already has existing flooring, such as rubber or vinyl tiles, the old flooring will need to be demolished as part of the preparation process. This might even involve removing the underlying concrete as well, although it’s usually possible to salvage old concrete as long as it’s not totally torn up.

Good surface preparation is needed for the new flooring to properly adhere and deliver a long lifespan. Here are some of the ways we can help with commercial flooring demolition to prepare for a new one:

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resinous floorsFlooring in any retail space will need to stand up to a lot of abuse, but the flooring in a liquor store has unique stressors that can take its toll on the integrity of the floor.  A liquor store owner needs flooring which is not only budget friendly but will also be able to last for many years with minimal maintenance – no matter what the products or the customers might do to it.

For many liquor store owners, the solution is simple: concrete topped with a resinous coating, such as epoxy.  Epoxy resin can stand up to all the demands of a liquor store, while providing a flooring surface with the potential to last decades.

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Ok, let’s state theflooring repair obvious – no one likes paying for repairs.  There’s no profit in repair jobs, and most people feel like it’s a “band aid” solution.  However the reality is, nothing can be further from the truth. Ignoring those “minor” problems will cost you down the road.  Small problems typically result in big ticket expenses when you least expect it.

Who cares about a small crack in the floor, or a peeling tile, or an uneven spot?  They’re so easy to overlook – until they cause problems. And we’ve seen just what happens when business owners and facility managers don’t sweat the small stuff.

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grow room flooring maintenanceIf you’re building a grow room for legal marijuana cultivation, chances are you’re building it to adhere as closely as possible to existing regulations for the food & drug industry. This typically means you’re probably looking into grow room flooring and resinous floor coatings. A concrete floor covered by epoxy or polyurethane is an ideal solution to creating a safe, sanitary environment for products intended for human consumption.

Resinous floors are also fairly low-maintenance. They are easily cared for, and when tended to regularly, extends an already lengthy lifespan. Proper grow room flooring maintenance will also ensure hygienic conditions and reduce the risk of contamination, making resinous flooring a good choice for biomedical operations.

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