Epoxy flooring for hospitals: antibacterial and easy cleaning

Hospitals need floors that are clean, seamless, easy to clean and able to withstand frequent cleaning — but this requirement does not mean that every epoxy floor has antibacterial capability or medical certification. To be clear from the outset: this article does not claim any antibacterial capability or medical certification for Kadier. It only presents hospital use requirements and how to choose and clean floors according to general principles; if a product is presented as having antibacterial properties, that feature only has value when proven by the official technical and test documentation for that product, and it must be checked against that documentation before application.

How is a hospital floor different from a floor in an ordinary building?

Hospitals have three characteristics that put greater pressure on floors than ordinary buildings: continuous movement of people and trolleys and hospital beds; a high frequency of cleaning and disinfection with many types of cleaning agents; and infection-control requirements, under which every joint, corner and crack can become a place where build-up accumulates out of plain sight. A seamless floor with no joints helps reduce places where build-up accumulates and helps the cleaning process work more effectively than a floor with many joints. However, seamlessness is only a necessary condition: if the cleaning agent is unsuitable or the cleaning procedure is wrong, even a seamless floor can deteriorate and lose its ease of cleaning.

Zoning in hospitals: not every area is the same

Corridors, lobbies and waiting areas mainly need wear resistance, slip resistance and ease of cleaning. Patient rooms and clinics need a smooth floor surface, low dirt retention and resistance to frequent cleaning. Technical areas, stores and transport corridors need to bear the load of trolleys and hospital beds. Areas with higher hygiene requirements, such as procedure areas, must be defined separately with the hospital infection-control department, because the requirements there concern not only the floor but also walls, ceilings, air systems and operating procedures. Floors must be chosen by zone and agreed with the hospital cleaning procedure; a single coating system should not be chosen for the whole hospital on the expectation that every area will meet its requirements.

Choosing a floor: what to ask before deciding?

Before finalising a coating system, the hospital and the contractor should check four pieces of information: the list of cleaning and disinfection agents in use (name, concentration, frequency); the chemical resistance of the coating system according to the official technical documentation for the product; the slip-resistant roughness suitable for a wet floor after cleaning; and how local repairs are made when the floor is scratched or peels. Specifically for antibacterial claims: if a supplier makes such a claim, request the test documentation and the scope of that claim — against which agents, under what conditions, and how long the effect lasts in real operation. Without documentation, that feature should not be recorded in the selection file. See the corresponding system for areas needing a seamless surface: the LevelFlow system; corridors and stores may refer to the RollCoat system.

Cleaning and maintenance: the procedure matters as much as the material

A hospital cleaning procedure should clearly specify separate tools for each zone, a wiping sequence from cleaner areas to less clean areas, and how to handle a scratched, peeled or cracked floor: cordon off the area, repair it locally with the same original coating system, and record it in the maintenance file. Cleaning tools must not scratch the floor surface, because scratches create places where dirt adheres and cannot be thoroughly cleaned. The floor inspection schedule should be tied to the hospital general cleaning inspection schedule, so that floors are not overlooked simply because they still look new. For repairs, the application instructions for the repair product must be followed exactly, because an incompatible patch can create a new joint right at the repair site.

Hospital floor acceptance: a checklist

• Seamless: no joints, no voids, no cracks on the surface, at wall bases or around equipment feet.
• Slip resistance when wet: the surface achieves suitable roughness after trial cleaning.
• Chemical resistance: the surface does not change after trial contact with the cleaning and disinfection agents the hospital uses.
• Zoning: colours and markings match the approved layout and suit the hospital movement flows.
• Documentation: clearly record the coating system for each area, the list of cleaning agents checked, and the cleaning and maintenance schedule; any antibacterial claim (if any) must be accompanied by test documentation, not recorded on verbal assurance.

Note on the scope of this article: the content above describes general use requirements for floors in hospitals and how to choose and clean floors according to general principles. This article does not disclose any antibacterial capability or medical certification of any Kadier coating system; any specific feature applies only when checked against the official technical documentation for that product.

Illustration photo: Korede Adenola on Pexels.

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