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

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

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
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 andceo of concrete and epoxy by
csi, serving up solid advice andeven more solid surfaces across
north dallas, whether it's yourdriveway, patio, garage or

(00:24):
mystery slab, we build andbeautify concrete and we've got
the trowel marks to prove it.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Concrete is cool, but epoxy Now that's next level,
especially in high trafficspaces that need both style and
serious durability.
Welcome back everyone.
I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host slashproducer, back in the studio
with Ed Rivas, founder and CEOof Concrete and Epoxy by CSI.

(00:59):
Ed, how's it going today?

Speaker 3 (01:02):
It's doing fantastic, very busy, thankfully.
How are you, sofia?

Speaker 2 (01:07):
I'm doing the same and that's great to hear, ed.
So our listeners would love toknow is epoxy a good fit for
restaurants, gyms or retailspaces?

Speaker 3 (01:28):
it is actually.
You know what you you.
You walk into many places andyou don't even realize that what
you're walking on is epoxy,like you see those color floors
like yellow floors or orangefloors, so things like that.
In restaurants, typically, whenyou see that solid color, it's
not just basic paint, typicallyit's epoxy.
In many cities it's arequirement by the city because
epoxy is very clean, so it'shypoallergic.

(01:54):
I don't remember the wordexactly, but it's useful for
restaurants because it's veryeasy to clean and it repeals all
the mess.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
Now, what kind of maintenance does commercial
epoxy flooring require?

Speaker 3 (02:12):
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 andthe ones that don't last.
Right, we are proud to say thatwe use products that are very
high quality.
However, you can clean yourfloor like you've cleaned any
other floor.

(02:33):
Just, we always recommendtrying to use any.
No, or do not use cleaners thathave ammonia colors, because
that can be a little more likehard on the epoxy.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Now, how long does epoxy take to cure before a
business can reopen?

Speaker 3 (02:52):
It's.
Actually the turnaround ispretty fast After the
application is finished.
Typically it takes no longerthan well I take it back.
You can walk in it and do a lotof things in about, depending
on the thickness 24 to 48 hours,but really it takes like seven
days to really cure and get thehardness.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Okay, and is that always the case, or does it ever
vary?

Speaker 3 (03:20):
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 Iuse like what people call it

(03:42):
epoxy, but it's not always thecase.
There are variations on theproducts.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Are there many variations?

Speaker 3 (03:51):
No, there are three or four different ones.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Now, what customization options do you
offer for commercial clients?

Speaker 3 (04:01):
I mean there are different things.
There is something calledmetallic epoxy.
I mean there are differentthings we can.
There is something calledmetallic epoxy so you can make
it look like waves and thingslike that.
I don't know.
You've probably seen it on theTV Like you see that crazy
moving, like if you have a skyon the floor.
There are many ways to do it,because you can mix many

(04:25):
different colors and make itlook pretty cool.
Or some applications aretypically very solid colors, but
there's the option to do nicecustomization.
You make it look like marble.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
Okay, Now.
Is epoxy safe for environmentswith children or heavy equipment
?

Speaker 3 (04:43):
It is.
Actually.
Epoxy is commonly used inwarehouses.
So in warehouses you typicallyhave like four clips and things
like that, and epoxy is veryresistant.
For kids it's very.
I mean, it's no harm.
You see it on gyms likegymnastic schools.

(05:05):
You see it on gyms likegymnastic schools.
You see it in restaurants.
You see it on many differentplaces and I mean it's like any
other flooring, it's not goingto harm neither a person or
anything.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
Now, how do you ensure slip resistance in places
like restaurant kitchens or gymlocker?

Speaker 3 (05:23):
rooms.
When you apply the epoxy inthose type of areas, it's
typically not just epoxy, okay,there are different materials
that you mix it with, eitherwith sand quartz.
There are different materialsthat you mix it to make a
profile, to make some tractionon it.

(05:45):
Just to give you a simple, asimple idea.
Um, it's very common right nowthat people want epoxy on their
garage and if you see it,there's like many different
colors, like because it hassomething that is called flakes.
The flakes, what they dobesides, make it look nice with
the colors.
It also gives you a texture, soyou have some texture to get

(06:09):
some grip on it.
If you put epoxy by itself, itcould be slippery with a little
bit of water, but there are manyadditives that you add to it so
you can use, like I say, sandquartz, you can use the flakes,
you can put anti-slip additivesto make it look a little less
slippery.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
What are some of the usual additives that your
customers like to add?

Speaker 3 (06:37):
Well, majority of the people that want epoxy they
like the flakes, because thereare many different combinations
of colors so it's very common tohave that.
So with the flakes, you'redefinitely going to have a grip
or traction on your floor.
Now we use, 90% of the cases,on top of epoxy and flakes.

(07:00):
We use a different variation,like I mentioned earlier, a
material called polyaspartic,which is very resistant and also
is not as slippery as thesimple epoxy.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
Now the flakes is that the client would like more
of an appearance of marblefloors.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
No, marble floors are not flakes.
Marble floors are epoxy ondifferent combination of colors.
There are two differentapplications.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Any final words for our listeners here who may be
considering an epoxy floorthemselves.

Speaker 3 (07:39):
You know epoxy floor is going to protect your floor,
your concrete.
It's going to make it cleanerbecause you know concrete is
dust.
So you have a dusty garage mostof the time.
If you put an epoxy you barelyever going to see dust, other
than what you bring with yourcar tires.
So you protect your concrete,you make it look good, easy to

(07:59):
clean and very resistant to likeoils and tire marks and any of
that especially on garages.

Speaker 2 (08:08):
Well, Ed, I really appreciate you being on the show
today.
We'll catch you in the nextepisode.
Have a fantastic rest of yourday.

Speaker 3 (08:15):
Thank you, Sofia.

Speaker 1 (08:20):
That's it for this episode of Ed the Concrete man,
because boring concrete is solast season.
Want your space to shine andnot crack.
Call Ed at 945-400-4362 for afree in-home consultation, or
visit csiusnet.
From driveways to patios andeverything in between, if it's

(08:43):
concrete, we've got you covered.
Until next time, keep it smoothand let Ed handle the heavy
stuff.