Commercial floor and deck recoating protects concrete, cuts dust, improves safety and brightens up tired areas like car parks, loading docks, warehouse floors and balconies. The coating matters, but the preparation matters more. Concrete is ground or blasted, checked for moisture and coated with a system chosen for the traffic and the sun.
Where recoating is used
- Basement and undercover car parks
- Loading docks and warehouse floors
- Workshops, plant rooms and service areas
- Walkways, ramps and stairs
- Balconies, terraces and outdoor decks
Each area has different demands. A car park copes with tyres and oil. A warehouse copes with forklifts and pallets. A balcony copes with sun, rain and foot traffic. One coating doesn’t suit all three.
Preparation decides the result
Coatings only stick as well as the surface underneath allows. Concrete usually needs mechanical preparation, such as grinding or shot blasting, to remove old coatings, laitance and contamination and to give the new coating something to grip. Oil and grease have to be removed properly, because they stop coatings bonding.
Cracks, spalls and joints are repaired before coating. Moisture in the slab is checked too, because trapped moisture can push a new coating off the floor. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s what makes a floor last.
Choosing a coating system
The main options each have a job to do:
- Epoxy is hard-wearing and suits many indoor floors, but it can chalk and fade in direct sun.
- Polyurethane is more UV stable and flexible, so it’s often used as a topcoat outdoors or over epoxy.
- Acrylic suits lighter-duty areas and is easier to maintain.
Traffic type, chemical exposure, sun and how long the area can be out of service all feed into the decision. The manufacturer’s data sheet should back up whichever system is chosen.
Slip resistance and safety
A glossy floor looks great until it gets wet. Anti-slip additives or textured finishes help, particularly on ramps, stairs and outdoor areas. Ask for slip resistance information for the product you’re being offered, and check it’s suited to the wet and dry conditions the area will actually see.
Line marking is part of safety too. Clear pedestrian routes, bays and hazard markings can be painted in as part of the same job.
Downtime and curing
Coatings need time to cure before they take traffic. Temperature and humidity affect that, so Brisbane’s wet season can stretch the program. The usual way to keep a site running is to stage the work in sections and reopen each one as it cures. For a busy site, the staging thinking in our article on painting a commercial building while you keep trading applies here too.
Balconies and decks in strata buildings
Balconies are a special case. A coating isn’t a waterproofing membrane, and water getting through a failed membrane is a different problem to a worn surface. If there are signs of leaking, stains below or damaged edges, sort out the waterproofing first. For scheme committees planning this kind of work, our guide to planning a body corporate repaint covers timing and approvals.
What to ask your contractor
- How will the concrete be prepared, and how is moisture checked?
- Which coating system is proposed, and why is it right for this area?
- What slip resistance does it offer?
- How long until each section can take traffic?
- How will the work be staged around the site?
Get the floor right once
See our floor and deck recoating page for what we offer. If your floor is part of a warehouse, read our guide to painting warehouses and tilt-panel buildings and our longer industrial painting guide. When you’re ready, request a quote or call 1300 733 447.
McAuliffe Painting. Eagle Farm, Brisbane QLD 4009. QBCC Lic 1180874.
