In our experience, most industrial floor failures do not happen overnight. They announce themselves weeks, sometimes months in advance, through signs that are easy to overlook when you are focused on the day-to-day running of a busy facility. The problem is that once a failing floor becomes a serious one, the cost and disruption involved in putting it right increases significantly.
With over 20 years of experience installing and surveying resin floors across the UK, we have seen every variety of floor deterioration there is. We have also seen how quickly a small issue can escalate when it is left unaddressed. This guide sets out the warning signs that should prompt you to act, and explains what is likely causing them.
If any of the following look familiar, it is worth arranging a free site survey sooner rather than later.
1. Surface Delamination and Lifting
Delamination is one of the most common issues we encounter, and it is almost always a symptom of inadequate floor preparation at the time of the original installation. When a resin floor coating is applied to a substrate that has not been properly prepared, the bond between the two is compromised from the outset. It may hold for a year or two, but eventually the coating will begin to detach from the concrete beneath it.
Early signs include small bubbles or blisters in the surface, sections that feel hollow underfoot, or edges and corners of the coating that have begun to lift. In higher traffic areas you may notice that the surface is peeling away in sheets or flaking under the pressure of foot traffic or wheeled equipment.
Left unattended, delamination spreads. What starts as a small area of lifting can quickly become a large section of failed floor, creating a trip hazard and leaving the bare concrete exposed to whatever chemicals, moisture or traffic your facility generates.
The REME approach: Every installation we carry out begins with thorough floor preparation using dust-enclosed shot blasting and diamond grinding. It is not an optional extra. It is the foundation of a floor that lasts.
2. Cracking in the Surface Coating
Some hairline cracking in a resin floor is normal and does not necessarily indicate a structural problem. However, cracking that is widening, deepening, or appearing in patterns that suggest movement in the substrate beneath is a different matter entirely.
Cracks can develop for several reasons. Thermal expansion and contraction, particularly in buildings that are not climate controlled, can cause the floor to move in ways the coating cannot accommodate. Structural movement or settlement in the concrete slab below will telegraph through to the surface. Heavy point loads from racking systems, machinery or equipment can cause the coating to fracture under pressure.
The concern with cracking is that it creates a route for contaminants to reach the substrate. In food manufacturing or pharmaceutical environments, that is a hygiene issue as well as a structural one. In areas exposed to chemicals or oils, cracking accelerates the breakdown of the underlying concrete.
Cracks that are showing signs of growth or that are accompanied by any visible displacement in the floor surface should be investigated promptly. A free site survey will establish whether the issue is surface-level or indicative of something deeper.
3. Loss of Anti-Slip Properties
Anti-slip flooring is not a permanent feature. Depending on the system specified and the conditions it is subjected to, the surface texture that provides slip resistance can wear down over time, particularly in areas of concentrated foot traffic or where wheeled vehicles make regular passes.
This is especially critical in environments where the floor is regularly wet or where liquids are present as part of the process. Food manufacturing facilities, commercial kitchens, breweries, and wash-down areas all fall into this category. A floor that looked the right slip-rating on paper at the time of installation may no longer meet that standard three or four years into its service life.
If your floor is showing signs of polishing or glazing in high traffic areas, or if you have had any near-misses or incidents linked to floor slip resistance, that is a clear indicator that the surface needs attention. This is not just a maintenance issue. It is a health and safety obligation, and under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the responsibility to maintain a safe floor surface sits squarely with the employer.
Worth noting: A worn anti-slip surface does not always mean a full floor replacement. In many cases the existing system can be refreshed with an appropriate top coat. A site survey will establish which approach is right for your situation.
4. Chemical Staining and Surface Breakdown
Resin floors are specified partly for their chemical resistance, but no system is resistant to everything, and a system that was originally specified for one set of conditions may face a different chemical challenge as operations change.
Signs of chemical attack include discolouration, softening of the surface, a tacky or greasy texture, and in more advanced cases, pitting or surface erosion. In areas where acids, solvents, oils or cleaning chemicals are regularly present, this kind of breakdown can happen faster than expected if the system is not matched to the specific chemicals being used.
It is also worth considering whether the chemicals being used on site now are the same ones that were being used when the floor was first specified. Process changes, new cleaning regimes and the introduction of new substances can all shift the chemical demand placed on a floor surface significantly.
If your floor is showing signs of chemical degradation, the priority is to identify the cause before specifying a remedy. Applying a new coating over a substrate that is already chemically compromised will not solve the problem. REME carries out thorough site surveys that assess the condition of the existing floor and the specific demands of your environment before recommending a system.
5. Visible Moisture and Damp Problems
Moisture is one of the most destructive forces a resin floor has to contend with, and it typically attacks from below rather than above. Moisture vapour rising through a concrete slab that lacks an adequate vapour barrier can pressurise the underside of a resin coating and force it upward, causing bubbling, blistering and eventual delamination.
The signs to look out for include damp patches appearing on the surface after the floor has been dry for some time, white crystalline deposits appearing at the edges or joints of the floor (a process known as efflorescence), or any of the delamination symptoms described above in areas where moisture ingress is a possibility.
Moisture-related failure is particularly common in older buildings, buildings near water tables, and any facility where the original concrete slab was laid without a damp proof membrane or where that membrane has degraded over time. It is also a known risk in facilities that have undergone changes in use, where conditions that previously kept moisture in check no longer apply.
Addressing moisture problems requires more than a new top coat. The substrate needs to be assessed, moisture readings taken, and the right primer and system selected specifically to manage the moisture load present. REME has the experience and the product knowledge to handle this correctly.
6. Damaged or Deteriorating Joints
Floor joints are there to accommodate movement in the concrete slab beneath, and they are a known weak point in any resin floor installation. When joint sealants break down, dry out or become damaged through traffic, the joint opens up and creates a channel for contaminants, liquids and debris to penetrate below the floor surface.
In food production, pharmaceutical or laboratory environments, open joints are a direct hygiene risk and potentially a breach of the regulatory requirements that apply to your sector. In warehousing or manufacturing environments, damaged joints quickly become a significant source of floor damage as forklifts and pallet trucks impact the edges with every pass.
Signs of joint deterioration include crumbling or missing sealant, edges of the floor around the joint that have begun to chip or break away, and any visible gap that has opened up between sections of the floor. This is a relatively straightforward remediation in isolation, but one that needs addressing promptly before traffic damage compounds the problem.
7. General Surface Wear and Dullness
Not every sign of floor deterioration is dramatic. Sometimes the indicator is simply that the floor no longer performs or looks the way it once did. A surface that was specified for a certain level of durability but has been subjected to heavier use than anticipated, or one that has simply reached the natural end of its service life, will begin to show general wear that is worth taking seriously.
Signs include a dull or faded surface where a gloss finish was originally applied, thin or worn areas in high traffic zones, and a general roughening of the surface that makes cleaning more difficult and less effective than it used to be.
A worn surface is not necessarily a failed one, but it is a flag that the floor is approaching the point where intervention will be needed. Acting at this stage, before the underlying resin system is genuinely compromised, is significantly less costly than waiting until failure occurs.
Do Not Wait for a Failure
The common thread running through all of the above is that early intervention is almost always less expensive, less disruptive and less complicated than a reactive repair or full replacement carried out under pressure after a failure has occurred.
If you have noticed any of the signs described in this article, the most sensible next step is to arrange a free site survey. REME offers a completely free survey, specification and no-obligation quotation for any resin flooring project across the UK. We will assess the condition of your existing floor honestly, explain exactly what we find, and recommend the most appropriate course of action. Get in touch today.
