Ed the Concrete Man

When Floors Get Fancy: Ed's Guide to Not Slipping on Your Business Dreams

• Ed Rivas • Episode 3

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Is Epoxy A Good Fit For Restaurants, Gyms, Or Retail Spaces?

Ever looked down at that sleek, colorful floor in your favorite restaurant and wondered what makes it so durable? Chances are, you're admiring epoxy flooring—the unsung hero of commercial spaces everywhere.

In this eye-opening conversation, Ed Rivas, founder of Concrete & Epoxy by CSI, pulls back the curtain on why businesses across North Dallas are choosing epoxy for their high-traffic areas. From restaurants where cleanliness is paramount to gyms where durability meets style, epoxy is revolutionizing commercial flooring with surprising versatility.

"You don't even realize that what you're walking on is epoxy," Ed explains as he breaks down the science behind those vibrant yellow, orange, and multi-colored surfaces. More than just aesthetically pleasing, these floors serve practical purposes—they're hygienic enough to meet strict city requirements for food service establishments while standing up to the punishment of heavy equipment in warehouses.

What sets commercial epoxy apart from ordinary flooring? The customization possibilities are virtually endless. Whether you're looking to create wave-like metallic effects that mimic the sky or want the sophisticated appearance of marble without the maintenance headaches, epoxy delivers. Safety concerns? Ed addresses those too, detailing how additives like flakes, sand, and quartz create the necessary slip resistance for wet environments without compromising on style.

Ready to elevate your business flooring? Call Ed for a free consultation and learn how to make your concrete not just durable, but downright impressive.

To learn more about Concrete & Epoxy by CSI visit:
https://www.CSIUS.net
Concrete & Epoxy by CSI
972-292-8057

Speaker 1:

you're listening to ed the concrete man, the only podcast where cracks get fixed, floors get fancy and concrete becomes cool. Hosted by ed revis, founder and ceo of concrete and epoxy by csi, serving up solid advice and even more solid surfaces across north dallas, whether it's your driveway, patio, garage or mystery slab, we build and beautify concrete and we've got the trowel marks to prove it.

Speaker 2:

Concrete is cool, but epoxy Now that's next level, especially in high traffic spaces that need both style and serious durability. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host slash producer, back in the studio with Ed Rivas, founder and CEO of Concrete and Epoxy by CSI. Ed, how's it going today?

Speaker 3:

It's doing fantastic, very busy, thankfully. How are you, sofia?

Speaker 2:

I'm doing the same and that's great to hear, ed. So our listeners would love to know is epoxy a good fit for restaurants, gyms or retail spaces?

Speaker 3:

it is actually. You know what you you. You walk into many places and you don't even realize that what you're walking on is epoxy, like you see those color floors like yellow floors or orange floors, so things like that. In restaurants, typically, when you see that solid color, it's not just basic paint, typically it's epoxy. In many cities it's a requirement by the city because epoxy is very clean, so it's hypoallergic. I don't remember the word exactly, but it's useful for restaurants because it's very easy to clean and it repeals all the mess.

Speaker 2:

Now, what kind of maintenance does commercial epoxy flooring require?

Speaker 3:

There are many different products that are in use on the market. I mean, it's like tires right, you have the good brand, the bad brand, the ones that last and the ones that don't last. Right, we are proud to say that we use products that are very high quality. However, you can clean your floor like you've cleaned any other floor. Just, we always recommend trying to use any. No, or do not use cleaners that have ammonia colors, because that can be a little more like hard on the epoxy.

Speaker 2:

Now, how long does epoxy take to cure before a business can reopen?

Speaker 3:

It's. Actually the turnaround is pretty fast After the application is finished. Typically it takes no longer than well I take it back. You can walk in it and do a lot of things in about, depending on the thickness 24 to 48 hours, but really it takes like seven days to really cure and get the hardness.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and is that always the case, or does it ever vary?

Speaker 3:

It varies depending on the type of application, the thickness and the type of epoxy, because there are more than one type of epoxy. Everybody uses the word epoxy, but there are more products that they are related to, like epoxy, polyaspartic polyurea. All those are materials that I use like what people call it epoxy, but it's not always the case. There are variations on the products.

Speaker 2:

Are there many variations?

Speaker 3:

No, there are three or four different ones.

Speaker 2:

Now, what customization options do you offer for commercial clients?

Speaker 3:

I mean there are different things. There is something called metallic epoxy. I mean there are different things we can. There is something called metallic epoxy so you can make it look like waves and things like that. I don't know. You've probably seen it on the TV Like you see that crazy moving, like if you have a sky on the floor. There are many ways to do it, because you can mix many different colors and make it look pretty cool. Or some applications are typically very solid colors, but there's the option to do nice customization. You make it look like marble.

Speaker 2:

Okay, Now. Is epoxy safe for environments with children or heavy equipment?

Speaker 3:

It is. Actually. Epoxy is commonly used in warehouses. So in warehouses you typically have like four clips and things like that, and epoxy is very resistant. For kids it's very. I mean, it's no harm. You see it on gyms like gymnastic schools. You see it on gyms like gymnastic schools. You see it in restaurants. You see it on many different places and I mean it's like any other flooring, it's not going to harm neither a person or anything.

Speaker 2:

Now, how do you ensure slip resistance in places like restaurant kitchens or gym locker?

Speaker 3:

rooms. When you apply the epoxy in those type of areas, it's typically not just epoxy, okay, there are different materials that you mix it with, either with sand quartz. There are different materials that you mix it to make a profile, to make some traction on it. Just to give you a simple, a simple idea. Um, it's very common right now that people want epoxy on their garage and if you see it, there's like many different colors, like because it has something that is called flakes. The flakes, what they do besides, make it look nice with the colors. It also gives you a texture, so you have some texture to get some grip on it. If you put epoxy by itself, it could be slippery with a little bit of water, but there are many additives that you add to it so you can use, like I say, sand quartz, you can use the flakes, you can put anti-slip additives to make it look a little less slippery.

Speaker 2:

What are some of the usual additives that your customers like to add?

Speaker 3:

Well, majority of the people that want epoxy they like the flakes, because there are many different combinations of colors so it's very common to have that. So with the flakes, you're definitely going to have a grip or traction on your floor. Now we use, 90% of the cases, on top of epoxy and flakes. We use a different variation, like I mentioned earlier, a material called polyaspartic, which is very resistant and also is not as slippery as the simple epoxy.

Speaker 2:

Now the flakes is that the client would like more of an appearance of marble floors.

Speaker 3:

No, marble floors are not flakes. Marble floors are epoxy on different combination of colors. There are two different applications.

Speaker 2:

Any final words for our listeners here who may be considering an epoxy floor themselves.

Speaker 3:

You know epoxy floor is going to protect your floor, your concrete. It's going to make it cleaner because you know concrete is dust. So you have a dusty garage most of the time. If you put an epoxy you barely ever going to see dust, other than what you bring with your car tires. So you protect your concrete, you make it look good, easy to clean and very resistant to like oils and tire marks and any of that especially on garages.

Speaker 2:

Well, Ed, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We'll catch you in the next episode. Have a fantastic rest of your day.

Speaker 3:

Thank you, Sofia.

Speaker 1:

That's it for this episode of Ed the Concrete man, because boring concrete is so last season. Want your space to shine and not crack. Call Ed at 945-400-4362 for a free in-home consultation, or visit csiusnet. From driveways to patios and everything in between, if it's concrete, we've got you covered. Until next time, keep it smooth and let Ed handle the heavy stuff.