Almost all industries in India today have epoxy/PU floorings in their plant area to provide seamless, joint-less, aesthetic, chemical-resistant, hygienic, dust-free atmosphere. An overall survey will indicate that not all users are happy with the result. Many of the users express that they experience a variety of problems such as de-bonding, bubbling, scratches, uneven surfaces and so on and expressed concern regarding its durability. This article aims to address many of these issues related to selection, execution and after-care of epoxy/PU floorings to minimize these instances, though not eliminate them. The studies indicated that about 20% of the problems were due to wrong selection of material/thickness, 60% due to wrong application and 20% due to poor quality of the products.

Hence it is important to divide the discussion into three parts:

• Pre-installation guide-lines
• Installation procedures
• Post-installation practices

Pre-installation guidelines

A) Selection of the right product: Whether Epoxy or PU, solvent-borne or water-borne systems are suitable for a specific application has been dealt with by various authors before me and hence am not addressing in this article. The major difference between epoxy & PU systems is that PU is more flexible and hence is more suitable in high-impact areas.

B) Selection of right thickness: It is very important to arrive at the correct thickness of flooring to provide optimum service to the required traffic conditions. Higher the thickness, higher the durability, but higher the cost. Hence it is pertinent to calculate the right thickness.