Polyurethane is an insulator and a static generator

Polyurethane (PU) coatings are used by luxury vinyl tile (LVT) manufacturers. A coating of PU helps reduce the use of waxes and sealers on flooring installed in retail spaces, hospital corridors, shopping malls etc. Unfortunately PU is a non-conductive coating so defeats the purpose of the conductivity of the tile. That’s why they shouldn’t be used on floors that are intended for low static generating applications. This coating would insulate access to the conductive, carbon matrix sealing it inside the PU, keeping the tile from eliminating static effectively.

The PU coating would increase the electrical resistance of the tile leaving the floor unable to meet ANSI/ESD S20.20-2007 ESD standards. PU is an extreme static antagonist making it a major static generator; a floor coated with PU would allow for the accumulation of high static charges on people when they walk on the floor with any shoes.

If you think maintenance will be a major problem in your facility, you should at least consider a precision milled ESD tile with high vinyl content. These tiles are commonly called solid vinyl tile (SVT.) The surface of SVT can be buffed and returned to its original appearance regardless of age, traffic or soiling. The properties run all the way through the thickness of an SVT tile so you never need to worry about abrasion affecting performance. The precision milling ensures a tight gap-free installation. Tight seams prevent that ugly dark line that often appears in between VCT tiles.

You may also want to explore EC rubber flooring. Unlike vinyl, rubber doesn’t have any pores that could trap dirt in the first place. And, conductive rubber is the only floor that will reduce static on people wearing standard street shoes. All other resilient ESD flooring requires the use of static protective footwear. EC Rubber is the most fault-tolerant ESD flooring available.