New epoxy ramp coating offers fast, low odor traction restoration

Composite Ramp After
Form-A-Tread

Ramp surface coatings can break down and create safety concerns which can lead to costly slip and fall accidents.

A loading ramp prepped for Form-A-Tread SL epoxy coating.A loading ramp prepped for Form-A-Tread SL epoxy coating.To help restore traction, new Form-A-Tread SL (Self Leveling) offers an epoxy coating that’s non-flammable, low odor and can be installed indoors. 

The coating provides a durable, slip-resistant surface on surfaces like ramps, walkways, concourses, industrial flooring, and other large areas with high pedestrian or vehicle traffic.

The coating, which comes in a kit, is easy to mix and apply by hand. Installation is fast and typically ready for use in under four hours. It can be applied to composite, aluminum, steel, wood, and other porous and non-porous substrates.

Each kit is designed to fully restore the surface of two 14-foot, single fiberglass composite ramps or two 14-foot, split fiberglass composite ramps.

The all-epoxy safety product is a combination of a low-to-medium viscosity, 100% solids epoxy binder and a hard-wearing aggregate that achieves a Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (DCOF) value of 0.76, well above industry standards.

The formulation, along with topically applied aggregate, is designed to last for years even when exposed to extreme weather, temperature, sea spray, sunlight, and chemicals.

Ryan Boyer, safety and risk specialist at Two Men and a Truck International, said Form-A-Tread is a step up from their previous traction product.

“It is essential that moving ramps have good traction because our moving teams across the country face a multitude of weather patterns and we don’t dictate what the franchisees require for footwear,” Boyer said.

Boyer said he was impressed with the safety coating’s ease of installation. “When they resurfaced the ramp in our lobby, there was essentially no odor, and it was ready for use much faster [than the previous coating they were using],” he said.