We cross the finish line with a great team and great products

Suomen Epoksilattiat Oy is a Finnish company specialized in installing epoxy flooring, an impressive-looking and durable solution against mechanical wear and frequent cleaning. The floors of the new fire station in Janakkala, Southern Finland, were given a protective solvent-free epoxy coating from the TEKNOFLOOR family.

At the Janakkala fire station under construction, the newly coated concrete floor shines in the sun light and the blades of the mixer are sparkly clean. "Professionals keep their tools clean," says the CEO of Suomen Epoksilattiat Oy, Jukka Salminen, about his floor layers.

The Janakkala fire station will be completed in spring 2018.

Although Suomen Epoksilattiat Oy is based in Vantaa, just north of the capital Helsinki, they work at construction sites throughout Finland. Brothers Jukka and Jouko Salminen maintain the traditions of the family-owned business founded in the 1960s. By now even the third generation is joining in. "My brother Jouko and I have been working in the industry for 37 years. In 1996, the two of us started running the business together. At our company, everybody does everything. This is team work and we train our employees ourselves," Jukka says.

The epoxy screed flooring in the vehicle storage is both protective and decorative

In the new fire station, an epoxy screed flooring has been installed for around a thousand square meters of the floors. The screed consists of the solvent-free, two-component TEKNOFLOOR 400F epoxy varnish and a sand mixture with a layer thickness of 4-5 mm. The screed is laid both manually and by machine, and the right thickness is ensured with a roller box applicator.

Suomen Epoksilattiat favors sand from the German company Scanmineral. "We've noticed that a ready blend works best and won't have any color variations. TEKNOFLOOR 400F also works well with natural sand. Epoxy is good because it works even with sand. This sand mixture has mainly fine sand and only a bit of coarse sand, so it's easy to work with," Jukka explains.

The new concrete has to be at least 4 weeks old and hardened so that the moisture of the concrete has evaporated and the surface has dried. The relative humidity of the concrete can be 97 % at most.

Sand nails for improved friction

Around 400 square meters of floor has been coated with the solvent-free, self-leveling, two-component TEKNOFLOOR 500F epoxy coating.

"First we removed a layer of laitance from the concrete through diamond grinding. We then vacuumed the cement dust and applied the solvent-free two-component TEKNOFLOOR PRIMER 310F epoxy varnish on the concrete twice. In the second phase of the priming, we added "sand nails" to improve friction. "Sand nails" means roughening," Jukka clarifies.

The TEKNOFLOOR PRIMER 306F epoxy varnish can be used on concrete surfaces just a couple of days old. TEKNOFLOOR PRIMER 306F withstands water, chemicals, oil, grease and gasoline, and its wear resistance is excellent. 

The screed consists of solvent-free TEKNOFLOOR 400F epoxy varnish and a sand mixture with a layer thickness of 4-5 mm. The height of the baseboard is 100 mm.

Epoxy floorings look very presentable and suit all spaces that call for a coating that is durable and easy to clean. The coating increases occupational safety.

"Epoxy coatings are quick to install, the floors become seamless and there is no need for separate water-proofing. In the end it's cheaper than using floor tiles," says Jukka.  

"We install floor coatings for both new buildings and buildings being renovated - production spaces, technical facilities, industrial kitchens, basements, storages, workshops and garages, for example. We also work for private persons, for example with coatings of floors in saunas and other wet areas in homes," says Jukka.

Joonas Kolehmainen, Jukka Salminen, Petteri Salminen and Markku Uusitalo at the Janakkala fire station construction site. Jouko Salminen and Matti Kallio are missing from the picture.

Jukka Salminen values long term collaboration with Teknos. "Teknos products work well. It's good to work with a big factory, because it can meet our requirements. When we do our work right and according to the factory's instructions without extra adaptations, the end result is good. We haven't had any need for claims or complaints," says Jukka.

"We've collaborated a lot with Markku Uusitalo from Teknos. Markku is skilled in these things. I order the materials through Markku and he calculates our project costs," Jukka adds.

"We cross the finish line with a great team and great products," he concludes.