Kitchen and Restaurant Epoxy Flooring Installation
Health & Safety, Made to Order
As a restaurant owner or manager, you’re constantly looking for ways to help maintain excellent health and safety standards everyday. That’s where we can help!
Our 100% solid, Canadian Inspection Agency certified, commercial grade epoxy is non-flammable and has zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs), making it perfect for your commercial kitchen or restaurant floor, and the hard, stain-resistant finish lasts for years, reduces dust, and is easy to keep clean.
At Toronto Epoxy Pros, we offer a range of commercial kitchen and restaurant epoxy flooring services including:
- New epoxy floor installation
- Epoxy floor refinishing
- Epoxy floor repairs
Epoxy Commercial Kitchen Floor Essentials
CFIA-Approved
Meet Health & Safety Guidelines
Our 100% solid, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) approved commercial epoxy from PurEpoxy has zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This provides peace of mind, and ensures your commercial kitchen or restaurant floor meets food safety requirements and is environmentally safe.
Anti-Slip
Better Kitchen Floor Traction
Prevent liabilities and give your kitchen staff the traction they need with our anti-slip epoxy floor coating. This great feature prevents slips and falls when your floors become greasy or wet from food or liquid spills in the kitchen or dining area, and helps your kitchen staff move faster across a safer floor surface.
Coving
Keep Your Commercial Kitchen Sanitary
An epoxy kitchen floor creates a non-porous environment, which is absolutely essential for meeting sanitation standards in the food industry by preventing the accumulation and growth of mold, bacteria, dirt, and mildew. And the coving technique - which applies the epoxy 4-6” up the wall - doubles down, and makes cleaning all areas including the corners much easier.
Superior Durability
Lower Long-Term Kitchen Operation Costs
Instead of solvent-based or water-based epoxies, we only trust and use 100% solid, commercial epoxy floor coatings. They produce thicker coverage for superior durability and do not require liquids to evaporate (so they do not contain VOCs). Our high-performance commercial kitchen epoxy floor coating will stand up to the constant wear and tear and intense cleaning regimens in your kitchen.
Dust Reduction & Easier Maintenance
Reduce Kitchen Cleaning Time
With an epoxy floor, you’ll save time on maintenance and cleaning by reducing dust, which benefits the health and safety of your kitchen, and the food you store and serve. The epoxy surface will reduce grease and grime buildup, and will make industry-regulated regular cleanings of the food preparation area much easier, and will take far less time.
Safety Lines & Stickers
Reinforce Your Kitchen Protocols
Including an application of decorative stickers or safety lines during the commercial kitchen epoxy floor coating process can improve the health & safety in your kitchen environment, enforcing your personal kitchen protocols such as areas where appliances get hot or food is cooling, or boxes for staff not to stand behind food preparers. You can also customize the colours based on your restaurant brand or the ambiance you are going for.
Why Work with Toronto Epoxy Pros?
Commercial Kitchen Flooring Experts
With over 15 years of experience working with epoxy kitchen floors and in restaurants, we’re certain we have enough past project knowledge to complete your job quickly, and to the exact specifications needed for your unique commercial kitchen area.
Eco-Friendly Epoxy
We use 100% solid, commercial grade epoxy for all our projects. It’s eco-friendly, has zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs), is CFIA-certified, and makes for a safer kitchen or restaurant surface to meet health & safety regulations.
Insured & WSIB-Certified
You want your epoxy kitchen floor applied by the best, and our team is both Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB)-Certified, and come with a $2-5 million liability insurance policy to give you the peace of mind needed while we complete your project.
Efficiency & Minimal Disruption
Every day the kitchen or restaurant is shut down means lost revenue and disappointed customers. We can complete your project with minimal disruption, all while making sure the work is still done to the highest quality and within your budget - even if we have to work during hours your business is already shut down.
Competitive Pricing
We have the necessary experience with commercial kitchen flooring projects to know exactly how to break the job down to get it done as efficiently as possible, using professional equipment, experienced floor installers, and skilled kitchen flooring installation tactics.
Committed to Our Craft
We continuously strive for better, faster, and more economical service by researching, investing, and using the best machines, tools, products, and processes necessary for epoxy floor installation in the commercial kitchen industry.
Kitchen Epoxy Flooring Installation Process
The epoxy installation process involves four steps:
Patching & Smoothing
Though small imperfections can be filled with epoxy and fixed during the application process, if we find any small or large cracks in the kitchen floor surface, we will patchen them up prior to applying any epoxy to ensure the smoothest surface possible.
