What is Epoxy Flooring?
What epoxy floor coatings are available?
You can find an epoxy coating for your floor in any colour.
Besides the standard clear, epoxy resin is available in many colours. Earth tones, such as browns and beiges, are popular choices of garage floor paint because they go well with most other colours. In addition to being natural-looking and easy to match, these shades can also match various paint colours.
Gray and white are popular choices. Gray is a versatile colour that can be used in any house room, while white is charming as an accent colour.
If you want something unique or specific, some manufacturers can make custom colour blends based on a sample you provide.
Epoxy floor coatings can be glossy, matte, textured or anything in between.
The glossy finish has a shiny surface that reflects light. The high gloss of glossy epoxy floors is achieved by adding more resin to the floor coating and then polishing it with fine abrasives. This process results in a durable and long-lasting coating that few other types of flooring can match.
The matte finish has texture to avoid slipping, making it ideal for commercial applications such as restaurants or food processing facilities where many people walk around with wet shoes or bare feet on the flooring surfaces.
A recent innovation in textured decorative epoxies is flake floors—a process where coloured vinyl chips are combined with a urethane-based finish coat applied over a concrete surface before it dries completely. The result is an interesting textural effect on top of your existing surface, adding visual interest without being too overwhelming.
How much does epoxy flooring cost?
Epoxy flooring is a great way to add beauty and durability to your home – but just how much does epoxy flooring cost? It depends on the product type and whether you have a professional do the work.
Professional installation of epoxy floors can cost between $30 and $100, depending on the type of epoxy and style.
Professional installation costs more than do-it-yourself, but it can be worth the extra cost if you don’t have experience laying epoxy or working with harsh chemicals. Professional installers have the right tools and know-how to cut corners on materials that will save you money in the long run.
Advantages of epoxy flooring
- Epoxy flooring is durable and long-lasting. It can be used in areas with heavy traffic, such as retail stores, malls, airports or other public places.
- It is slip-resistant and easy to clean because epoxy floors are chemical resistant at high temperatures, so they won’t melt when exposed to chemical cleaners such as bleach or ammonia-based products.
- Epoxy Flooring is resistant to moisture better than most other types of flooring due to its composition, consisting mainly of polyurethane resin mixed with pigments creating a hard-wearing surface finish that resists scratches while cleaning easier.
- Concrete stamps are available in many styles. This category includes stone, brick, tile, and other patterned materials.
Disadvantages of epoxy floor coatings
- Wet epoxy has an unpleasant odour that can be noticed during application. Epoxy workers must cover themselves with masks and safety eyewear since the fumes are not only unpleasant to smell but may also be hazardous.
- You need to protect yourself and others from potentially harmful epoxy fumes by ensuring adequate ventilation in the area where epoxy is being applied.
- An epoxy flooring system might take several days to fully cure after installation. The drying and curing time for most applications is around 72 hours.
- If you live in a humid environment or are installing epoxy flooring in a high-traffic area of your home or business, you may find the curing period a nuisance.
- The non-porous nature of epoxy makes it dangerously slippery when wet. Epoxy flooring may be particularly hazardous if installed in an area frequented by young children or the elderly.
- Removing epoxy coatings can be challenging. To remove an old layer from your garage floor, you need to scrape it off with a metal or plastic instrument, use a solvent like acetone or paint thinner, then scrape again, or you can use a floor grinder to remove the old garage floor coating and expose the concrete floors underneath.
How is epoxy flooring applied?
1st Step
Surface preparation
Get the Floor ready. When preparing a surface, these approaches tend to be the most common:
- Grinding with a diamond grinder
- Sanding
- Shot-blasting
- Milling
2nd Step
Clean the floor
Make use of an industrial vacuum equipped with filters capable of collecting dust of even the smallest particle size.
3rd Step
Prime the floor with epoxy primer
You’ll need to prepare the surface so the epoxy can adhere to it. For this reason, we use an epoxy primer.
4th Step
Epoxy grout should be used to seal any gaps or holes.
All damage to the floor, such as gouges or cracks, must be repaired before the coating can be applied.
5th Step
Apply the first coating of epoxy paint
A squeegee or a roller may be used to apply the base coat. When the first coat of coloured epoxy is applied, the condition of the underlying surface will become apparent. At this point, any residual fissures or holes should be plainly visible.
6th Step
Final Sanding and Filling before applying the final epoxy floor paint
Step 7
Apply the finishing coat.
It’s essential to give the whole area a good cleaning before you get started. Don’t leave any openings since you don’t want somebody to slip on the wet floor and be hurt.
As a result, the coated surface is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.