Glossary: What Does a Static-control Floor Finish Do?

A static-control floor finish is a non-permanent conductive or static-dissipative coating periodically applied to existing floor surfaces. Floor finishes ground personnel, equipment, or other objects that touch the surface of the floor and dissipate charges to ground. Some finishes control the generation and accumulation of static charges associated with some charge-generating flooring materials, such as certain resins and polymers.
Unlike ESD floors with inherent (permanent) conductivity, ESD finishes wear off over time. The loss of conductivity affects electrical performance – i.e., the ability of the finish to protect electronics against harmful static discharge events. Without regular, well-monitored and controlled electrical testing, there is no way to know when an ESD finish has lost its conductivity. For this reason, ESD finishes do not provide reliable static protection.
Learning Center Articles
- ESD Basics
- Installation & Maintenance
- Selecting & Specifying an ESD Floor
- Technical Information
- 7 Common Mistakes Selecting an ESD floor
- A Guide to ESD Flooring Selection
- Avoid Costly Failures: What You Need to Know When Specifying ESD Flooring
- Choosing ESD Flooring for:
- ESD Footwear: What Is It and When Is It Necessary?
- ESD Footwear for Electronics Manufacturing and Handling Applications
- Facility Managers’ Guide to Selecting ESD Flooring
- The Need for Due Diligence in Specifying Static-Free Flooring
- Standard of Care for Specifying Floors in Mission-Critical Spaces
- Understanding the Hidden Costs of ESD Flooring
- The Case Against Overly Conductive Flooring
- Conductive vs Dissipative
- Electrical Resistance
- Electrical Resistance in Mission-Critical Spaces
- Ensuring Accuracy: Why It’s Critical to Clean Floors and Probes Before ESD Testing
- ESD Standards and Test Methods
- Resistance, Resistivity, and Real World Application
- Walking Body Voltage
Why It’s Critical to Clean Floors and Probes Before ESD Testing
StaticWorx high-performance static-control floors protect electronic components, explosives, and high-speed computers from damage caused by static electricity. ESD flooring is part of a system. Choices should always be based on objective, researched evidence. When you partner with us, we look at all possible items that may need to integrate with the floor, and, focusing on your goals and objectives, help you find the right floor for your application.