Pros and Cons of Epoxy Flooring

Whether it’s used in an industrail, commercial, or even residential settings, epoxy floor coatings are one of the leading flooring solutions in 2021. No flooring system is perfect but, epoxy flooring has more benefits than drawbacks. To get a better idea of how epoxy would do on your floors, we put together this list of pros and cons.

Pro

Resistance to Damage

PE-100 epoxy is extremely resistant to gasoline, oil, grease, and industrail chemicals. This makes it a great choice for auto mechanic shops, factories, laboratories, etc. It is also impermeable so it avoids microbial growth. Food preparation areas can get behind this kind of flooring. PE-100 is also heat, acid, and stain resistant. These are all great qualities for a residential home floor.

Pro

Long Life

Pro

Economical Flooring System

When compared to traditional floor systems, epoxy coatings come in at a lower cost per square foot. Let’s say you have an average 1,120 square foot house. To lay down a primer coat and top coat of epoxy, at 26 mils thickness, it would come out to be $3,500 in PurEpoxy PE-100 epoxy (not including pigment).

For the same house, if you wanted an upgraded look, you can go for a metallic epoxy floor. Metallic floors are a thing of beauty to look at, and not to mention a growing trend in 2021. For a metallic floor, at 50 mils thickness, it would cost $6,475 in PurEpoxy PE-100 and PE-100 LVX. PE-LVX is especially formulated for metallic systems, helping the metallics “move” across the floor, as it’s being installed. This benefit helps create the designs in the metallics.

Pro

Simple Customization

PurEpoxy-Hawaii has four different systems to choose from: A flake system, solid color, a quartz system, or metallics. Each of these four systems has their place somewhere in or around a home, office, or commercial store.

ADVANTAGES

• Wide choices of blends and finishes
• Can be used as a floor or wall coating (vertical surface)
• Not much maintenance
• UV coating
• Contoured finish allows for optimal traction
• No hot-tire pickup
• 1-day installation with next-day return to service with polyaspartic
• All-climate  installation, including cold weather
• Superior chemical resistance (gasoline, oil and de-icing salts)

POPULAR APPLICATIONS

• Garages
• Recreational Facilities
• Basements
• Patios
• Grocery
• Schools

ADVANTAGES

• Dense surface resistant to bacteria and moisture and easy to clean

• May apply several layers on itself

• Contains no solvent, allowing for interior application without harmful odours

• Excellent adhesive properties, allowing application on other firm and hard coating, as well as a good bond to the substrate

• Resist to many chemical products

POPULAR APPLICATIONS

• Animal Shelters

• Commercial kitchen

• Pharmaceutical industry

• Pulp & Paper

• Pool

• Garage

• Bakeries

• Breweries

• Food & Brevage

• Operating Rooms

• Kitchens

• Laboratories

• Meat Processing

• Commercial areas

• Heavy industry

• Metal industry

• Warehouses

• Wastewater Treatment

• Light Manufacturing

• Balconies

• Traffic Decks

• Mechanical Rooms

• Secondary containment

• Pave stone

• Chemical Processing

• Dairies

• Electronics

• Light industry

ADVANTAGES

• High traction coefficient

• Wide assortment of custom finishes

• Interior or exterior use

• Superior durability & impact resistance

• Rapid return to service

 POPULAR APPLICATIONS

• Parking garages

• Turning lanes, ramps and other high torque areas

• Exterior walk-ways

• Commercial kitchens

• Veterinarian clinics

• Locker rooms

• Restrooms

ADVANTAGES

• Vibrant Colors

• Infinite creation with 2-3 different colors

• Easy to install (2 or 3 coat system)

• Interior use only

• 2-day application with next-day return to service

• Unique application techniques

• UV stable

• Waterbased urethane or epoxy wax to protect the floor

• Can be polished

POPULAR APPLICATIONS

• Showrooms

• Entry-ways & lobbies

• Residential

• Shopping Malls

• Car Dealerships

Con

May Be Slippery

Epoxy flooring by itself can be a little slppery on their own. But it’s easy to add a slip-resistant additive to the finsh coat. Without a slip-resistant additive, the floor may become slippery when wet, especially when mixed with oils or grease.

Con

Adhesion Problems with Moisture

If there is moisture on the concrete slab that keeps coming through, there will be a problem with the epoxy sticking. There is a simple test to determine if you have a moisture problem. Take a small sqaure sheet of plastice, about 1 foot square and tape it to the floor. You want to tape the edges of the plastic to the floor creating a plastic barrier on the floor. After 24 hours come back to check on it. If there is moisture under the plastic, you have a moisture problem.

If you have a moisture problem, PE-100 VRM (Vapor Reduction Membrane) is the right epoxy for this situation. As a primer coat, it is recommended to apply it at 18 mils thickness to create a moisture barrier.

Conclusion

 As you can see there are many more pros than cons to epoxy flooring. It is a great solution for industrial settings as well as commercial stores. And within the last few years, metallic epoxy floors have become a winner among residential home owners.