Everlast Epoxy Systems’ health care floors are healthy, durable, and attractive.
Everlast Epoxy Systems’ health care floors resist pathogens. [Photo: Courtesy of Everlast Epoxy]
Resin-aggregate floors have been around for a long time. But the proportion of these two components, which could be allocated according to the whims (and profit motives) of installers, created compromises to quality that damaged perceptions of the material.
Everlast Epoxy Systems flooring systems changed that by taking a rational look at all costs associated with resin-aggregate floors. Beyond materials, they include the expenses of subfloors and waterproofing, resilience to seismic shifts and building settling (which can crack all types of single-sheet floors), and resistance to pathogens that could cause disease and add to health care expenses.
More than 10 years ago, the Florida-based company worked with its vendors in Europe (where regulations around volatile organic compounds are much stricter) and examined how epoxy floors are used in military installations and on battleships. They devised a mix that caps the aggregate components to make for a stronger bond that stands up to heavy traffic and abuse. The net result is an even stronger flooring system that provides savings and benefits over other flooring materials in hospitals and clinics as well as other applications.
The Everlast Floor line is a 100% solids epoxy, marble-chip, and quartz aggregate that is troweled in place for a seamless, evenly textured, slip-resistant finish that withstands spills, impacts, heavy foot traffic, stains, and more. It can be installed over new concrete, wood, tile, VCT, and many other types of commercial flooring by Everlast’s large network of installer-dealers or by most flooring contractors. And better yet, the floor is ready for traffic within 24 hours.
These are just some of the benefits of Everlast Epoxy Systems’ floors.
1: SEAMLESS AND IMPERVIOUS
Everlast Epoxy floors are frequently used in wet environments (think hospitals, restaurant kitchens, and veterinarian facilities) because they outperform tile, concrete, and other surfaces with problematic surface porosity and seams. The resin-aggregate material can be used for a seamless floor-baseboard.
Installation over existing floors, plywood, and other subfloor materials provides a waterproof surface for the entire floor. They also have high impact resistance and low water absorption factors. Heavy equipment—even a 34,000-pound MRI machine—can be placed on an Everlast Floor with no problem.
2: EASY TO CLEAN
An epoxy floor is easier to clean because it’s a hard, impervious surface. The porosity of the surface allows very little to be absorbed; it’s a significant improvement over floors with seams and grouting. As a result, cleanups are faster and more effective. Less water and soap is needed, and more floors are cleaned in less time.
“Porous floors take a lot more scrubbing,” says David Linton, marketing director for Everlast Epoxy. “Think about how concrete floors take longer to dry. That’s because they suck up water.” Linton says commercial sheet vinyl, used often in health care, is a thicker version of linoleum that has also been known to shrink and split at the seams as well as pull away from the walls. Sheet vinyl could unfortunately even absorb blood and other fluids, and nobody wants that.
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[Photo: Courtesy of Everlast Epoxy]
3: NON-SLIP
Slips and falls represent the primary cause of lost days from work and cause more than one million emergency room visits per year, according to the National Floor Safety Institute. Safety in epoxy floors comes in several forms. To start, the Everlast brand comes with an anti-slip glazing of aluminum oxide that has a similar effect to embedded sand.
4: NO OFF-GASSING
A less-seen hazard of critical concern is volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Everlast Floor by Everlast Epoxy Systems has none. It’s completely safe to install in a school, workplace, or health care facility while adjacent rooms are occupied.
5: EASY INSTALLATION
Everlast Epoxy is used in large commercial and health care settings, typically by the company’s network of certified installers, general contractors, or flooring contractors. But about half of all customers use their own installers—people who feel confident with the three-component kit (aggregates, main resin, and a curing agent; each kit covers about 25 square feet of floor space). The main tools you will need are a mixing drill, finish trowel, gauge trowel, and shop light.
[Photo: Courtesy of Everlast Epoxy]
6: ANTI-MICROBIAL
A proprietary additive in Everlast Epoxy prevents pathogens from colonizing on floors. This is important in homes and businesses—and vital to health care environments. The additive is registered with the EPA as an antimicrobial. “It doesn’t just provide an inhospitable environment,” says Gerrald Lacey, sales manager at Everlast. “It kills germs.” That’s bad news for fungi (black yeast, black mold, bread molds, among others), yeasts, bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella, Staph), and actinomycetes (pink stain).
7: RECYCLED CONTENT
Everlast Epoxy Systems is also available as an eco-friendly floor that substitutes recycled glass bottles, copper, and porcelain in place of mined marble chips. This makes use of post-consumer glass bottles, copper mining slag, and broken pieces from toilet and sink manufacturers. These aggregates are mixed with the same resin used in other Everlast Epoxy floors. “Some of these aggregates reflect more light,” Lacey says. They are sold in about a dozen colors, from “eco pink” to “eco porcelain.” Most of them provide sparkling glints.
8: IT LOOKS GREAT
While the technical advantages matter, so do aesthetics. Architects and interior designers care about the look,” Linton says. “Homeowners and veterinarian clinics care the most.” Fortunately, the company continuously updates its color selections, so you can get the style you’re looking for, no matter the setting.
