Flooring

[system]

Anyone have any suggestions for flooring in the kitchen area. We started with a dyed concrete with a sealer. That didn’t last more then 2 months and the sealer started coming up and always looked dirty. So we used a industrial floor paint, like you would see in a warehouse. This has started to chip from moving things around on it and we didn’t do the greatest job getting the surface prepped before we applied it. I would like to do some sort of vinyl or laminate, something cheap. What do you have in your kitchen?

 

[mandino]

I got a good deal on ceramic tile before we opened, and put that throughout the entire place. It’s worked very well, durable and easy to clean. It can be pricy though. We laid it ourselves which saved a lot of money, and got contractor’s pricing which saved a lot of money.

 

[system]

the vinyl/laminate will not last either…spend the money on a quality ceramic/quarry tile that is rated for heavy traffic and do it right…you can use an epoxy grout that holds up better also

 

[j_r0kk]

Guest,

You really don’t want to use sealer on concrete. I’m sure you’ve already noticed it gets pretty slick when you’ve got flour on the floor. That’s a problem you truly do not want on your hands. I had it in one of my stores and always had people slipping and falling. Not fun.

Presently, I use plain old VCT in the kitchen area. It holds up relatively well and is very inexpensive. In my dining area I’m with the other guys and use ceramic. It’s a much better presentation than the VCT though a little more expensive. -J_r0kk

 

[system]

J_r0kk,
I have been researching VCT and everything seems to say, not recommended for commercial kitchens. Did you find a special kind or brand that is okay in the kitchen? Did you install it yourself?

 

[j_r0kk]

I don’t know why they say it’s not recommended for commercial kitchens. I haven’t had a problem with it. It holds up well and is easy to clean. The only drawbacks I see with the VCT is that it’ll show a little wear with scratches and you’ve got to be clean. If you leave a certain spot untouched for about a week (like a corner, or by a table leg) it’ll get black with residue. All you do then is take a green scrubby pad, step on it, and scrub with your foot. Takes about 20 seconds.

Now, maybe 10 years down the road from now I might have a problem with it. But for right now… nope. It looks pretty good. I have no oil in the kitchen, either as I’m just a plain ole pizza shop.

As far as the installation goes: There are some things I’m good at. There are some things I’m not. Tiling floors is the job of a contractor. I’m just not touching it. -J_r0kk

 

[MM1]

If done properly, stained sealed concrete can be a cool, indestructable, easy to clean floor. But “done properly” is fairly complex and the materials are not cheap.

You need a sealer coat that is EPOXY. You need to mix something with grit (glass) into the sealer coat to prevent the slip that J_Rock mentioned.

You can do cool stuff with other epoxy materials, like creating a sand/epoxy coved base that a health inspector’s going to love, as it can be seamless with the floor and wall.

I think my contractor got some materials from these folks - http://www.deckcoatings.com/floorsealers.html, but as you can see, you probably need a professional just to pick the right material!