BECOSAN® is an eco-friendly floor treatment system for cured concrete slabs. It makes industrial concrete floors smoother, more abrasion resistant, easier to clean and more attractive than conventional concrete. But did you know that it is also an ecologically safe solution?
As an industrial flooring company specialising in concrete floor refurbishment, we developed the BECOSAN® System to deliver a more sustainable alternative to traditional coatings.
The sustainable BECOSAN® System is based on an eco grind concrete polishing process. First, we remove the micro roughness of the surface to leave a smooth, even finish. Then we treat the floor with BECOSAN® Densifier, which reacts with the free lime in the concrete to create a harder, more durable surface. Finally, we apply the BECOSAN® Sealant to make the floor resistant to the absorption of spilled liquids.
The eco-friendly flooring (BECOSAN® system) provides a long-term, reduced-dust solution that, unlike an epoxy coating, can last for many, many years with minimal maintenance.
The chemicals we use are certified as safe to use
The concrete densifier BECOSAN® is a crystallised salt based solution which binds with the free lime in the concrete to produce a denser and abrasive resistant surface. It is not toxic in any way and it is safe to pour directly into a drain.
The concrete sealer BECOSAN® is a polymer based chemical which seals the surface of the concrete making it resistant to liquid spills. This also is non-toxic and is easy to dispose of.
Both chemicals are certified by BREEAM and LEED as being safe to use both in the home and in commercial and industrial settings. Our certifications.
Eco friendly flooring. Its daily use is better for the environment
One of the biggest problems with an untreated concrete floor is dust.
Concrete dust is harmful to health, can ruin stock and can damage machinery. The more dust the more it needs to be cleaned away.
The dusty slurry collected during the cleaning process cannot just be dumped or poured down a drain as it will affect the ph balance of the water system. In fact, in most countries it is illegal to do so.
It must be disposed of in a local government disposal facility. Normally, a gel is applied to the slurry to turn it into a solid for easy disposal.
A floor treated with the eco-friendly BECOSAN® System produces an order of magnitude less dust and therefore requires much, much less cleaning. Less cleaning uses less water, less detergent and there is less need to dispose of any slurry created.
The alternative, epoxy coating, is very harmful to health
To reduce the amount of dust and reduce the amount of cleaning required some companies coat the floor with an epoxy resin.
There are two problems with epoxy coatings from an ecological perspective; the epoxy itself is chemically harmful and the epoxy coating has a limited life.
Epoxy resin contains isocyanates. Isocyanates are harmful to health causing irritation to the skin and mucous membranes, lung tightening and other allergic reactions.
They are also carcinogenic and are known to cause cancer in animals. A trained applicator will use gloves, goggles and breathing apparatus to apply the epoxy coating.
When the epoxy is cured the health risks are minimised but the problem with an epoxy coating is its longevity. It is common for an epoxy coating to last only five years.
To remove or repair scratched epoxy flooring it is required to grind the substantive part of the coating then a solvent, like acetone, which has its own health issues, is used to clean away any remaining epoxy.
The slurry created during the grinding process is toxic and will require disposal at a local authority disposal facility.
“In the same time that a BECOSAN® treated floor will remain in good condition an epoxy surface may have been replaced three or four times.”
Disposing of repeated cargos of toxic waste will never be good for the environment. BECOSAN® industrial floor treatment is really the best solution ecologically.