BIF
High Performance Resin Floors, Hygienic Walls & Ceilings
UK WIDE SERVICE - ASSURED PERFORMANCE - COMPETITIVELY PRICED
Call 01777 709500
Corrosive
Health Hazard
Safety Guide
If in doubt, please ask.
Is applying a Resin Coating Easy?
Applying a resin floor is quite straightforward for those who have a practical aptitude and a reasonable skill level.
Resins are chemicals and when working with virtually any chemical, you need to take care & work safely.
We understand that this may be a boring subject to many, but it's worth taking a take a moment to read some brief guidance we've put together in this section. It's REALLY important that you understand that these materials can cause harm if you don't try to plan the work to protect you & everyone around you.
The products you will be buying will have one or more of the following hazard symbols on the Safety Data Sheets;
Corrosive
Health Hazard
Serious Health Hazard
Hazardous to the Environment
Whilst resins are in their uncured liquid state, they are hazardous; once mixed, they undergo a chemical reaction which turns the chemicals into a hardened state. When cured hard, they can be considered as inert.
Safety Data Sheets for each product are supplied on this website for you to read, but for those who want a brief and clear summary here's some general advice;
1. Avoid skin contact, ingestion, inhalation.
2. Avoid others coming into contact with uncured materials
Be PPE Ready.
You must wear PPE (personal Protective Equipment) while applying resin finishes. As a bare minimum you will need;
Protective Gloves
Safety Glasses (or Goggles)
Do not go commando and take a risk, these are serious chemicals which need to be handled with care.
When planning a job, you may also want to consider;
Knee Pads
Dust Mask (during preparation)
Ear Defenders (during noisy preparation)
We can provide all PPE as part of your order with us, or you can provide your own, but please make sure that Protective Gloves comply to EN 374-3 : 2003 and the safety Glasses are the wrap around style, as you need to prevent any resin coming into contact with eyes and skin!
Safety glasses help protect against accidental splashing & do give protection from resin contact with the eye, should you accidentally wipe your face (the ultimate goal is to not wipe your eye or any part of your face when applying resin).
It's REALLY important that you do everything to prevent eye or skin contact with resins because they are corrosive, harmful, irritants and can have lasting effects.
Don't just think about your safety, consider others around you too. Make sure access is prevented during application and for hours after an installation (where the materials will remain wet and sticky) before initial cure takes place.
Ventilated Space
Keep the work area well ventilated. A supply of fresh air into the area you're working in is advised. This can be simply opening an external door, window or using an electric fan.
Health Hazard
Be Prepared
Even our own teams understand that wet resin gets everywhere! On your gloves, boots, knees etc are the most likely, but before you know it, you have it on walls, door handles and floors outside the work area!
So here's a few tips;
Plan your exit and protect exit surfaces with a small sheet of polythene so you can stand and take your boots off without walking wet resin outside the work area.
Have a few rags to hand for wiping away splashes quickly & have an old bucket or container ready to drop these (and brushes and rollers) in when you're done.
Plan your work to where you'll mix and who will do what; work out the sequence for the work and what tools you'll need for each part of the work.
Apply the resin to edges (by brush) first then start applying the coating Paint roller, from the furthest point from the door and working backwards toward the door.
Allow yourself sufficient time
A chemical reaction between Parts A & B begins when you start mixing.
Both Parts A & B are needed for any reaction to occur and the mix proportions are really important, so splitting a unit down to smaller amounts isn't recommended.
Depending on the product chosen and site air temperature, you'll have between 20 - 30 minutes to apply the resin. This will be sufficient if you work at a steady, consistent pace (don't rush but don't spend too long admiring your work until you've completed the coating) .
Pouring the resin into a larger, shallower clean container (a paint scuttle for example) will help prevent too much heat generation of the resin (which will feel quite hot as the chemical reaction gets underway).
Brush the resin using a loaded brush, in longer strokes, giving enough width so that the Paint roller will lap over the leading wet edge.
Pour the resin in a stripe across the far end of the floor approx 500mm from the wall and using a roller, straddle the wet resin, spreading the material back and forth to leave a 1m strip. Repeat this process until you've covered the area. Make sure you keep working to a wet edge.
The right Conditions help
The work area needs to be warm and it needs to be kept warm. Aim for 18 C and don't apply below 10 C or above 23 C. The resin should be OK to walk on after 12 hours and it should be over-coated with 24 hours of being applied.
Keep the area dry for min 3 days after sealing and don't load it with anything heavy for 7 days (i.e after full chemical cure has been achieved).
Safe Disposal
Uncured Resins will harm aquatic life and people, so take care to dispose of correctly. You can make the resin inert, by mixing the remnants of Parts A & B together, repeatedly wiping the inside of one tub with a brush before rubbing the inside of the other tub. Repeat and repeat again, then leave for 24 hours before checking the resins have cured hard. These can then be disposed of as general waste (however please check with your Local Authority for advice if in doubt).
Alternatively, you can return the containers to us and we will dispose of them correctly for you Free of Charge using our Contaminated Waste service.
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