Sanding & Diamond Grinding
Proper sanding or diamond grinding of the kitchen floor surfacer prior to epoxy application helps open up the pores on the surface of the floor, and removes any surface contaminants and failing previous coatings. If there are any major floor surface issues such as deep cracks or an unlevel surface, we may also parge the floor prior to epoxy application.
Vacuuming & Debris Removal
We’ll then run an industrial vacuum over the surface to remove absolutely all remnants of any debris on your kitchen floor, which will improve the adhesion of the epoxy, and improve the overall quality of the final finish, and ensure no food particles are trapped between the epoxy and the floor surface once everything is complete.
Epoxy Application and Drying
The final step is applying two coats of 100% solid, commercial-grade epoxy to the entire floor surface using squeegees and rollers. After installation, it takes 24 hours before the commercial kitchen epoxy floor can accommodate normal foot traffic, and 48 hours before heavy appliances like stoves or dishwashers can be placed on it. The coating will continue to harden over the next 7 days.
Patching & Smoothing
Though small imperfections can be filled with epoxy and fixed during the application process, if we find any small or large cracks in the kitchen floor surface, we will patchen them up prior to applying any epoxy to ensure the smoothest surface possible.
Sanding & Diamond Grinding
Proper sanding or diamond grinding of the kitchen floor surfacer prior to epoxy application helps open up the pores on the surface of the floor, and removes any surface contaminants and failing previous coatings. If there are any major floor surface issues such as deep cracks or an unlevel surface, we may also parge the floor prior to epoxy application.
Vacuuming & Debris Removal
We’ll then run an industrial vacuum over the surface to remove absolutely all remnants of any debris on your kitchen floor, which will improve the adhesion of the epoxy, and improve the overall quality of the final finish, and ensure no food particles are trapped between the epoxy and the floor surface once everything is complete.
Epoxy Application and Drying
The final step is applying two coats of 100% solid, commercial-grade epoxy to the entire floor surface using squeegees and rollers. After installation, it takes 24 hours before the commercial kitchen epoxy floor can accommodate normal foot traffic, and 48 hours before heavy appliances like stoves or dishwashers can be placed on it. The coating will continue to harden over the next 7 days.
Kitchen and Restaurant Epoxy Flooring Costs
Top 5 factors that affect the cost of an epoxy floor installation
The cost to epoxy a commercial kitchen floor will depend on the type of epoxy you choose, the square footage to be covered, the amount of prep or repair work prior to installation, and aesthetic options.
Typical factors that affect the cost of your kitchen epoxy floor are:
- The amount of patching, floor repair, grinding, and vacuuming to be done before the epoxy application
- Choosing to add colour or decorative flakes
- Adding coving (which is strongly recommended for kitchens to prevent bacteria growth)
- Increasing the number of epoxy coats or thickness
- Requiring overtime hours to meet extreme installation timelines (which is common if you don’t want to close down your kitchen)
How much does it roughly cost to epoxy a kitchen floor?
Our commercial kitchen epoxy floor application using 100% solid, commercial-grade epoxy typically starts at $3.00 per square foot. We can sometimes offer a lower price if the square footage of the project is higher.
Talk to one of our epoxy professionals about the unique aspects of your commercial kitchen or restaurant, and we can provide an estimate.
Kitchen Epoxy Floor Installation FAQs
Is Toronto Epoxy Pros insured?
Yes, our epoxy application experts are certified under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), and under our $2-5 million liability insurance coverage.
What do I need to know about Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) guidelines for epoxy?
In Canada, the governing body dedicated to the safeguarding of food is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). As part of their mandate:
- Previously, all products (paint or epoxies) used around food had to be CFIA-approved and Benjamin Moore & other manufacturers had to make sure their products meet CFIA’s regulations
- Two to three years ago, they stopped testing this, so it’s no longer relevant anymore. However, because of this, the product still are CFIA-approved, they’re just not tested anymore
- Any paint on the wall that comes into contact with food should be zero VOC to comply with CFIA guidelines
When is epoxy the right choice for commercial kitchen flooring?
If you answer “Yes” to any of the following questions, epoxy is likely the right choice for your commercial kitchen or restaurant:
- Do you have high-foot traffic areas that show clear deterioration in your current flooring?
- Do you work with liquids that can cause spills and create slippery flooring surfaces?
- Do you work with food that drops on the floor and creates unsanitary surfaces, or possible mold or bacteria build up?
- Does your industry have sanitary standards that need to be upheld, especially with cleaning?
- Do you have a lot of dust in the space?
- Do you have heavy appliances (fridge, freezer, cooler, stove/oven, dishwasher, etc.) or equipment that put strain on the flooring?
- Do you ever have grease or grime build up in areas within the kitchen, such as around or behind the stove or oven?
