The Best School Floors: 6 Usages, and 1 Coating to Rule Them All

2018-10-17

Industry Highlight Series: Each month we feature a different industry to help you grow your business. We do the research for you, to better serve your clients—or hone in on your specific niche among industries and facilities particularly well-served by polyurea concrete coatings. Previous highlights have included breweries, meat departments, salons and warehouses. This month, we’re taking a closer look at schools, a niche amongst schools and government facilities.

As I pulled together the research on the different specifications that schools require when coating their floors, I couldn’t help but be transported back to the days when I walked the shiny halls of grade school and encountered J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit for the first time—and the magical Ring in its pages, central to The Lord of the Rings’ story. “One Ring to rule them all.”

So, whether you’ve watched the movie, read the books or seen the meme, the analogy was irresistible: just like the Ring, one durable and versatile coating can adapt to coat all school floor types. Because educational facilities cover a wide range of uses, each with its own unique profile:

Hallways, staircases and common areas – Characterized by heavy traffic, the required floor coating should be both highly durable and easy to clean as these areas require the most frequent maintenance. The ability to make the floor no- or low-slip is important as well.

Classrooms – Within classrooms and throughout the school, an eco-friendly, low odor solution is preferred, especially where young children may be exposed post-installation. Choose a coating that is low-VOC with low environmental impact.

Auditoriums and gyms- Like other areas, you’ll want high durability, as well as floors that are aesthetically pleasing and no-slip. Here and in common areas, schools may also want to install a floor coated in school colors.

Cafeterias – Like any commercial kitchen—in addition to being durable, chemically resistant and anti-slip—you’ll want a floor that is resistant to bacteria, with an anti-microbial coating.

Restrooms and locker rooms – Bacteria, fungi and mold love the constantly moist environment, so you’ll want an anti-microbial coating here, too. You’ll also want a floor that remains non-slip when wet.

Metal/wood shops and labs – These are rooms where students (or staff!) are apt to drop tools and other heavy items, or spill chemicals or other caustic materials. So the critical factors here are extra strength, durability and resistance to abrasion and chemicals.

Educational facilities are a great fit for highly durable, polyurea concrete coatings. Their requirements match point for point what our coatings offer: easy-to-clean, economical coatings that are eco-friendly and attractive, can withstand heavy traffic and other hazards, and be customized by area.

Although many schools reserve major renovation and construction projects for the summer months, when school is not in session, others, like this preschool, may give you no more than a week over winter break to turn the job around. Even during summer vacation, your floor coating project may be one of many projects that the school district aims to complete over a few short months—so efficient use of time and labor and quick cure time is also key.

Are you bidding on a school flooring project? Want to approach a local educational facility? Let us help you propose the one coating that can cover them all. Schedule a call with one of our floor coating experts today.