Floor preparation: the foundation of every resin floor
A resin floor is only ever as good as the surface it's applied to. Before a single drop of resin goes down, we grind, repair and prime the substrate properly — it's the single biggest factor in how long your floor lasts.
Most resin floor failures — peeling, bubbling, delamination — don't come from the resin itself. They come from poor preparation underneath it. Concrete is porous, uneven and often contaminated with oil, laitance or old coatings, none of which a resin system can bond to properly on its own.
That's why preparation isn't a quick step we rush through — it's a dedicated phase of every project, covering three things: mechanically opening the surface, repairing any damage in it, and sealing it correctly before the finish system goes down.
- Diamond grinding to the correct surface profile
- Crack, joint & surface defect repair
- Full dust extraction throughout
- Penetrating resin primer, matched to the slab
Diamond grinding
Every project starts with mechanical diamond grinding across the full slab. Using rotary grinders fitted with diamond-segmented tooling, we remove laitance (the weak, powdery layer that forms on the surface of curing concrete), old coatings, sealers, glue residue and surface contamination that would otherwise stop resin from bonding.
Grinding also opens up the concrete's pore structure and creates a controlled mechanical profile — a consistent, slightly textured surface that gives the resin something to physically key into, rather than just sit on top of. We grind to a specification appropriate for the system going down, since a heavy industrial coating and a thin decorative flake system call for a different profile.
High and low spots, minor surface undulations and trowel marks from the original concrete pour are also levelled out during this stage, giving us a clean, flat, consistent base to build the rest of the system on.
Dust is controlled throughout using industrial vacuum extraction connected directly to the grinding equipment, keeping the site clean and the air clear — important for occupied buildings and for our own team working on it.
Once grinding is complete, the whole area is thoroughly vacuumed and inspected before we move on. Nothing gets primed or coated over a surface that hasn't been properly opened up first — it's the step that determines whether everything applied afterwards actually stays down.
Crack & joint treatment
Concrete cracks, and a resin coating applied straight over an untreated crack will crack again in exactly the same place. Before priming, we inspect the full slab and assess every crack, joint and defect on its own merits — hairline shrinkage cracks are treated differently to structural cracks or active movement joints.
Cracks are routed out — cut into a clean, defined channel — to remove loose material and create a surface the repair material can properly key into. Depending on the crack, we'll fill with a semi-rigid epoxy resin for stable, non-moving cracks, or a flexible polyurethane-based filler where some ongoing movement is expected, so the repair can flex with the slab instead of fracturing again.
Larger areas of damaged or spalled concrete, honeycombing, or old fixing holes are built back up using a trowel-grade epoxy mortar, then ground flush with the surrounding slab so there's no visible step or transition once the floor is finished.
Existing movement and construction joints are assessed and either maintained through the new floor system or treated according to the specification, so the finished floor continues to perform as the building itself naturally moves.
Resin priming
With the surface ground and any damage repaired, we apply a penetrating resin primer across the entire area. The primer soaks into the newly opened pore structure of the concrete and cures to form a strong mechanical and chemical bond between the slab and every layer that follows.
Priming also seals the concrete, which helps prevent outgassing — air and moisture vapour trapped in the slab trying to escape through the coating as it cures, a common cause of pinholing and bubbling in resin floors that skip this step.
The primer is selected to suit both the condition of the concrete and the system being installed on top of it — including moisture-tolerant primers for slabs with elevated moisture readings, which we test for before specifying the right product.
Once the primer has cured, the surface is inspected and lightly assessed before the main flooring system is applied, giving your finished floor a solid, fully bonded foundation from the concrete up.
The step that decides how long your floor lasts
Proper adhesion
A ground and primed substrate gives the resin a genuine mechanical bond, not just surface contact.
No repeat cracking
Cracks and joints are treated at the source, so they don't telegraph straight back through the new finish.
Fewer defects, longer life
Correct priming reduces pinholing and bubbling, and gives the finished floor a longer, trouble-free service life.
Get a free quote for your project
Tell us about your space and we'll recommend the right resin flooring system for it — no obligation.