Start with the operating conditions

Divide the site into zones before choosing a coating. A preparation room, cookline, pot-wash area, cool room and loading path may need different finishes or details. Record where water and grease reach the floor, how often spills are removed, the washdown temperature and method, and whether cleaning products dwell. Include trolleys, hard wheels, dropped equipment and existing cracks, joints and floor wastes.

What the food premises standard asks of the floor

Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s guidance on Standard 3.2.3 explains that floors in food handling areas must suit the activities conducted there. Subject to the standard’s specified exceptions, they must be effectively cleanable, unable to absorb grease, food particles or water, laid to avoid ponding, and designed to avoid providing places for pests to shelter. The guidance identifies epoxy resin among possible finishes for food preparation and wash-up areas; it does not approve every epoxy product or replace the assessment of a particular installation.

For a hosed kitchen, cleaning also depends on the shape of the floor. An even surface and designed falls help water reach drains. FSANZ notes that coving at floor-to-wall and floor-to-plinth junctions helps prevent accumulated dirt and grease, especially where floors are flushed or hosed. Cracks, damaged finishes and inaccessible edges make routine cleaning harder.

“Food grade” is too broad to resolve these design questions. Ask for the actual product documents, the proposed installed build, and details of drains, coves and joints. The operator’s cleaning procedure and maintenance programme are part of the outcome. A material description alone cannot establish that a finished premises will meet every food safety requirement.

Epoxy or PU cement: where each may fit

Epoxy can be a practical seamless flooring route in a suitably prepared area when its full primer, body and finish schedule is matched to the expected cleaning, wear and slip conditions. The selection becomes more demanding where hot water, frequent wet processing, repeated temperature change or concentrated chemical cleaning occurs. For those conditions, ALKA publishes ALKA-904 as a heavy-duty PU-cement system using an approved primer or sealer and ALKACRETE 255 topping. The thickness and full layer schedule need project-specific confirmation.

A stronger-sounding resin name does not settle resistance to a particular detergent or sanitiser. Give ALKA the product names, concentrations, exposure times and cleaning temperatures. Repeated splash, prolonged puddling and immersion are different duties. For any proposed system, use the current verified TDS and an agreed project specification rather than extrapolating from a general chemical-resistance label.

The details that determine whether the floor works

Drainage, coving and movement

Set floor levels and drain positions before placing the resin. A coating follows the substrate; it cannot reliably correct badly formed falls by itself. Specify the drain-body interface, edges at doorways, pipe penetrations and terminations at equipment plinths. Provide a cleanable cove where the design calls for one. Structural movement joints need their own designed detail and maintenance access; a nominally seamless coating does not eliminate movement underneath it.

Substrate preparation and moisture

Inspect old tiles, failed coatings, oil contamination, weak concrete and cracks before pricing the system. Remove incompatible or unsound material, repair the substrate using compatible products, and establish the surface profile and anchorage required by the approved build. Assess moisture by a defined test method. A moisture-tolerant product description does not permit application over standing water, condensation or an unstable slab. Also confirm that proposed repairs, primer, topping and cove material work together.

Texture, traction and cleanability

A glossy smooth finish can be easier to wipe but may be unsuitable where grease or water is present. A coarse aggregate texture can improve traction under some conditions while retaining more soil and making cleaning harder. Choose a representative finish sample for the actual area, agree the required slip-performance assessment and cleaning trial, then document the result. Do not infer an installed slip classification from an aggregate name or an unverified product-page rating. Safe Work Australia also recommends drainage, prompt spill removal, suitable floor coverings and footwear as parts of slip-risk control.

Plan the shutdown and handover

Ask the installer to state the work sequence: protection of food and equipment, surface preparation, repairs, detailing, mixing and placement, inspection, and staged reopening. The floor must be protected from contamination while it cures. “Touch dry”, pedestrian access and readiness for hot water or chemical cleaning are different milestones. Confirm each permitted service date for the actual site temperature and approved product schedule.

At handover, keep a record of the installed products, batch numbers, thickness or consumption checks, finish sample, completed drain and joint details, and any specified slip test. Provide written cleaning instructions and an inspection routine. Promptly repair cuts, worn routes, open joints or damaged sealant so water and grease do not reach vulnerable interfaces.

Send this information for a useful recommendation

• Floor plan, approximate area, location, photographs and current substrate or tile condition.
• Zones of grease, water, hot washdown, refrigeration, trolley traffic and heavy point loads.
• Cleaning and sanitising products, concentrations, temperatures, frequency and likely dwell time.
• Locations of drains, falls, wall junctions, plinths, penetrations and movement joints.
• Target finish, cleaning method, access dates and earliest required return to full service.

Use those details to request a project-specific recommendation from ALKA. Compare the proposed system with the product-specific, current verified technical data before ordering or application.

Common questions

References and ALKA technical information

• Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Safe Food Australia, Standard 3.2.3, especially clause 10 and its guidance on floor finishes, coving and drainage.
• Safe Work Australia, Slips, trips and falls, on floor design, wet or greasy surfaces, drainage and cleaning.
• ALKA-904 PU-Cement Thermal Shield System and ALKACRETE 255 product information. Request and check the current verified product-specific TDS and safety data before specifying the build.