Acid & Caustic Flooring Systems for Gatineau Plants
Plating shops, chemical processors, and manufacturing plants need floors that survive the acids, caustics, and solvents they handle daily. Gatineau Concrete builds urethane and epoxy systems engineered to your exact chemical exposure, with free written estimates and on-site assessment.
A floor system rated for dilute caustic will fail under concentrated hydrochloric acid. A system that handles hydrocarbons may dissolve when exposed to chlorinated solvents. The concrete slab itself is neutral, but the coating system must match the exact chemical environment it will face: the type of chemical, its concentration, how long it stays on the floor, and the temperature at which it sits.
We start by collecting the full chemical inventory from your operations team or safety department. That list includes process chemicals, cleaning agents, and even occasional spill scenarios. We then cross-reference that profile against the published resistance data from system manufacturers and recommend the right match. Severe exposure (concentrated acids, hot caustic, broad chemical spectrum) typically calls for urethane cement. Moderate exposure with a narrower chemical mix often works with specialty chemical-resistant epoxy.
We work with your operations and safety teams to document every chemical the floor will encounter: type, concentration, contact time, temperature, and frequency. This profile becomes the spec.
Match the system to exposure
Using manufacturer resistance charts, we recommend either urethane cement for severe exposure or specialty epoxy for moderate exposure. The quote reflects the matched system and timeline.
Prepare the slab
The concrete is diamond-ground to the prep profile the system requires. Old coatings, contaminants, and cracks are removed. The surface is primed and ready for the chemical-resistant build.
Install and test
Urethane cement is hand-troweled at engineered thickness with cove base up the walls; epoxy is applied with topcoat. After cure, we confirm key zones and hand off the maintenance protocol to operations.
The most common failure
Incomplete Chemical Spec Leads to Floor Failure
Most chemical floor failures happen because the original spec missed a chemical. A system was rated for the main process chemicals but failed against a cleaning solvent, a rare spill, or a seasonal additive that operations forgot to mention. We prevent this by getting the complete list upfront, including occasional-use chemicals and emergency scenarios.
Coordinate with heavy-duty flooring if your plant also has impact loads, and with dust-proof sealing if you need both chemical resistance and dust control. The right system handles both; the wrong combination compromises both.
Chemical profiles, urethane vs epoxy, cove base and compliance documentation.
List every chemical that touches the floor, including in cleaning processes and emergency spill scenarios. Concentration, contact time, and temperature all matter. Your safety team or chemical supplier can usually provide the data; we work from that profile.
Urethane cement for severe exposure (concentrated acid, hot caustic, broad chemical spectrum); specialty epoxy for moderate exposure with specific chemical mix. Cost difference reflects the spec difference; the right answer is the matched one.
For severe exposure, yes. The wall-floor junction is where spills accumulate; a cove base eliminates the seam where a spill could attack the wall material. Standard installs include cove base where the chemical profile requires it.
Yes; that is part of the design. The system is rated for the cleaning chemicals as well as the process chemicals. We document the cleaning protocol that maintains the system's rating; deviating from it can shorten lifespan.
Per zone, a week or so including cure for severe-exposure urethane installs; faster for moderate-exposure epoxy. The full timeline is in the quote, sequenced around your operations.
Client reviews
What Gatineau Operations Say About Their Acid & Caustic Floors
They specced for chemicals our previous contractor had not considered including occasional spill scenarios. Three years of process operations, zero floor failures. Real chemistry expertise.
Z. W4
Process Engineer, Gatineau
★★★★★
Urethane cement install with cove base in our plating area. Holds against the acid and caustic we use, cleanups happen without floor damage. Best floor we have had in that zone.
Y. W4
Plant Manager, Ottawa
★★★★★
They got the chemical profile from our safety team and matched the system. Documentation supported our internal compliance audit. No improvisation, just engineering.
Q. W4
Manufacturing Director, Barrhaven
★★★★★
Different systems for different zones based on actual exposure. Cost-effective and durable. The system match is what we needed; one floor everywhere would have failed or overspent.
X. W4
Operations Lead, Nepean
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