Industrial Epoxy Floors in Coahuila

What are Epoxy Floors?

An industrial epoxy floor is a thermosetting polymeric coating system applied to concrete surfaces to improve their mechanical, chemical, and aesthetic properties. Unlike conventional paints, epoxy systems are formulated through the chemical reaction of an epoxy resin (usually bisphenol A or F) and a hardener or catalyst (polyamines or polyamides), creating a high-density, extremely adhesive three-dimensional molecular structure.

The key components of a professional epoxy floor system include:

Primer: Low-viscosity resin designed to penetrate concrete pores and ensure chemical anchoring.
Base Coat: Provides structural thickness, impact resistance, and substrate leveling.
Reinforcing Aggregates: Classified quartz silica sands that increase compressive strength and provide anti-slip properties.
Top Coat: Final layer that defines color, texture, gloss, and specific resistance to abrasion, UV rays, or chemical agents.

When is it needed?

A maintenance or plant manager in northeastern Mexico should schedule the installation of epoxy floors when detecting the following operational signs:

Excessive dust generation (Fines detachment): Bare concrete wears down from traffic, releasing microparticles that contaminate machinery, finished products, and air conditioning systems.
Cracks, potholes, and joint detachment: Structural damage to concrete that damages forklift wheels and poses a tripping hazard for personnel.
Contamination by hydrocarbons or chemicals: Absorption of oils, coolants, acids, or solvents that weaken the concrete slab and create fire or slip hazards.
Upcoming quality or food safety audits: Compliance requirements with COFEPRIS, FDA, USDA, HACCP, or TIF standards that demand 100% washable, aseptic, and seamless surfaces.
Lack of safety demarcation: Need to delineate pedestrian walkways, storage areas, and hazard zones under NOM-026-STPS standard.

Problems it solves

Line shutdowns due to floor maintenance: Avoid constantly repairing potholes with asphalt concrete patches that fail within a few months.
High costs for forklift spare parts: Reduces premature wear of polyurethane wheels, bearings, and suspension systems damaged by vibration on uneven floors.
Non-conformities in client audits: Eliminates the risk of losing international certifications due to porous, cracked floors or the presence of fungi and bacteria.
Workplace slip hazards: The anti-slip texture prevents personnel falls in wet areas or areas with oil presence, reducing the risk premium with IMSS.

Benefits for your plant

Increased concrete lifespan: Protects the structural slab for more than 10 to 15 years under heavy-duty use conditions.
Accelerated Return on Investment (ROI): It quickly pays for itself by reducing cleaning times by up to 50% and eliminating constant corrective maintenance.
Improved natural lighting: High-gloss finishes reflect artificial light, reducing electricity consumption in industrial buildings.
Guaranteed hygiene: Monolithic surface (seamless) that prevents pathogen proliferation, ideal for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Applications and industries that use it

Automotive and Metalworking Industry: Assembly, machining, and stamping areas exposed to heavy forklift traffic, pallet dragging, and cutting fluid spills.
Food and Beverage Industry: Meat processing plants (TIF), dairies, bottling plants, and industrial kitchens that require resistance to thermal shock and high-pressure washing with sanitizers.
Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industry: Cleanrooms with strict particle control requirements and antistatic properties (ESD).
Distribution Centers (CEDIS) and Warehouses: Narrow aisle (VNA) forklift traffic aisles where perfect flatness and high abrasion resistance are required.

Types of solutions / Available systems

Epoxy System	Typical Thickness	Chemical Resistance	Recommended Traffic	Curing Time	Ideal Application
Thin Epoxy Seal	10 - 20 mils (0.25 - 0.5 mm)	Moderate	Pedestrian / Light Skates	24 - 48 hours	Low-traffic warehouses, control rooms, electrical rooms.
Self-Leveling Epoxy	1.5 - 3.0 mm	High	Medium Forklift	24 hours	Laboratories, pharmaceutical plants, electronic assembly, sterile areas.
High-Strength Epoxy Mortar	4.0 - 6.0 mm	Excellent	Heavy Forklift / Impacts	48 - 72 hours	CEDIS aisles, heavy mechanical workshops, heavy manufacturing areas.
Cementitious Urethane	3.0 - 9.0 mm	Extreme (Acids/Alkalis)	Heavy / Thermal Shock	6 - 12 hours (Fast)	Food plants, cold rooms, boiling water washdown areas.
Novolac Epoxy	2.0 - 4.0 mm	Ultra-High (Concentrated Acids)	Heavy	24 hours	Chemical containment pits, hazardous waste warehouses.
Antistatic Epoxy (ESD)	2.0 - 3.0 mm	Moderate	Medium Forklift	24 hours	Semiconductor manufacturing, electronic board assembly.

Materials and technologies

At SINE México, we don't improvise. We exclusively use materials from leading global brands that guarantee technical data validated by international laboratories:

Sika (Sikafloor): Cementitious urethane systems (Sikafloor PurCem) for the food industry and high-aesthetic epoxy self-leveling coatings.
Sherwin-Williams (General Polymers): High chemical resistance coatings and ultra-fast curing polyaspartic systems.
BASF / Master Builders Solutions: High impact resistance epoxy mortars and static control coatings.
Fast-curing systems (Polyaspartic / MMA): Technologies that allow applying primer, body, and seal in a single day, minimizing losses due to production shutdowns.

