Epoxy flooring is a common type of floor coating that many households and businesses use to protect their surfaces. This coating has pros that include its durability, hardness, and ease of application — all great benefits for floors in kitchens, garages, and other areas where durability is needed. However, there are some serious cons to using epoxy flooring.
Here, we’ll discuss the different cons epoxy coating has and a better alternative to solve these issues.
What’s Epoxy Flooring?
Epoxy flooring is a type of industrial-grade floor coating that has been used for decades to protect floors in different areas. It features a durable, hard finish that can easily be applied with a two-component kit. The top layer gives the epoxy coating its shine. Epoxies are especially popular in garages because they can be applied to most surfaces, are durable, and have decent chemical resistance.
Epoxy flooring is typically found in garages, kitchens, bathrooms, swimming pools, or anywhere with a high-traffic area that needs protection. Contractors often apply an epoxy coating to garage floors.
The Cons Of Using Epoxy Flooring
While epoxy coating has many benefits, it can be tough to deal with some downsides. Here are some cons that may make you consider another flooring option:
1 . It Is Toxic
Epoxy flooring is toxic, especially during its cure time, which is a big downside for homes or businesses with children or pets that could come into contact with the coating.
2 . It Dries Slowly
This is especially true in humid places, making epoxy flooring take longer to dry. This isn’t a problem for garages because they’re typically climate-controlled. Still, it could be an issue if you are coating other areas.
3 . It Expands And Contracts With Temperatures
Epoxy flooring expands and contracts with changes in temperatures, which can cause buckling. This is mainly an issue for commercial epoxy applications.
5. Warm Water And Strong Cleaners Can Damage It
Epoxy coating is tough but not invincible, and it shouldn’t be exposed to strong cleaners or high-pressure water hoses. Many paint cleaners will strip the surface of an epoxy coating, which leads to peeling and bubbling.
6. It Doesn’t Bond To Tile Or Grout
One of the main issues people have with epoxy flooring is that it doesn’t bond well to non-porous surfaces, like tile or grout. This can lead to a separation between the epoxy coating and these other materials.
Choose An Alternative
A better alternative to using epoxy flooring is a polyurea floor coating, which has many benefits for durability, ease of application, and chemical resistance. Polyurea is a type of industrial-grade coatings applied to various surfaces. Still, it’s particularly popular in garages and commercial locations.
Polyurea floor coatings bond to concrete so well that they can expand and contract with the surface. This is one of the main reasons why epoxy coating doesn’t stick well to non-porous surfaces like tile or grout — the molecules in the coating aren’t a good match. Polyurea has been used for decades, and contractors have perfected applying it to floors.
Why’s Polyurea Better?
Polyurea floor coatings are the perfect option when resistance is needed in areas where children or pets might try to interact with the surface. It doesn’t emit toxic fumes, common with many epoxy flooring options. They can also be mixed on-site, which means you don’t have to waste the cost of transporting the material from a store and storing it at your home or business.
One of the biggest benefits of polyurea floor coatings is that the material is highly durable, making it a popular option for garages and commercial spaces. Epoxy coatings aren’t as long-lasting because the protective top layer wears away after several years, exposing the less durable material beneath to damage caused by chemicals, oils, and other substances on the floor.
Get Polyurea Floor Coating With Titan
If you’re interested in getting polyurea floor coating for your house or business, you should contact a competent flooring company. Such companies provide flooring installation and floor coating solutions for any issue you might have. A great flooring company in Tampa is Titan Garage Flooring Solutions. We provide fast and efficient services custom to houses and businesses. Get in touch with us today.
