Four Ways Antimicrobial Floor Coatings Protect Your People and Assets

Germs and viruses are unseen threats in your office or manufacturing facility. The spread of microorganisms in a working environment can put everyone (and everything) going in and out, including your products and visitors, at risk. To minimize this risk and protect your people and assets, consider installing antimicrobial floor coatings.
What to Know About Antimicrobial Floor Coatings
What Are Antimicrobial Floor Coatings?
The term “antimicrobial coating” describes what it does: it prevents disease-causing microbes from growing and spreading. This coating has antimicrobial agents that are gradually released to constantly kill fungi, yeast, algae, and other microorganisms on the floor. The additives are slowly released, so they will continue to kill microbes for the life of the flooring.
Antimicrobial coatings are non-porous and seamless, which aids in preventing undesirable organisms from staying in your flooring. Microbes generally need moisture to grow, and the non-porous nature of the coating prevents any liquid from seeping into the floor. Therefore, there will be no damp areas where microorganisms can breed and multiply.
Antimicrobial flooring systems come in many types, but the most common ones are epoxy, polyurethane, and urethane. These antimicrobial coatings are ideal options if your facility needs to meet USDA and FDA requirements. But with multiple options, it can be tough to determine which type suits your facility best. When unsure, it’s wise to seek an expert’s advice.
Why Is Antimicrobial Coating Important?
As a facility manager, you must ensure the property’s floor is in good shape, clean, and safe for the people who work in or enter your building. One of the things you might regularly do is hire someone to deep clean your floors. Unfortunately, regular floor cleaning is often insufficient, especially in highly regulated food businesses and similar industries.
Microbes and bacteria exist nearly everywhere. It is a guarantee that your flooring is also home to these microbes unless you already have an antimicrobial coating installed. There are many potential carriers of germs, including your staff, shipping partners, customers, and even pests like rodents.
Without an antimicrobial coating on the floor, the microbes inside your facility can multiply. And while people do not normally touch the floors, they can still get infected by pathogenic microorganisms because these microbes can move from the floor to other surfaces where human contact happens.
If you haven’t switched to this type of coating yet and remain on the fence about it, the following five ways antimicrobial coatings protect your people and assets may help with your decision-making.
What Are the Benefits of Antimicrobial Flooring?
Let’s take an in-depth look at how antimicrobial coatings protect assets and people in your building.
1. Prevents Bacterial Growth
As previously mentioned, harmful organisms exist everywhere, including your facility. Exposure to bacteria, viruses, and other harmful microbes can get your employees sick. If microorganisms come in contact with your products, your customers are at risk. Germs and bacteria are an even bigger concern in healthcare facilities, where vulnerable individuals are present.
By creating seamless and non-porous surfaces and releasing antibacterial agents that kill harmful microorganisms, antimicrobial flooring protects your people from health hazards. It stops the problem at its source.
2. Durable and Long-Lasting
One of the problems facility managers have to deal with is floor damage. Floor damage can cost businesses significant amounts of money, not just for repairs but also for possible operation disruptions. Damaged floors can also become a trip hazard in the workplace, which could result in lawsuits and costly complaints.
Day in and day out, concrete floors are exposed to chemicals, heavy foot traffic, and temperature variations that can cause fissures, cracks, and other kinds of issues. Antimicrobial coatings are made to be durable and can withstand these elements. When installed over a concrete floor, the coating prevents the material from soaking up liquids that may damage the surface.
Furthermore, the coating’s biostatic effects remain effective throughout the flooring’s lifespan, provided you install and maintain the floor properly.
3. Compliance With Regulatory Standards
Industries demanding a high degree of sanitation and germ resistance are accountable to a tangled web of regulatory agencies. If your facility is regulated and audited by the USDA, FDA, and other entities, installing antimicrobial flooring will likely help you avoid legal risks.
4. Easy to Clean
Keeping floors clean is crucial, no matter the industry. However, cleaning the floor is often challenging, particularly in medical facilities and areas with heavy foot traffic because of the high risk of pathogen exposure. You may also have to use caustic chemicals to get rid of all the dirt and bacteria on the floor.
With an antimicrobial floor, cleaning becomes simple. Particulates stay on top of the flooring, and the coating itself can kill microbes. Therefore, there’s no need to use harsh cleaning chemicals that can also harm workers and anyone else in the building. Usually, you can clean the coating with just soap and water. In addition, this coating prevents staining, so your floor will look new with no further effort.
Antimicrobial flooring protects your facility and people in many other ways. It’s easy to install, so you don’t have to worry about downtime in your facility. The material also has low to no VOC emission, which is good for the environment. This non-allergenic coating will not cause any harm to animals.
What Facility Needs Antimicrobial Floor Coatings?
Any facility where cleanliness is crucial can use antimicrobial flooring. But this type of flooring is always a great investment for facilities that undergo annual inspections or where sanitation is a priority. These include:
Medical Facilities
Pharmaceutical Labs
Animal Care/Veterinary Clinics
Animal Research Facilities
Food and Beverage Processing Plants
Restaurants
Commercial Kitchens
School Cafeterias
Even residential property owners who care about the safety of their homes can benefit from antimicrobial coatings.
Hire Expert Installers to Enjoy All the Perks
Like other types of flooring, antimicrobial floors must be installed properly to provide you with all their benefits. Professional installers may charge more than inexperienced contractors, but pros can ensure successful floor installation and prevent the need for costly resurfacing. Antimicrobial coatings may be easy to install, but there are still variables to consider.
Skilled professionals bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, ensuring flawless application of antimicrobial coatings. By entrusting the task to experts, you guarantee the longevity and effectiveness of the coating, safeguarding your environment against harmful pathogens and bacteria.
Moreover, hiring specialists grants you access to the latest industry insights, materials, and techniques, maximizing the protective potential of the coating. It results in a hygienic, durable, and aesthetically pleasing floor that not only enhances your space but also contributes to the overall health and safety of your premises.
Call Kaloutas for All Your Flooring Needs
Kaloutas offers a wide array of flooring solutions, including antimicrobial flooring. When it comes to specialized flooring, a one-size-fits-all solution will not cut it. That’s why the company’s industrial flooring experts must first learn about your specific environment to create a tailored solution. Our team is committed to prioritizing your health and safety, no matter the project.
If you want to install antimicrobial flooring or learn about the best type of flooring for your property, contact Kaloutas. Let us take care of all your facility’s flooring needs with one point of contact and one agreement. We will install your coating so that the work will not affect your production schedule.