What Is Epoxy?

Epoxy Flooring: Learning and Understanding the Fundamentals

What is epoxy? It is a type of adhesive mixture formulated with polymers and hardening agents. The chemicals are often referred to as “epoxy resins,” and they are responsible for establishing a smooth and protective overlay for your residential or commercial flooring.

Epoxy flooring offers a wide range of applications, including home basements, retail stores, auto repair shops, hotel lobbies and large manufacturing facilities. That’s because it is among the more versatile flooring options on the market. It’s also favorable for having incredible load-bearing and shock-absorbing capabilities. Everyone is catching on to the benefits of epoxy and we want to explain why.

Here are some of the fundamentals of professional-grade epoxy flooring:

What Is Epoxy Flooring?

Residential and commercial epoxy both contain special ingredients and chemical components that help reinforce your flooring. They include strong adhesive mixtures, accelerants, and UV inhibitors. Certain epoxy formulas perform different functions – it all depends on how you plan to use your new flooring.

After producing the epoxy mixture, a team of specialists will apply it to your floor. Then, the curing process takes place. Several epoxy coatings will effectively seal off your floor, providing your home or business with extra protection from potential contaminants.

Epoxy flooring is incredibly multifunctional. It can do a wide range of things, such as enhancing the chemical resistance of your floor or infusing more decorative appeal inside your home. Some of the additives that you can incorporate in your epoxy flooring system include a multi-colored aggregate, vinyl flakes, glitter, and other special pigments.

Ultimately, professional-grade epoxy is a viable alternative to traditional flooring options. You can install it in many different locations, and it’s extremely versatile in terms of upgrading your home or commercial facility. Why take a chance on another flooring system when you know that residential or commercial epoxy can get the job done?

How Does Epoxy Flooring Work?

Epoxy resins are a result of the chemical process that involves the use of epoxides, which are also known as hardeners. When the epoxy mixture begins to cure, polymers begin to undergo cross-linking, which is responsible for the sturdiness and durability of the material. A professional epoxy installer has to initiate the curing process through heat and high temperatures, or else nothing will happen at all.

Once your epoxy flooring cures into place, then can’t uncure it. Your floor will now have a permanent overlay. This is why you take your time when considering the different color schemes and layouts that you achieve with professional-grade epoxy flooring. The additives that you include in the epoxy mixture will determine the final properties of your floor.

The Pros and Cons of Epoxy Flooring

Although professional-grade epoxy flooring offers many benefits, we want to discuss some of the pros and cons. With that being said, we can confidently say that the benefits greatly outweigh the drawbacks.

The Pros:

1. Visual Appearance: Epoxy flooring allows you to renovate your home or business. Multiple epoxy coatings will produce a unique finish that is incredibly elegant-looking.
2. Durability: In terms of strength and sturdy flooring structures, epoxy is your go-to choice. It forms a tough and indestructible surface that is extremely resistant to damage.
3. Affordability: When you compare epoxy installation costs with some of the other flooring options, you will quickly realize that it’s super affordable. Epoxy flooring is also cost-effective in terms of the money you spend on future repair services.
4. Higher Safety Standards: Epoxy flooring is also a popular option among business owners because it promotes a safe and sanitary environment for employees and customers.

The Cons:

The three main drawbacks that you might encounter with epoxy flooring include the following:

1. The lingering smell that occurs after completing the installation
2. Once you install epoxy flooring, it will become costly to replace
3. If any mistakes are made during the installation process, you will have to start over from scratch

These kinds of issues can (and will) occur, but they are also super easy to remedy. While the smell can be palpable sometimes, it will subside relatively fast. Also, if you want to ensure that the entire installation goes according to plan, you are much better off hiring a professional. They will avoid making any mistakes while installing your brand new flooring system.

The Coating Process

Residential and commercial epoxy flooring usually consist of multiple coatings. The first layer acts as a primer, then the second layer serves as the main central coating, and the final layer is your top coat. Installing multiple epoxy coatings involves a step-by-step process that also requires a lot of prep work. You have to undergo diamond grinding and shot blasting before your floor can receive the epoxy.

Schedule an In-Person Consultation Today

Now is the time to make the switch to a professional epoxy flooring system. And, if you live in St. Paul, then we are the right people for the job. Give us a call today and one of our representatives will answer all of your questions. We can explain the flooring services that we offer in greater detail.