Every floor specification decision should reference the manufacturer's Technical Data Sheet (TDS). The TDS is the legal foundation of the warranty, the installer's instruction manual, and the auditor's reference. Read it once, properly, and you avoid most of the failures the encyclopedia documents. Skip it and you trust marketing language. This guide walks the ten sections you find in every flooring TDS — Sika, Mapei, Topciment, Altro, Master Builders all follow the same structure — and what to look for in each.
Section 1Product description and intended use
What to verify: Does the product match your actual use case? "Heavy-duty industrial floor" should describe the same envelope you have — forklift / wash-down / chemical exposure. If the TDS describes "interior decorative" and you need exterior wet, this is the wrong product. Red flag: vague intended-use language like "various commercial applications" without specifying the parameter envelope.
Section 2Composition and chemistry
What to verify: Binder family — cement, polymer, hydraulic-binder + resin, PU, epoxy. See
microcement binder chemistry primer for the family decoder. The TDS should explicitly name the binder system, not just call itself "decorative concrete" or "resin floor." Composition tells you the failure modes you should expect.
Red flag: proprietary composition with no chemistry description.
Section 3Mixing ratios and pot life
What to verify: Two-component or three-component? Ratio by weight or by volume? Pot life at standard ambient and at IL summer (35°C). At 35°C pot life is typically 30-50% shorter than at 20°C — IL applicators need to plan for this. Red flag: "no specific ratio required" language or pot life listed only at 20°C.
Section 4Cure times
What to verify: Walking traffic, vehicle traffic, full chemical resistance, full mechanical resistance. The four numbers tell you the project schedule. PU sealer in microcement wet rooms requires the full 7-day cure before water exposure — see
wet-rooms spec.
Red flag: cure times that vary by ambient conditions without an IL summer (35°C / 50% RH) value listed.
Section 5Mechanical properties
What to verify: Compressive strength (N/mm²), tensile strength, flexural strength, abrasion resistance (Taber CS-17 1kg / 1000 cycles, in mg loss). For sport floors, EN 14904 P/A/C class. For resin floors, FeRFA Type 1-8. For tile, R-class slip.
Standards glossary defines each.
Red flag: only marketing phrases like "high abrasion resistance" without Taber numbers.
Section 6Chemical resistance table
What to verify: A proper chemical resistance table lists specific chemicals (acetic acid 10%, sodium hydroxide 10%, sulfuric acid 30%, etc.) with exposure duration and result (resistant / discolouration only / damage / not resistant). Map your actual chemical exposure to the table. Red flag: generic "good chemical resistance" claim without a specific chemical list.
Section 7Slip resistance
What to verify: PTV (wet, EN 16165) and/or DCOF (ANSI A326.3) and/or R-class (DIN 51130). The numbers must meet your tender language. For wet pathways: PTV ≥ 36. For commercial kitchens: R12 minimum. For pool barefoot: PTV ≥ 36 barefoot. Red flag: "slip-resistant" with no measured value.
Section 8Fire reaction and ESD
What to verify: EN 13501-1 class (typical floor coverings: Cfl-s1 to Bfl-s1 for public buildings, A1fl for non-combustible required). ESD floor resistance per IEC 61340-5-1 if specified for operating theatres / electronics rooms. Red flag: missing fire class entirely.
Section 9Substrate requirements and surface preparation
What to verify: Substrate moisture limit (ASTM F2170 typically ≤ 75% RH for epoxy SL, up to 85% for PU-cement). ICRI CSP profile required. Pull-off adhesion minimum (ASTM D7234 typically ≥ 1.5 N/mm²). See
ICRI CSP guide and
moisture testing. This section is the warranty's foundation — if substrate prep does not meet TDS, warranty is void.
Red flag: "consult manufacturer" with no specific values.
Section 10Warranty conditions
What to verify: Warranty duration, what is covered, what voids it. Always voids: missed substrate prep, missed cure window, non-approved applicator, missing documentation, off-label use. Read this section twice — it dictates how the floor will be defended (or not) when something fails years later. Red flag: warranty language so broad that almost any failure produces a denial.
The TDS questions that separate amateurs from professionals
If you only have time to verify three things on a TDS, verify these:
- What is the binder family (composition section)? Drives the failure modes you should anticipate.
- What is the substrate moisture limit (substrate section)? Drives whether the floor will adhere — most failures originate here.
- What does the warranty cover and what voids it (warranty section)? Drives what happens when something fails years later.
Cross-checking the TDS against the install
The TDS is only useful if the install follows it. At project handover, demand documentation that the applicator complied with the TDS at each stage:
- Substrate moisture verification (photo of ASTM F2170 probe + reading)
- Surface profile verification (photo with ICRI CSP replica chip)
- Mixing ratios met (batch numbers + mix log)
- Ambient conditions during cure (temperature + RH log)
- Cure window respected (sealer cure period documented before water exposure)
This documentation file is the warranty's evidence base. Without it, any future claim is unenforceable regardless of how clearly the TDS sets the warranty conditions.
When the TDS contradicts the salesperson
A common pattern in IL flooring procurement: the salesperson makes a claim that does not appear in the TDS. ("This product also works for X." "You can speed-cure with a heater." "The 75% RH limit is conservative.") When this happens, the TDS wins. The salesperson is not legally bound; the TDS is the document the warranty refers to. If the salesperson disagrees, ask for the claim in writing, signed by the manufacturer's technical office, not by the salesperson.
Final read
The TDS is the single most important document in a floor specification — more important than the brand profile, the comparison article, or the installer's pitch. Read it once before deciding, read it again before signing, and demand documentation against it after install. Floor.DSGN's brand profile pages summarise the key TDS data for each brand, but they do not replace reading the TDS itself. For tender-grade specifications, the TDS must be in the project file.
Related: Binder chemistry decoder · Standards glossary · ICRI CSP guide · Moisture testing · Installer evaluation guide.
Sources
- EN 13813 — Screed material and floor screeds: properties and requirements.
- FeRFA Type 1-8 classification standards.
- ICRI 310.2R-2013 — substrate preparation reference.
- ASTM F2170 — in-situ RH testing for concrete.
- ASTM D7234 — pull-off adhesion testing.
- EN 16165 — slip resistance pendulum testing.
- EN 13501-1 — fire reaction classification.
- IEC 61340-5-1 — ESD protection in electronic systems.
