Every type of flooring has its pros and cons. This is especially true depending on what location you will be putting it in. A restaurant is a location that has a lot of foot traffic and moving around. You need to be sure that you pick a floor that will be sufficient for your space’s needs.
Spaces that have heavy foot traffic require flooring that is durable and can withstand the elements that it will come into contact with daily. This may cost more money initially, but it will end up saving you money in the long run.
Epoxy floors are most common and known for their sleek appearance, durable quality, and significant floor protection. But, there are limitations of epoxy flooring worth knowing when considering what flooring to install at your restaurant.
Strong Toxic Fumes
As soon as you start installing an epoxy floor, you’ll notice a strong smell when wet. Sometimes, you may see the epoxy floor smelling like ammonia as soon as you start applying. These fumes are toxic and may cause some side effects to anyone near.
Some of the most common signs and symptoms you could experience from inhaling the fumes include inflammation in the nose and eyes, throat, and lung irritation. However, fully cured epoxy floors pose no health risks unless you decide to sand the surface.
The dust from sanding should never be inhaled as it contains the component chemicals. Despite it being one of the cost-friendly floorings, it can be a health hazard.
Epoxy Takes Long To Harden
It takes several days for an epoxy installation to cure completely. The general rule of thumb is that the floor should be left to dry in warm conditions, and the duration should be a long one. A slow curing process yields a very strong, more durable result. However, a faster epoxy curing method may be used with the best curing products.
Some installations can take even as long as thirty days to dry and cure completely. This can be especially inconvenient if you are operating a restaurant and cannot afford to wait that long.
Temporary Flooring Solution
Epoxy flooring is not a floor on its own. You’ll need to install either steel, concrete, or wooden floor before adding an epoxy on top of it. This coat is merely a temporary flooring solution. As the coat wears away, you’ll continuously need to install new coats.
Unlike other flooring solutions, high traffic and heavy impacts wear out epoxy floors. This can involve additional costs that are not initially planned and budgeted for.
Cracks and Chips on High Impact Areas
If you’re planning to install an epoxy floor in your restaurant, be prepared to do frequent replacements. Epoxy flooring does not do so well in areas with high impact and traffic. The surface chips and cracks easily, meaning you’ll incur extra costs and labor repairing and fixing the damaged areas whenever necessary.
Very Slippery When Wet
One serious disadvantage of epoxy flooring is that it can become very slippery, especially when it’s wet. Any resinous flooring material is non-porous. This means that it creates a very smooth surface that becomes dangerous when wet or when there’s oil on the surface.
There are mitigation measures that can be applied to make epoxy flooring less slippery; these measures are an additional cost. They may include using silica sand on the final coating when installing to create resistance or adding an aluminum oxide additive to the epoxy material to get the maximum grip.
Tedious Installation Process
Preparing the existing floor of your restaurant for the installation of epoxy coating or flooring is very tedious. Removal of grease, oils, or any sort of solvents, for example, must be done on concrete floors for proper installation of epoxy coatings. Another sensitive disadvantage of epoxy flooring is that it requires the installation process to be done in certain conditions.
For example, the humidity levels must be low enough, and if you do not take note of this, moisture usually ends up damaging your floor, affecting the durability of it in the end. Any amount of water trapped inside the flooring material can cause severe damage to the epoxy installation as it dries.
Costly Maintenance
To properly maintain your epoxy flooring, you will need to buy unique cleaning acids and other chemicals. Also, you will need to have protective gear during installation when cleaning with these chemicals. The cost of protective equipment increases the time and effort required to install and maintain the floor.
Wait, There’s a Better Alternative?
While epoxy flooring in Atlanta has been a common choice for floor coatings in the market, there is another player in the game. Polyurea hybrid coating can help you avoid all the mentioned inconveniences and risks associated with epoxy flooring.
Polyurea hybrid coatings have unique advantages that set them apart from other types of coatings. Advantages include:
- Fast curing time
- Excellent abrasion and scratch resistance
- Very stable resistance to weather and environmental conditions
- Beneficial characteristics
- It can be applied in variable temperature conditions, even in high humidity conditions
- Coating thickness can be finely controlled.
- Very useful bonding on correctly prepared surfaces
- Excellent chemical resistance
Invest In Only The Best
If you’re looking for Atlanta epoxy floor coating for restaurants, you’ll be happy to know there is a better, more durable, and long-lasting alternative. At Titan Garage Flooring Solutions, our polyurea hybrid flooring solutions are a lifetime investment.
We provide different types of finishes and over 150 colors for all sorts of concrete surfaces. It’s time to make your Atlanta floors more appealing.
