How to use this
Each term is explained in one or two sentences, the way it is used in floor and lining work.
Terms
- Epoxy
- A two-part resin that cures into a hard surface and bonds strongly to prepared concrete. Used as a primer, a body coat and a floor coating.
- Polyurethane (PU)
- A resin that stays slightly flexible and resists scratching. UV-stable grades hold their colour in sunlight.
- UV-stable
- A coating that does not yellow or change colour in sunlight.
- PU screed
- A thick, trowelled polyurethane-cement floor for wet process areas that take hot wash-downs.
- MMA (methyl methacrylate)
- A resin that cures very fast, used where an area cannot be out of use for long.
- Decorative cement-based floor finish
- A thin, hand-trowelled cement-based finish with a stone-like look and minimal joints, used in homes and commercial spaces.
- Substrate
- The surface a coating goes onto, usually the concrete slab.
- Laitance
- The weak, dusty top skin of concrete. It is ground off before coating.
- Diamond grinding
- Grinding the floor with diamond tools to remove old coatings, adhesive and laitance and open the concrete for the primer.
- Primer
- The first layer of a system. It soaks into the concrete and locks the system to the slab.
- Body coat
- The build layer of a coating system that gives it its thickness.
- Topcoat
- The final layer: the finish, colour and easy-clean surface.
- Anti-slip finish
- Aggregate added to the coating for grip on floors that get wet or oily.
- Coved skirting
- A curved joint between floor and wall, so no corner holds water or dirt.
- Bund
- A wall and floor around tanks or chemical storage that contains a leak or spill.
- Acid lining
- A lining chosen to resist the acids and chemicals on a site, used in sumps, trenches and on chemical floors.
- Thermal shock
- Sudden temperature change, for example hot water on a cold floor. PU screed is chosen for floors that face it.
- Expansion joint
- A planned gap in a slab that lets it move. A coating follows it rather than bridging it.
- Variation
- Work outside the quoted scope, priced separately, for example extra repairs or standing time.
- P&Gs
- Preliminary and general costs: site establishment and the running costs of being on site.