Applicable Regulations and Standards

NOM-001-STPS-2008: Safety and hygiene conditions in buildings, premises, facilities, and work areas.
NOM-026-STPS-2008: Safety and hygiene colors and signs (delimitation of work areas and pedestrian walkways).
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) & USDA (US Department of Agriculture): Requirements for non-porous, easy-to-clean and disinfect surfaces for indirect food contact.
HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point): International food safety standards that require the elimination of joints and sharp corners through sanitary coves.
ASTM C579 / C580 / D4060: Standard test methods for determining the compressive strength, flexural strength, and abrasion resistance (Taber Abraser) of polymeric coatings.

Our work process (SINE)

Technical Diagnosis and Field Tests: We evaluate concrete hardness (sclerometer), measure relative humidity (ASTM F2170), and detect oil contamination.
Specification Engineering: We recommend the exact system (thickness, chemistry, and finish) according to your plant's operating conditions.
Mechanical Surface Preparation: Critical phase for success. We perform diamond grinding with HEPA dust extractors or shotblasting to open the pores and achieve the required anchor profile (CSP).
Joint and Crack Treatment: We rebuild damaged joint lips and seal structural cracks with injectable epoxy resins or elastomeric mortars.
Epoxy System Application: Application of primer, intermediate coats, quartz broadcast (if applicable), and final sealer under controlled temperature and humidity conditions.
Quality Control and Inspection: Wet and dry thickness measurement, tensile adhesion (Pull-Off) tests according to ASTM D4541, and technical report delivery.
Delivery and Release: Joint inspection with the client and delivery of a written warranty policy.

Common errors when hiring / installing

Omitting mechanical surface preparation: Applying epoxy over smooth concrete or concrete simply washed with hydrochloric (muriatic) acid. Acid does not generate the necessary anchor profile and leaves chemical residues that cause the epoxy to delaminate within a few months.
Ignoring concrete moisture tests: Applying resins over slabs with high osmotic pressure or trapped moisture. This generates blisters that break the coating.
Specifying insufficient thicknesses: Using a thin 10-mil seal in areas where forklifts with rigid polyurethane wheels and heavy loads operate. The floor will quickly fracture under shear stress.
Not respecting curing times: Subjecting the floor to heavy traffic before the resin reaches full polymerization (total chemical cure), which ruins the finish and reduces its lifespan.

Good practices and maintenance

To maximize the lifespan of your epoxy floor (which can exceed 10 years), we recommend:

Daily cleaning: Use microfiber mops and neutral biodegradable detergents. Avoid abrasive cleaners or concentrated acids.
Use of appropriate wheels: Ensure that forklifts and pallet jacks use polyurethane or vulcanized rubber wheels instead of nylon or metal.
Preventive spill maintenance: Immediately clean any spills of solvents or strong acids, even if the system is resistant to them.

Factors determining cost

The cost per square meter of an industrial epoxy floor is not fixed; it depends on key variables:

Current substrate condition: Amount of cracks, potholes, or oil contamination requiring prior repair.
System thickness: The greater the thickness (6 mm mortars vs. 15 mil seals), the greater the amount of high-performance resin required.
Logistics and work windows: Work performed during night shifts, weekends, or holiday plant shutdowns.
Total area to cover: Large-scale projects (CEDIS) allow for optimizing installation and logistics costs per square meter.

Typical execution times

Areas up to 500 m²: 3 to 4 business days (preparation, 3-coat application, and standard curing).
Areas from 1,000 to 3,000 m²: 5 to 7 business days using double crews and high-productivity shotblasting equipment.
Express Systems (Polyaspartic/MMA): Areas up to 300 m² can be delivered ready for operation in less than 24 hours.

SINE Guarantee

At SINE México we back every square meter applied. We offer written warranty from 1 to 5 years (depending on the specified system) that covers adhesion defects and hidden application flaws. We have a performance bond for corporate projects and civil liability insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between epoxy paint and an industrial epoxy floor?

Epoxy paint is a thin-layer coating (less than 10 mils or 0.25 mm) that only provides color and basic dust protection. An industrial epoxy floor is a high-performance system with thicknesses from 1 mm to 6 mm or more (self-leveling, multilayer, or mortars) designed to withstand abrasion, heavy forklift traffic, impacts, and severe chemical attacks.

What surface preparation does concrete require before applying epoxy?

The concrete must have a Surface Profile (CSP) of grade 3 to 5 according to ICRI. This is achieved by diamond grinding, scarifying, or shotblasting. Additionally, the substrate must be free of grease, oils, moisture (less than 4%), and have a minimum compressive strength of 250 kg/cm².

How much downtime is required to apply an epoxy system?

The standard curing time for conventional epoxy is 24 hours for pedestrian traffic and 72 hours for heavy traffic. However, for critical plant shutdowns, at SINE México we apply cementitious urethane, MMA (Methyl Methacrylate), or polyaspartic systems that allow the area to be opened to heavy traffic in just 2 to 12 hours after application.

How do you solve capillary moisture problems in the floor?

If moisture tests (ASTM F1869 or ASTM F2170) exceed permitted limits, we apply an epoxy vapor barrier for moisture mitigation (such as Sika Sikafloor-81 EpoCem or Sherwin-Williams Resuprime MVT). This prevents osmotic pressure from detaching or blistering the final coating.

Request your quote

Optimize the safety, hygiene, and durability of your industrial plant today. In SINE México we conduct free technical diagnostic visits in Torreón, Gómez Palacio, Lerdo, Saltillo, Ramos Arizpe, Piedras Negras, and throughout the northeast of the country.