Epoxy coating often finds use among industrial facilities. These include construction works that involve pipelines, concrete walls, and concrete floors. And at the beginning of the 21st Century, epoxy flooring quickly gained traction as a popular floor option for heavy-duty floors.
Today you will also often hear epoxy as a material used by residential floor contractors in Kansas City. So why does epoxy sound like a big deal?
Find the answers to the most asked queries about epoxy that includes:
- What is the disadvantage of epoxy
- Do epoxy floors crack?
- How long does an epoxy floor last?
- Is epoxy suitable for homes?
- Is epoxy slippery when wet?
All these in today’s post!
Definitions and Uses: Epoxy Floor Types and Application
Below gives you a preview of the most used epoxy flooring in Kansas City.
Epoxy flooring and epoxy coating
There is not just one type of epoxy flooring. There are various types under the epoxy floor coating. For example, you can use a clear coat of epoxy or metallic epoxy garage floors for dynamic and greasy areas.
Metallic epoxy
What is metallic epoxy coating? An epoxy floor is the best option for garages. A metallic additive mixed in the resin. These result in floors that look and feel like steel.
Flake Chip Epoxy
Vinyl chip paints added to the curing epoxy coating creates chic flake chip epoxy. Medical facilities and sanitary spaces prefer the use of flake chip epoxy flooring. These floors are easy to clean, suitable to use for hygienic functions, and chemical resistant.
Self-leveling epoxy floors
Do you see cracks on old or existing epoxy floors? Do damages seem daunting to fix? The self-leveling epoxy works for high traffic spaces.
The epoxy resin can disperse itself without the aid of rollers and squeegee. Instead, it reaches within tiny gaps under heavy pieces of machinery.
Epoxy mortar
Epoxy mortar is for warehouses or other facilities that require high chemical resistance. It has quartz and sand added to it, making it three times more durable.
Garage floors and other industrial floorings need a seamless surface. And there’ll be a time when you cannot avoid heavy tools, chemicals, and other damaging objects destroying the floors. So, when hardcore issues occur, use this type of epoxy.
Do Epoxy Cracks?
The glossy finish and dense features of epoxy make it hard to crack. But epoxy can still crack. In addition, constant wear and tear from heavy tools and natural disasters may cause damage to the floor.
If damages happen, you can reseal and recoat epoxy over epoxy. Epoxy mortar and self-leveling epoxy are known patching compounds. These are epoxy fillers to repair and restore slight and severe damages to the concrete floors.
Here is a quick rundown of the benefits of epoxy.
- Water-resistant
- Chemical resistance
- Slip-resistant
- Brightens up spaces
- Super durable
- Sanitary
- Hundreds of design possibilities
What are the disadvantages of epoxy flooring?
Epoxy is sure a fantastic flooring with the many benefits it goes with. However, if you are not an expert floor installer, the results may not come out as you desired.
Here are some disadvantages of epoxy floors if not used properly.
- Epoxy cures so fast. What is an advantage may also be a disadvantage, as the fast cure act of epoxy. It is incredible to think that it will dry up in no time once you apply the floor coating.
So, this can help you use the space right after you renovate it. But if the coating dries up fast without you having to control how thick the layer should be, the floor turns out a disaster.
- Not all can DIY. With the one mentioned above, if you can not control the epoxy coating’s thickness, then DIY epoxy is not for you. Better call the pros to have the work done for you.
- Epoxy is not cheaper than tile. But, yes, epoxy is expensive! Even expert contractors agree that epoxy floors are costly. Per square foot, epoxy costs up to $12. Decorative floors are an investment.
These are not like tiles that you can install per piece. There is no room for mistakes when installing them. It requires precision, so you will not have to pay double its price.
Can you Do Epoxy Flooring Yourself?
If you want to make sure that you reap what you invest, do not undermine the work epoxy requires. And that is why the pros will always recommend asking the assistance of an experienced team of installers, Kansas Concrete Artisans.
Many resources will tell you that you can DIY epoxy. But to do this, you need to be sure of how well you know this product.
Suppose the coating cures too fast before you achieve the look you want for the floors, with no time for you to alter or modify it. Instead, GIve it 4-5 minutes to cure on the surface.
Let 72 hours pass, and the floors are ready for use. Once the epoxy dries up, you can’t make changes anymore.
