Is Epoxy Flooring Good for Commercial Kitchens?
Yes — resin flooring is one of the most suitable flooring solutions for commercial kitchens. However, not every epoxy or resin flooring system is suitable for every kitchen.
The right flooring system depends on how the kitchen operates, including exposure to hot water, grease, cleaning chemicals, heavy equipment, constant foot traffic and the required level of slip resistance.
For lighter-duty commercial kitchens, an epoxy flooring system may be suitable. For demanding kitchens exposed to heat, thermal cycling, aggressive cleaning and heavy use, a polyurethane cement (PUC) system is often the better choice.
What should you consider when choosing a commercial kitchen floor?
Before selecting a flooring system, consider:
- How the floor will be cleaned
- Exposure to hot water and temperature changes
- Oils, fats, food acids and cleaning chemicals
- Expected foot and trolley traffic
- Existing substrate condition
- Drainage and falls
- Required slip resistance
- Coving and floor-to-wall detailing
- Available shutdown time
- Expected service life
These factors are more important than simply choosing between “epoxy” and another flooring material.
Epoxy vs polyurethane cement for commercial kitchens
Although the term “epoxy flooring” is commonly used to describe resin flooring generally, epoxy and polyurethane cement are different systems.
Epoxy flooring can provide a seamless, durable and easy-to-clean surface and may be suitable for commercial kitchens with moderate operating conditions.
Polyurethane cement (PUC) is generally preferred for more demanding food preparation and commercial kitchen environments. It offers greater resistance to heat, thermal shock, aggressive cleaning and many chemicals commonly encountered in food-processing environments.
The correct system should be selected around the actual operating conditions rather than simply specifying a generic epoxy coating.
Slip resistance matters
Commercial kitchen floors frequently become contaminated with water, oils, fats and food products.
The required slip resistance should therefore be considered as part of the flooring specification rather than simply requesting a “non-slip epoxy floor”.
Different areas may require different surface textures depending on how they are used and cleaned.
Increasing slip resistance generally creates a more textured surface, which can also make the floor more difficult to clean. The objective is to achieve an appropriate balance between safety, hygiene and cleanability.
Seamless flooring and coving
One of the major advantages of resin flooring in commercial kitchens is the ability to create a largely seamless surface.
Coving can also be installed at floor-to-wall junctions to eliminate difficult-to-clean corners and provide a continuous transition between the floor and wall.
Drains, penetrations, doorways, equipment bases and movement joints should also be properly detailed. These areas are often just as important to the long-term performance of the floor as the flooring material itself.
Hygiene and cleaning
Properly specified resin flooring provides a dense, non-porous surface without the grout lines associated with tiled flooring.
This makes it well suited to environments where regular cleaning and hygiene are important.
However, the flooring system must be compatible with the cleaning regime. Water temperature, cleaning chemicals, frequency of cleaning and cleaning methods should all be considered when selecting the system.
Why do commercial kitchen floors fail?
Even a high-quality flooring product can fail if the system is incorrectly specified or installed.
Common causes of problems include:
- Inadequate surface preparation
- Moisture within the substrate
- Weak or contaminated concrete
- Incorrect flooring system selection
- Existing substrate movement
- Poor detailing around drains and penetrations
- Failure to accommodate movement joints
- Thermal shock
- Insufficient cure time before returning the area to service
For this reason, substrate assessment and preparation are critical parts of a commercial kitchen flooring installation.
How long does installation take?
Installation time depends on the size and condition of the area, the flooring system selected and the amount of preparation and detailing required.
Commercial kitchens can also be difficult environments to refurbish because businesses often have very limited shutdown periods.
Where downtime is critical, the installation should be planned around the required return-to-service time rather than selecting a flooring product based solely on price.
So, is epoxy flooring suitable for a commercial kitchen?
Yes — but the more important question is which resin flooring system is suitable for your particular kitchen?
A relatively light-duty kitchen may perform well with an epoxy system, while a high-use commercial kitchen exposed to hot water, heavy cleaning and temperature changes may require a polyurethane cement system.
Getting the specification right at the beginning can significantly reduce the risk of premature failure, ongoing repairs and unnecessary disruption.
Commercial Kitchen Flooring in Perth and Western Australia
Panther Protective Coatings has been installing commercial and industrial resin flooring systems in Western Australia since 1999.
We install epoxy and polyurethane cement flooring systems for commercial kitchens, food and beverage facilities and other demanding environments throughout Perth and regional WA.
If you are planning a new commercial kitchen, refurbishment or replacement floor, Panther can assess the operating conditions and recommend a flooring system suited to the application.
