Urethane Cement Flooring in San Francisco CA - a floor for wet kitchens and cold rooms
Kitchen or cooler floor peeling under hot water and heavy carts? We lay a urethane cement floor built for washdowns, heat and cold.
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Is urethane cement the right floor for your kitchen or cold room?
Urethane cement flooring in San Francisco is a thick, hard layer we put over the concrete in commercial kitchens, coolers, freezers and wet work areas, so the floor holds up to hot water, cleaners, cart traffic and quick swings between hot and cold that wear out thinner coatings.
Most calls I get for this floor start with an epoxy or sealer that's let go by the dish pit, the mop sink or the walk-in door, because hot water, cleaners and cold are hard on thin coatings. The price moves with the size of the room, how thick the floor needs to be for the way you clean, and how much work the slab needs first, like grinding off old coatings or filling cracks. The schedule turns on how old and how dry the slab is, who gets it ready, whether your kitchen has to keep running around us and whether the city has to sign off first. At the estimate I walk you through the options and what each one means for your schedule.
How do you know your kitchen or cooler floor needs replacing?
Coating lifting by the dish area
If the coating near your dish machine or mop sink is bubbling or peeling, hot water and cleaners have usually found a weak spot and are working their way under it. The longer it goes, the more loose coating and wet concrete we have to grind out before a new floor can go down.
Chips and cracks under carts
Dents and chipped patches along your cart routes and under the racks mean the floor isn't hard enough for the traffic it gets. Left alone, those chips catch water and grease and turn into holes your staff has to work around.
Floor letting go at the walk-in
A coating that cracks or lifts at the freezer or cooler door is usually losing to the swing between the cold air inside and the warm air outside. Waiting lets that failure spread further into the box, and fixing it there means moving more of your stock.
How we put down urethane cement flooring
I start by asking how you clean the room and what temperatures it sees, because a floor that gets mopped and one that gets steamed every night aren't built the same way. We settle early who gets the slab ready, and if you run a food business we talk about the city's health review up front so it doesn't hold the job up later. Then we test the slab for moisture, grind off old coatings so the new floor has clean, open concrete to grab, and fill cracks and low spots. Our crew trowels the urethane cement on at the thickness the room needs, runs it up the wall in a cove where water hits the base, and finishes it smooth or textured depending on how wet the floor gets.
Not every room in the building needs a floor this heavy. For a dining room, showroom or office next to the kitchen, polished concrete flooring or stained concrete flooring usually costs less and gives a more finished look, and we can plan both rooms as one job.
Textured finish for wet floors
This suits dish areas, prep lines, breweries and anywhere the floor stays wet, because the texture gives boots something to grip. More texture takes a little more scrubbing, and in a wet room I'll take that trade every time.
Smoother finish for drier rooms
Dry storage, labs and back rooms that rarely see standing water can go smoother, in matte or gloss, and they're quicker to mop. I only recommend smooth where the floor stays mostly dry.
Get a urethane cement floor plan for your kitchen or cooler
Send the form and we reply within one business day to set up a time to see the floor. The estimate is free, done at your property, and comes with no pressure and no obligation.
(415) 918-5395Urethane cement flooring in San Francisco and what the city reviews
In San Francisco, the Department of Building Inspection issues building permits, and a retail food location may need approval before you install or replace floors. For food sites the permit process includes a review by the Department of Public Health, and you apply in person at the San Francisco Permit Center. Whether your job needs a permit is something we sort out at the estimate, and when it does, we help you work through it with the city's building office and do the work to what the permit asks.
We're based in San Francisco and work in the cities around it, down the Peninsula and across the Bay in the East Bay. A lot of the kitchen floors we see are older slabs that have been patched and recoated more than once, so there's usually old coating to strip and uneven spots to fill before anything new goes down, and that prep is where we spend the time. We run into the same tired floors and busy back rooms on jobs in Oakland and South San Francisco, and we handle them the same way.
What happens when you call about urethane cement flooring in San Francisco?
Call us or send the form
You call (415) 918-5395 or write, and we get back to you to set up a visit. Tell us your service hours so we can plan around them.
I check the slab myself
I come out, look at the floor and check the slab for moisture and old coatings. Then I walk you through your options and what each one means for your schedule, so you can compare them before you commit to anything.
Our crew preps and lays it
If you go ahead, our crew prepares the concrete and puts down the system we agreed on. A lead installer runs the job day to day, so you have one person to ask.
Learn how to care for it
When the floor is done, we show you how to clean and look after it. That's the time to ask about your cleaners and your routine.
Frequently asked questions
Is urethane cement flooring good for a commercial kitchen or freezer?
Yes, it's one of the better fits for both, and one maker lists commercial kitchens, freezers and coolers, dairies, breweries, wineries and food plants among its typical uses. That maker says its product keeps its properties from -40 °F up to 248 °F and moves with the concrete as it warms and cools, so one floor can cover a freezer and a hot line. I'll still ask what your room actually sees before I recommend it.
How do I clean a urethane cement floor in a restaurant kitchen?
Usually with your normal mop or scrubber routine and a phenol-free detergent, which is what one maker calls for on its product. That same maker says its floor can be steam cleaned when it's laid 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick, so if you steam clean, tell us up front and check that thickness is in every quote you compare.
Do I need city approval to replace the floor in my San Francisco restaurant?
You may, because the city says remodeling a retail food location may need approval first. It flags vending machines, laundromats and animal boarding locations the same way. We go over it at the estimate and help you through the permit when one is needed, as the local section above explains.
Who is responsible for getting the concrete slab ready for a urethane cement floor?
Unless it's spelled out otherwise, one maker's prep guide puts a sound concrete base on the owner, the owner's representative or the concrete contractor. That's why we settle at the start who gets the slab ready, so nobody finds out on install day that the prep was nobody's job.
How long does new concrete need to cure before urethane cement goes down?
One maker says its product can go on new concrete that's typically 7 to 10 days old, so you don't have to wait the full 28 days of cure. On a new building that can shorten the wait before the floor goes in, though we still check the slab for moisture before we lay anything.
How much does urethane cement flooring cost in San Francisco?
It comes down mostly to the size of the room, how thick the floor has to be and how much work the slab needs first. Grinding off old coatings, filling cracks, running coves up the walls and working nights around your service all add to it, and a clean, sound slab keeps it down. Once I've seen your floor, I can price it for your room.
San Francisco, CA
Book your urethane cement floor estimate
Call (415) 918-5395, email sales@sanfranciscoepoxyflooringandconcretepolishing.com or send the form with the room's use, rough size, slab age and current coating, so I come out knowing what to check.