For many children, the floor is quite naturally a place to play. In these times, however, that means regularly having to disinfect floors in many preschools. Installing a new floor on short notice is not an option, of course. Kudos to those schools with the foresight to pick the right flooring materials. Sources of inspiration could include hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities that, due in part to legal regulations, have always looked to durable, easy-to-clean surfaces.

These institutions often decide to use high-quality flooring systems based on epoxy resins – smooth, seamless surfaces that make the cleaning process easier and are designed to withstand many common cleaning agents and disinfectants.

With traditional epoxy systems, installing one of these floors or repairing one after many years of use often means having to interrupt operations for two days. Otherwise there would not be enough time for the first coat – the primer – to cure before the topcoat is applied. The long wait does more than just make the floor expensive to install – for social or medical institutions, it often poses organizational challenges as well.

A new additive for epoxy primers and topcoats now allows users to finish the job quickly and efficiently in just one day. Evonik’s Anquamine® 728, an aqueous amine curing agent, also works well with pigments to achieve beautiful colors, high gloss, and UV resistance. Coatings based on Anquamine® 728 can be used for preparing solvent-free formulations.

Within one day, the new flooring will be 100% ready to do its job without complaint.