Interviews / 4/18/2024

Mapei’s seamless floors: rapid installation and durability

Mapefloor CPU+ is a comprehensive range of coating materials and offers diversified solutions for all environments

Interviewee

Giovanna Novella

Corporate Technical Assistance, Resin & Cementitious Flooring Line, Mapei Group (Italy)

Mapei resin floors are ideal for industrial environments. Thanks to their ability to be laid even on "green concrete" and their resistance over time, they offer rapid and long-lasting installation, guaranteeing operational continuity and environmental safety.

Speed, strength and durability for every industrial environment

In the increasingly dynamic seamless flooring sector, rapid installation is one of the fundamentals in guaranteeing competitiveness and efficiency in work environments.

The importance of this requirement goes beyond the industrial sector. In domestic environments and commercial spaces, too, the possibility of installing a new floor quickly means reducing any inconveniences to those who live and work in these spaces to a minimum. Installing floors quickly has become crucial in order to maintain productivity and guarantee client satisfaction.

Mapei seamless floors, be they in resin or cement-based, have become the preferred solution to meet these needs thanks to their capacity to be installed quickly, to reach their specified performance characteristics in a very short space of time and to withstand the demands of the surrounding environment.

Going into detail, the MAPEFLOOR CPU+ range by Mapei fits perfectly into this context, offering solutions to create flooring that combine speed, resistance and durability to meet the needs of a wide range of industrial sectors: from food and drinks plants to mechanical, chemical, pharmaceutical, tanning and textile industries. Products from the MAPEFLOOR CPU+ range are widely used to put into service floors at an unprecedented speed, especially in areas used for processing and transforming foodstuffs (meat, fish, dairy products), in bottling plants, in industrial kitchens, in areas where ready meals are processed and in refrigeration cells, to name just a few.

When we talk about polyurethane-cement flooring systems by Mapei, reference is made to their installation on "green concrete". What does this mean exactly and what advantages are there regarding installation times?

Thanks to its innovative technology MAPEFLOOR CPU+ can be applied on “green concrete”, that is, young concrete just 7 days old. This type of flooring sets to foot traffic in just 8 to 12 hours, so areas can be quickly opened again, improving operational flexibility and reducing down times to a minimum. Also, after just 24 hours, flooring can be reopened to light vehicles, while after 48 hours it is fully resistant to traffic, thermal and chemical stress, so offering exceptional performance characteristics right from the very first moment of use.

What are the main strategies adopted by Mapei to guarantee maximum operational continuity and to reduce production plant down times to a minimum during the installation of industrial floorings?

Mapei’s philosophy in this sector can be summed up as “Maximum operational continuity and minimum down times”. Plant downtime, that is the period of inactivity while a floor is being installed, can be limited considerably thanks to how rapidly MAPEFLOOR CPU+ floors can be installed. We are fully aware that it isn’t always easy to stop a production line, so many of our systems can be installed over the course of a weekend or even at night, thereby reducing a company’s inactivity to a minimum. This practice reduces dead times, ensuring the continuity of production operations.

When looking at Mapei solutions, their reliability over time is often highlighted. However, when it comes to floors from the MAPEFLOOR CPU+ range, rapid installation may not be a direct indicator of their longevity. So one may rightly ask: what are the other factors that influence the durability of this type of floor?

Floors from the MAPEFLOOR CPU+ range stand out for their durability, thanks also to their formulation based on in-depth research and continuous technical support before, during and after installation. The technical support guarantees that installers are supported in every phase of a project, contributing in maximising the floor’s durability and performance properties over time.

This attention to detail during the development and installation process ensures that floors are created using only materials of the highest quality, in line with best practices in the sector.

What is more, the intrinsic resistance of this type of material when faced with temperature variations and aggressive chemical substances underlines even further their reliability over time. The combination of research, quality materials and technical support, therefore, gives these types of floor exceptional durability, thereby reducing the need for maintenance to a minimum and guaranteeing a long service life.

Is it possible to explore the specific characteristics of the products in this range?

MAPEFLOOR CPU+ consists of a vast range of polyurethane-cement based products with different thicknesses and finishes that have an influence on the floors' resistance to chemicals and thermal shock, and with various degree of non-slip finish to make them suitable for various types of surroundings. They are available in a wide range of colours, offering versatile solutions for a wide range of industrial environments. Their rapid-hardening properties, combined with long term durability, chemical and thermal resistance, makes them the ideal choice and solution for a multitude of industrial environments. They are also renowned for their mechanical properties, as well as for their antibacterial properties that contribute to create safe and hygienic, fully certified environments. This makes them an ideal choice for all those companies looking for highly performing, and functional industrial floors. Thanks to their proven reliability and durability, these types of flooring guarantee not only rapid installation and high efficiency when it comes to being put into service, but also consistent performance over time. This ensures companies a safe, productive and enduring work environment, while simultaneously meeting the requirements of high quality and assured productivity.