Slips and falls are the number one reason for accidents in restaurants, public buildings, hotels. In fact, 85% of workers compensation claims are ultimately attributed to a fall on a slippery floor. Not only can such a fall result in a large Worker’s Compensation claim, but 22% of these slip and fall incidents end up with an employee missing more than 31 days of work. This means the flooring and floor coating you choose for your restaurant is of paramount importance to keeping your business running smoothly. Read on to learn more about commercial floor coatings and advice for making the best choice of floor coating for your restaurant.
The Problem With Kitchen Floors
Any kitchen floor has to deal with a lot, and a commercial kitchen can really take a pounding. The floor and floor coating must be resistant to stains, resistant to water, and easy to clean and sanitize. It’s also important that your floor coating last as long as possible, because it’s not going to be convenient to shut down the restaurant just to put in a new floor.
Vinyl Kitchen Floors
One of the great advantages to vinyl is its resilience. It is very thin and will take on the properties of whatever subfloor on. Put it on concrete and you’ll have a strong, damage-resistant flooring. Put a padded layer down on top of the concrete and the vinyl flooring will retain a soft feel. This can be important if you have people on their feet for hours at a time in a commercial kitchen. Vinyl is also impervious to water, resist to staining, is easy to install, and can be cleaned simply. In addition, newer types of vinyl flooring can be pretreated to resist infection, making the kitchen a better place.
Natural Stone Tile
Natural stone is a popular choice for high-end kitchens. It’s important to carefully choose your stones, though, because certain ones will be more useful than others in a commercial kitchen, and natural stones can refer to many types of material. Polished surface tiles that can get slippery when wet are inappropriate for use in a kitchen. Slate and granite are resistant to stains and fairly easy to maintain. If your main kitchen area will be visible to guests, stone flooring is natural and beautiful. Just be sure to get the right floor coating to seal a stone floor regularly.
Ceramic Tile Options
Ceramic tile is made from clay fired in an industrial kiln. Typically, the tile is then given a melted glass glaze that makes it impervious to water and stains. It’s an easy material to clean, as well. The melted glaze can be made in many different styles and decorative options, which means the ceramics tile can take almost any look you like. Never use an unglazed ceramic floor because it is quite porous and will not be suitable for any sort of kitchen environment.
Brick Pavers for Kitchen Flooring
Brick is always a popular aesthetic choice for a restaurant. It creates a sense of homeliness and makes patrons feel welcomed and cozy. Bricks is also quite durable, and when covered with the right floor coating will not be susceptible to staining and will become resistant to water. The floor coating for a brick kitchen floor will need to be reapplied once or twice a year.
Before Your Apply
Before you make the final decision about your commercial floor coating, there are a few things to be sure to ask your contractor. Make sure they test the concrete slab underneath for any sort of moisture issues, as these can void the warranty on a new floor if they are not treated. You’ll also want to make sure that you have extra materials set aside in case you need to do repairs later. That way you don’t have to source matching tiles or stone or brick, which can sometimes be difficult to do.
The kitchen is the heart of your restaurant. Make sure you protect the kitchen, protect your employees, protect your guests, and protect your own investment with the right floor coating.