- Are there chemicals or harsh products being used in the area, offering potential opportunities for contamination?
- Do you need markings on the floors for safety or to remind workers of protocols?
Why should you choose epoxy for your commercial kitchen flooring?
You should choose epoxy flooring because it’s ideal for your commercial kitchen. It’s not only Canadian Food Inspection Agency-approved (which makes it safe for food and prep areas), it also offers a hard, durable finish that will last for years to minimize long-term costs.
You’ll love the added health and safety features epoxy flooring can offer you such as:
- Epoxy doesn’t crack or bubble when temperatures (such as in a hot kitchen) change drastically throughout the day like traditional flooring does
- Anti-slip coating offers better traction for wait staff and cooks
- Coving makes cleaning easier by eliminating corners and cracks where harmful bacteria and mold can grow
- A epoxy floor coating with no VOCs makes it extremely unlikely that odors from the floor can transfer to the food you’re preparing in the kitchen
- Epoxy floors scuff or chip when dishes or pots fall, stools and chairs move for cleaning, or when heavy equipment slides across the floor
- Dust reduction makes cleaning time easier
- Rich colour or decorative flakes add ambiance to your restaurant to improve the feel and draw more hungry customers in
- Safety lines or stickers reinforce safety protocols with staff
- Creates a surface that is easy-to-clean on a daily basis
The easier your floor is to clean, the more likely it is to be washed regularly and correctly (which will help avoid infestations or microorganisms that can damage the health of your kitchen).
What other areas in my restaurant would benefit from epoxy flooring?
Here are some of the most common areas in a restaurant that greatly benefit from epoxy flooring:
- Kitchen: Food prep areas, dishwashing station, storage, food handling & packaging areas, handwashing areas
- Refrigerator / Freezer: Walk-ins, inside & out
- Employee Common Areas: Break room, office, change room, back hallways, restrooms
- Employee Stations & Facilities: Wait staff station, janitorial stations and rooms
- Interior Waste Disposal Areas: Garbage, refuse, grease
- Customer Self-Service Areas: Salad bars, buffets, beverage stations, restrooms
- Dining Area: Entrance, dining room, bar (employee side)
- Storage/Back Hallways: Basement, locker/cage, any hallway with regular foot traffic
- Loading Dock: Platform, stairs, connecting hallways
How much kitchen or restaurant downtime should I expect for installation and drying?
In a commercial kitchen or restaurant, you don’t have large windows of time when you can just shut down operations, so we can complete the project using proven strategies to minimize the downtime. The application time itself depends on the square footage of the commercial kitchen area, and how much patching, grinding, and vacuuming is necessary prior to the installation.
Then, in general, you can expect 24 hours of downtime after the installation before your kitchen team can walk on the floor again, and 48 hours before you can replace the heavy appliances or items (like the stove, dishwasher, bar. etc.) can be placed on the surface again. We recommend waiting up to 72 hours - if that’s possible - for the best results.
What exactly is epoxy?
Epoxy is a resin floor coating solution popular in commercial kitchens and restaurants because of its durability, strength underneath heavy kitchen appliances, and resistance to dust, chemicals, mold, and mildew. It's often used in larger commercial spaces because it’s economical, and more cost-effective when you’re dealing with a lot of square footage.
Are all commercial-grade epoxies the same?
The epoxies used for areas like commercial kitchens and restaurants come in three types - solid, water-based, and solvent-based - and each type offers slightly different benefits. Choosing one over the other will affect the price and finished product, and you’ll need to choose between a harder finish, a more environmentally-friendly product, or the best of both worlds.
The three types are:
- Solvent-based epoxy – This oldest type of epoxy contains solvents that evaporate during the drying process, and leaves the hardest finish of all types of epoxy. These solvents leave behind fumes, and can contain harmful materials, so is best used in well-ventilated areas or where contamination isn’t a concern.
- Water-based epoxy – This epoxy is water soluble, and contains no solvents. It won’t leave as hard of a finish as a solvent-based epoxy, but is better for areas that are used for preparing food, as it is more environmentally friendly and contains less odours or harmful VOCs.
- 100% solid epoxy – This epoxy is the best of both worlds because it doesn’t contain solvents or VOCs, or require water to evaporate - all while still leaving a thicker final result. Despite the superior final product, it’s still environmentally-friendly, CFIA-approved, non-flammable, and low-odor, so it’s great for areas like kitchens and restaurants that have a lot of people in and out, and food that could be contaminated.
We only use 100% solid epoxy for all kitchen and restaurant projects, as it’s the best of both worlds - keeping your kitchen area safe for those working inside, while still creating the tough surface you need.