Start With the Problem, Not the Product
The most expensive mistake in epoxy specification is choosing a system by name before defining the problem it has to solve. “Industrial epoxy” is not one floor — it is a family of systems, each engineered for a different combination of traffic, chemical exposure, slip risk, hygiene requirement and electrostatic control. Specify the wrong member of that family and you either overpay for performance you never use, or underspecify and watch the floor fail.
This guide works backwards from the problem. Answer five questions about how your floor is actually used, and the right system reveals itself. Epoxy GH has installed across southern Ghana since 1981, and we will always tell you honestly when a lighter, lower-priced system is adequate — and when it is not.
The Five Questions That Decide the Floor
1. What rolls and walks across it?
Traffic sets the baseline build. Light foot traffic and trolleys are served by a high-build coating. Forklifts, pallet trucks and heavy rolling loads demand an aggregate-loaded broadcast or quartz mortar body, because a thin coating fractures under point loads. Get this wrong downward and the floor chips at the wheel paths within weeks.
2. What gets spilled on it?
Water and mild detergents are one thing; lactic acid in a dairy, hydrocarbons in a workshop, or aggressive cleaning chemicals in a plant room are another. Standard epoxy resists a lot, but aggressive chemical exposure calls for a novolac chemical-resistant topcoat or a polyurethane system. Match the chemistry to the exposure, not to a brochure.
3. Will it be wet or sloped?
If the floor gets wet — kitchens, wet-process areas, ramps, washdown zones — slip resistance is a safety specification, not a preference. We specify an anti-slip epoxy to a target slip rating using the EN 16165 ramp method (R9 to R13). The higher the number, the steeper the wet ramp it stays safe on. A wet ramp needs R12–R13; a kitchen R11; a dry circulation area can sit lower.
4. Does hygiene govern?
Food, beverage, pharmaceutical and clinical environments need a seamless, coved, washdown-rated hygienic epoxy — no joints or skirting gaps for bacteria to colonise. This is a regime requirement, not an aesthetic one, and it changes both the system and the detailing.
5. Is static a risk?
Electronics manufacturing, server rooms, and areas handling sensitive components need an ESD floor that controls electrostatic discharge to ANSI/ESD S20.20, with a measurable, earthed dissipation path. No other system substitutes for this where static is a genuine hazard.
When Appearance Is Part of the Brief
Some spaces — showrooms, reception areas, retail — carry a visual requirement alongside the technical one. A decorative metallic system delivers a seamless, high-gloss finish without compromising durability. The discipline is the same: specify to use, then to appearance, never the reverse.
The One Thing Every System Shares
Whatever system you choose, the floor’s lifespan is decided beneath the resin. In Ghana’s 81–83% humidity, the dominant cause of failure is not the wrong topcoat — it is slab moisture. Every system above is installed over a slab tested to ASTM F2170 (in-situ RH) and ASTM F1869 (moisture-vapour emission), prepared to an ICRI CSP profile and primed to the reading. A correctly chosen system over an untested slab still fails. This is non-negotiable across every floor we lay.
A Quick Reference
| Your situation | The system that fits |
|---|---|
| Factory / warehouse, forklift traffic | High-build or broadcast/quartz mortar — industrial epoxy |
| Wet zones, kitchens, ramps | Anti-slip epoxy to EN 16165 R-rating |
| Food, pharma, clinical | Hygienic epoxy, seamless and coved |
| Electronics, server rooms | ESD flooring to ANSI/ESD S20.20 |
| Showrooms, reception, retail | Decorative metallic |
Don’t Over-Specify Either
Choosing the right floor cuts both ways. Specifying a heavy broadcast mortar for a light-traffic office, or an ESD system where there is no static risk, wastes money on performance you will never use. We will tell you when a lighter, lower-priced system genuinely meets your duty cycle — because the right floor is the one matched to the problem, not the one with the longest spec sheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know which epoxy system I need? Work backwards from use: traffic, chemical exposure, wet/slope, hygiene regime and static risk. Those five answers point to one system. We confirm them on a site survey before recommending anything.
Can one floor cover several requirements? Often, yes — for example an anti-slip hygienic system in a wet food area combines slip and hygiene requirements. We specify the combination to your actual exposures rather than layering on requirements you don’t have.
Is the most durable system always the right choice? No. Over-specifying wastes money on capability you won’t use. The right system is matched to your duty cycle. We will tell you honestly when a lighter, lower-priced option is adequate.
Does the choice of system change how long the floor lasts? The system sets the performance envelope, but lifespan is governed by slab moisture testing (ASTM F2170 / ASTM F1869) and ICRI-CSP preparation beneath it. The right system over an untested slab still fails early.
Talk through your floor with us on +233 27 000 0844 — we survey first.