Floors are the most used and abused finish surfaces within a building. Seamless floors and floor coatings are selected because of the conditions of use and secondarily the aesthetics desired. There is a tradeoff between the performance of the flooring system and the total cost (material plus installation). Depending upon the expected useful life and the disruptions of replacement, a system must be selected to meet the short-term and long-term budget of the project.

Sealers/Stains
Sealers and stains for concrete floors are generally considered to be penetrating floor coatings. These systems have little or no millage on the surface. They are selected to provide aesthetics to the concrete and/or to enhance the performance of the concrete by sealing the porosity of the concrete floor.

Thin Mil Coatings
Coatings are generally spray or roller applied polymeric materials, usually with an epoxy primer. They are designed to provide a flooring system with a 2-40 mil build. They seal the concrete from liquid intrusion and can enhance the aesthetics. The coating can be comprised of several different polymer chemistries depending upon the chemical resistance required for the application. Coatings may also provide added performance properties to the floor for slip resistance, conductivity or light reflectance. Depending upon the traffic the floor receives; coating may last several years or may need recoating periodically.

Aggregate Filled
High build seamless flooring systems generally contain aggregate. These systems are applied at 1/16 inch to 3/8 inch thickness depending upon the system design. Aggregate filled systems perform better than coatings with respect to impact resistance, chip resistance, thermal shock, and long-term aggressive abrasion. Slurries, self-leveling and broadcast systems contain high resin to aggregate ratios. Mortars are trowel applied with low resin to aggregate ratio and consistencies similar to wet sand. Terrazzo is a resin rich mortar using graded aggregated particles (up to 3/8 inch thickness) depending upon the desired appearance after the surface is ground and polished.