Epoxy floor coatings are a great option for industrial and commercial applications. They can also be used in residential properties. Epoxy floor coatings are getting increasingly more popular due to their aesthetic appeal, as well as how durable they have the potential to be, provided that they are installed properly. These floor coatings share a lot of similarities with polyaspartic and polyurea floor coatings, but before you choose epoxy for your floor coatings, you should know more about them, so that your decision is an educated one you feel confident in.
What You Need To Know About Epoxy Floor Coatings
Epoxy is a type of resin which can harden and turn into polymer – which makes for a beautiful and durable floor coating. This is because when epoxy is applied to a properly prepared concrete floor, it hardens and strengthens it, while providing a beautiful finish. They have many different looks, ranging from marble to metallic or solid or chip flakes. They make for a smooth surface, which looks great, but can get very slick when wet.
Epoxy floor coatings are not a good option for concrete surfaces that are exposed to a lot of sunlight, due to the fact that they are not UV resistant and will change color with prolonged sun exposure. Your gorgeous tan floor will turn yellowish, your sleek grey floor greenish. As such, it’s best to keep your epoxy floor coatings to areas that don’t see a lot of sun. You want them to maintain that famed beauty, after all!
Epoxy floors take longer to install than polyaspartic and polyurea floor coatings because epoxy won’t adhere well to polished or sealed concrete surfaces, meaning that the ground has to be cleaned, acid-etched, and ground before the epoxy can be applied. Epoxy takes longer to be installed, with the process taking 5 to 8 days while other floor coatings can be done in one. Additionally, epoxy gives off strong odors and VOCs, so you won’t just be waiting longer for your floors to be done, you’ll also need to worry about the fumes.
Epoxy doesn’t last as long as other floor coatings, so you can expect to have your epoxy floors redone every 5 to 8 years, to keep them strong and good-looking. It’s very smooth, but can get very slippery, and is more easily scratched, chipped, and damaged than other floor coatings. Epoxy is an excellent choice for indoor applications, but it isn’t the best choice for garages.
The Pros And Cons Of Epoxy Floor Coatings
Epoxy floor coatings have their advantages and disadvantages, same as everything else. Here’s what you need to know.
The Pros:
- Epoxy is durable
- Easy to clean
- Less expensive up front
- Can protect from cracking and dirt
- Very customizable, with a lot of colors and patterns
- Attractive high gloss finish
- Can be used for commercial and residential applications
The Cons:
- Epoxy can get slippery, increasing risk of injury
- Hot tire pickup
- Strong fumes
- More expensive in the long run
- Less durable than other floor coatings
- Needs to be replaced more frequently than other floor coatings
- Scratches easily
- Time-consuming installation process
- Not UV resistant
- Potential curing complications
- Requires precise installation
Why We Prefer Polyurea And Polyaspartic
Polyurea and polyaspartic have all of the same benefits of epoxy floor coatings, and then some. We prefer polyurea and polyaspartic floor coatings because they last much longer, are more durable, are UV resistant, can be installed in one day, don’t give off such strong odors, can be used for indoor and outdoor applications, and are more elastic, which means that they can adjust to temperature changes without chipping or cracking your floors. Though polyurea and polyaspartic floor coatings are more expensive up front, they pay for themselves by requiring less maintenance in the long run.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether epoxy floor coatings are for you, or if you would rather go with polyurea and polyaspartic floor coatings. If you have any questions, the experts at Surface Bella Garage Floor Coatings are more than happy to answer them for you. Contact us in Greenville, SC today!