When you think of healthcare facilities, you will probably think of sterile environments, pristine operating rooms, and clean corridors. To achieve these settings, buildings are fitted with various design elements that ensure sterility, from specialised air filtration systems to antimicrobial wall coatings. However, one often-overlooked design feature is their chemical resistant flooring, which also plays a massive role in maintaining safety, hygiene, and functionality. Let’s take a closer look at why this is the case.
Features of Chemical Resistant Flooring
Despite being known for its durability against caustic substances, this flooring actually has a cluster of desirable features that make it a valuable addition to buildings within the healthcare sector. Here is a full list of its features:
Resistance to Corrosive Cleaning Products
Healthcare floors need to withstand daily exposure to disinfectants, bleach, and other cleaning agents. Chemical resistant flooring will ensure that these substances don’t erode the surface over time, keeping it safe and functional.
Seamless and Non-Porous
Seams and cracks in floors can harbour bacteria and pathogens. This type of flooring, however, is often applied as a seamless coating, getting rid of these problem areas. As an added bonus, its non-porous surface also prevents it from absorbing liquids, further reducing contamination risks.
Anti-Slip Properties
Healthcare facility floors need to provide excellent traction in order to prevent slips and falls, especially in areas where spills and moisture are common. Chemical resistant flooring often includes finishes that reduce the chances of slipping, keeping staff and patients safer.
Thermal Resistance
Floors in hospitals and other healthcare buildings are likely to endure extreme temperature fluctuations, such as exposure to hot water or steam during cleaning. Chemical resistant floors can also endure these changes without warping or cracking, meaning they will maintain their smooth and sterile surface even after steam cleaning.
Areas That Greatly Benefit from Chemical Resistant Flooring
This vast array of features makes chemical resistant flooring versatile enough to cover multiple areas of a healthcare facility. Here are a couple of examples where it’s especially critical:
- Operating rooms and surgical areas: its non-porous surface reduces the chance of infections by preventing microbial growth.
- Patient wards and emergency rooms: ensures patient and staff safety by helping prevent slip-related accidents.
- Sterilisation and cleaning areas: withstands the frequent water exposure that floors often have to endure in these areas.
What Materials are Used for Chemical Resistant Flooring?
Now that you’re aware of the features of chemical resistant flooring and where it can be seen in practice, let’s give you an insight into what materials are used in its construction:
Epoxy and Polyurethane
Epoxy and polyurethane are the most popular materials for this kind of flooring. This is because they are both durable, seamless, and will not corrode when exposed to harsh cleaning products. Epoxy flooring is known for its incredibly hard surface, allowing it to handle heavy loads effortlessly. Polyurethane, on the other hand, is known for being more flexible and accommodating to vibrations and impacts, making it slightly more ideal for higher-traffic areas or places where equipment is frequently moved.
An Incredible Investment
When it comes to healthcare facilities, choosing the right floor isn’t just a design decision – it’s a safety decision too. Chemical resistant flooring offers superb durability, hygiene, and chemical resistance, making it a must-have for various parts of a healthcare building. With the right kind of surface, these facilities can protect both staff and patients from unnecessary risks, helping maintain the integrity of an environment that is meant to look after those in need.
Specialist Resin Floor Installations
Do you need a new flooring solution for your healthcare facility? If so, then you can rely on us. At MCG Epoxy Coatings Limited, we offer an advanced installation surface for pharmaceutical floors made from epoxy or polyurethane resin. With help from our dedicated team, you can deck out your hospital floors to ensure that they can be properly cleaned and provide a stable surface for staff and patients to walk on. Here is a brief overview of our installation process:
- Site assessment: we begin with a detailed assessment of the existing conditions and specific requirements of the facility, including understanding the layout and expected traffic.
- Surface preparation: we ensure the substrate is perfectly clean and level, using methods like diamond grinding or shot blasting to prepare the surface for resin adhesion.
- Application: the resin is mixed under controlled conditions and uniformly applied to the prepped surface.
- Curing and finishing: we monitor the environment to ensure optimal conditions for the curing process, followed by rigorous testing after curing to confirm that the flooring meets our performance criteria.
Our resin flooring has also been tried and tested, being installed in buildings such as Dumfries Hospital, throughout our 10 years of activity. Our extensive portfolio of projects, combined with partnerships with industry leaders like BAE, makes us the trusted choice for hospitals and pharmaceutical settings. Make an enquiry today by contacting us. We’re always happy to help.