Floor coatings matched to what actually spills
Chemical resistance starts with a list. Tell us what hits your floor, how often, how hot, and how long it sits, and we’ll build a system around that list instead of guessing.
What goes in it
- Ground or blasted slab, degreased so the primer can bond
- Penetrating epoxy primer
- Chemical-resistant body coat, novolac epoxy or urethane cement depending on your spill list
- Aggregate broadcast for grip where floors get wet
- Chemical-resistant top coat rated for the same exposure
- Coved edges at walls and curbs so spills can’t get under the coating
We won’t call a floor chemical resistant until we’ve seen your actual chemical list, because a coating that shrugs off gasoline can still soften under the wrong solvent.
What it is
Coatings floors. All coatings services
Every coating comes with a chemical resistance chart from its maker, and no single product wins against every chemical. Standard epoxy handles oil, fuel and mild cleaners fine. Battery acid, strong solvents, hot caustics and some food acids need something more. A chemical-resistant floor is a system picked for a specific list: often a novolac epoxy, sometimes a urethane cement, with a top coat chosen for the same exposure and coved edges so nothing sneaks underneath.
This page overlaps with urethane cement and heavy-duty industrial coatings, and the line between them is simple.
It’s for auto and fleet shops, battery charging areas, labs and light manufacturing, print shops, food and beverage spaces, and any floor where a spill sits long enough to stain or soften a normal coat. The detail that matters most is how long a chemical sits before someone cleans it up. A splash wiped in a minute and a puddle left over a long weekend are two very different jobs, and we’ll ask you honestly which one your floor sees.
Urethane cement, our cement coatings, shines when chemicals come with heat and water. Heavy-duty industrial systems get built for impact and abrasion first. A chemical-resistant system gets chosen for the spill list first, then built thick enough for the traffic. On some floors that means two systems in one building, with the tough stuff only where it’s needed.
Where it belongs
Battery charging areas
Forklift battery acid eats standard epoxy. This area usually gets an acid-resistant system plus coved edges for containment.
Auto and fleet shops
Brake fluid, coolant, gas and degreasers all hit the floor here, and brake fluid in particular softens some coatings.
Containment curbs
Curbed areas around drums and tanks get a coating that holds the chemical long enough for cleanup.
Labs and light manufacturing
Solvents and reagents vary from room to room, so we work from your chemical list and the maker’s charts.
How we install it
- 1
Get the spill list
We ask for the chemicals, concentrations, temperatures and how long a spill might sit. Safety data sheets help a lot.
- 2
Read the charts
We check the manufacturer’s resistance data for every chemical on the list and pick the system that covers it.
- 3
Pull the oil out
Old shop floors hold oil deep in the concrete, so we degrease and grind until the slab is clean enough to bond.
- 4
Build it to spec
Primer, body coat and top coat go down to the system’s specified thickness, with coves wherever wall meets floor.
- 5
Wait for full cure
Chemical resistance arrives at full cure, so we tell you when the floor can take spills, which comes later than foot traffic.
Built for desert conditions
Heat, sun, wind and sand, as they hit this kind of floor.
Schedule a site visitHeat makes most chemicals more aggressive. A spill on a cool floor and the same spill on a slab in a hot Antelope Valley shop with the doors shut in August are not the same exposure, and resistance charts are often rated at room temperature. When a space runs hot, we pick a system with that extra margin built in.
Desert dust adds a second problem. Fine sand mixed with oil or solvent turns into a gritty paste that scrubs the top coat every time someone walks through it or mops around it. Quick cleanup matters more out here, and a textured finish that hides wear is often a better call than high gloss. Big day-night swings also open and close joints, so coves and joint details get extra attention on these floors.
Living with it
Clean spills fast, because resistance ratings have a time limit. Use the cleaners on your approved list and rinse after strong ones. A few times a year, check coves and joints for cuts or lifting, since a chemical getting underneath the coating is how these floors fail. Call us while a chip is still small.
Related services
Polyaspartic Floor Coatings
A fast-curing, UV-stable clear coat over a ground slab and flake, for garages that need to be back in use quickly.
Polyurea Floor Coatings
A fast-setting, flexible base coat that takes impact and slab movement, capped with a clear coat that can handle the sun.
Polyurethane Floor Coatings
A thin, scratch-resistant clear that goes over epoxy or flake and stays clear under sun coming through windows and doors.
Urethane Cement Flooring
Thick urethane cement, the cement coatings Supreme is known for, built for hot water, steam cleaning, wet slabs and kitchens.
From Palmdale we cover the Antelope Valley and beyond, including Acton, Lancaster, Littlerock, Sun Village. See finished floors in the gallery.
Questions about chemical-resistant floor coatings
What’s the difference between epoxy and novolac epoxy?
Novolac is a type of epoxy with a denser structure, which gives it better resistance to strong acids and solvents. It’s common in battery rooms and containment areas. It’s also more brittle and slower to work with, so we only use it where the spill list calls for it.
Will a chemical-resistant floor stop every chemical?
No floor stops everything. Each system has a chart listing what it resists and for how long. That’s why we ask for your full chemical list before choosing anything.
Do I need to send safety data sheets?
If you have them, yes. They tell us concentrations and temperatures, and those change which coating will hold up. If you don’t, a list of the products you use and where they spill is a good start.
Can you coat containment curbs and sumps?
Yes. Curbs, sumps and the walls around tanks get the same system, with coves at every inside corner. The coating has to be continuous, since a spill will find any gap.
Why can’t the floor take spills right away?
Coatings reach full chemical resistance at full cure, which takes longer than walk-on time. A chemical spilled on a partly cured coat can soften it. We give you the date the floor is ready for spills.
Is a chemical-resistant floor under warranty?
Our 1-year workmanship warranty covers flake floors and metallic floors only. A chemical-resistant system isn’t covered by it, and we’d rather tell you now than in fine print. What you do get is the product data and an install done to that spec.
Planning a new
floor?
Send a few photos of the floor and the room. we will tell you whether chemical-resistant floor coatings is the right system for it.
What to send and what happens next. Want proof first? See the floors.