Can epoxy flooring withstand forklift traffic in an Ottawa industrial facility

Epoxy Flooring Performance Under Forklift Traffic

Yes, epoxy flooring absolutely withstands forklift traffic — but only when you use the right system at the right thickness. A 100 percent solids epoxy at 10 to 20 mils total system thickness, topped with a polyurethane or polyaspartic wear coat, handles standard forklift operations without issue. The key is specifying a system engineered for industrial-grade abrasion and point-load resistance, not a standard garage floor coating that will fail within months under wheeled traffic.

For Ottawa industrial facilities, the system selection becomes even more critical because of what forklifts track across your floor. From November through April, forklifts moving between loading docks and interior storage areas drag in road salt, sand, gravel, and snowmelt on their tires. These abrasives act like sandpaper on the coating surface with every pass. A thin single-coat epoxy — even a good one — will wear through in high-traffic lanes within a year. You need a multi-coat system with a sacrificial urethane or polyaspartic topcoat rated for heavy abrasion. The topcoat takes the punishment and can be recoated every 3 to 5 years without stripping the entire system, saving you significant money over the floor's lifetime.

The specific type of forklift matters too. Electric forklifts with polyurethane wheels are the gentlest on epoxy floors. Propane forklifts with rubber tires generate more heat and can cause hot tire pickup on inferior coatings — though a proper polyaspartic topcoat eliminates this problem. The real concern is forklifts with hard rubber or cushion tires making tight turns, which creates intense shear forces on the coating. For facilities running this type of equipment, consider a quartz broadcast epoxy system, which embeds coloured quartz granules into the epoxy layer for extreme abrasion resistance. Quartz systems run $12 to $18 per square foot in Ottawa but deliver 10 to 15 years of service under daily forklift traffic.

Surface preparation is non-negotiable for forklift-rated floors. The concrete must be diamond-ground or shot-blasted to a CSP of 3 to 5 to create the mechanical bond profile needed to resist the shear and point-load forces that forklifts generate. Any existing cracks or joints must be properly filled with semi-rigid epoxy filler — forklifts will quickly destroy coating that bridges unfilled cracks. In Ottawa, where freeze-thaw damage is common on warehouse slabs, expect the prep work to be more extensive and add $3 to $5 per square foot to the project.

If your facility handles heavy forklift traffic daily, get quotes from contractors who specialize in industrial floor coatings. The Ottawa Construction Network directory at justynrookcontracting.com is a good place to start — filter by flooring to find contractors with commercial and industrial experience.

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Looking for experienced contractors? The Ottawa Construction Network connects Ottawa homeowners with qualified professionals:

• Homeupgraders
• RenoMotion Inc.
• Valcor Construction
• Prism Services
• Exquisite Flooring and Renovations