Flooring - Recommendations

[captaincurd]

I have concrete floors which have cracked and gotten pitted from acid over the years.  I've tiled the floor in one room- the tile is great, the grout lines are getting pretty eaten up by the acid.  In another room I put on an epoxy finish.  I washed the floor , went over it with a propane torch just for good measure, put on 2 coats  and it is still peeling and chipping.   Does anyone have a recommendation for flooring? 

[linuxboy]

What kind of epoxy? A special marine or dairy coating (such as a urethane based one) should work well. Here's a good primer:

http://www.generalpolymers.com/tech_lib/food.pdf

[wharris]

This interests  me as I am putting in a new, dedicated wine/cheese room. 

I really want to move away  from my existing "dungeon" and do this right.

[linuxboy]

Wayne, I'd go with urethane topper if it fits in your budget. Epoxy, even when done right can "pop off". If you heat shock it, like if you're starting a run in the morning and just don't feel like handling whey all that carefully and want to dump it, it's not the best thing for epoxy. Or, say, you are doing hygiene control and steaming the floor before cleaning it. Can fail in certain situations. And epoxy also doesn't last as long. Personally, I'm a fan of spending more up front and not dealing with it later. You don't want to have to recoat and move your vat and everything else around later.

[captaincurd]

Thanks .I'll check into it  .  The stuff I used was for commercial applications, but maybe not dairy .  ho hum,- rip it up and start over....  It' is amazing how much of cheese making  is all of the other stuff. refrigeration, plumbing,flooring...
anyway, your posts are always so helpful.  Thanks.

[wharris]

I am at the stage where I am going to seal my concrete floor. 
Looking at urethane concrete sealers.  Any specific suggestion?

[Tomer1]

My dad has this plastic coated floors in his workplace because of the chemicals,biological and radioactive stuff they handle in the building.
It can be pilled off and replaced without the accuall flooring soaking up what ever matirial has spilled.

I'l ask him what that thing is.
They have shiny epoxy flooring in some places and they are redone every couple of years.

[linuxboy]

Check to see what Home Depot can order, or Lowes. They can usually get decent prices, and you can use a 10% off coupon (buy on ebay) :P

for example
http://www.garonproducts.com/
http://www.polymax-us.com/c-59-industries.aspx
http://www.gaco.com/pds_lm60.html
http://www.madisonchemical.com/
http://www.epoxytec.com/products/
http://www.surfacesolutionsusa.com/

When you buy one, check it for NSF compliance. Should be on the spec sheet.

[Edgwick Farm]

Our local Cornell Cooperative dairy person recommended we use hydro-seal from Northern Industries in Rhodes Island.  (Our new creamery is all concrete.)

http://www.northerncoatings.com/waterproofing/hydro_seal_75.html

The walls have two coats and look great.  Working on priming the floors today and then a layer of epoxy from Northern will go on top.  We haven't made any cheese in the creamery yet so I can't speak to how it will last.

[coffee joe]

The best bet is commercial grade high impact ceramic (porcelain) with epoxy grout. Many state regs require a curve at the wall line, to ease cleaning, and these pieces are available as well. Applied on a concrete base, this floor will last a lifetime.