Epoxy, or resinous flooring, is an increasingly popular flooring type for garage floors, industrial flooring, and outdoor surfaces.
This type of floor stands out for many reasons. The key ones are durability, with the floor lasting five to ten years. Other selling points are customizability, sustainability, and aesthetical value.
Epoxy floor coating is made up of a hardener and polymer resin. When these two bond, they create a chemical bond with each other and the floor. The result is a stiff, long-lasting coating.
Types of Epoxy
Here are the available types of epoxy coating in the market.
1. Metallic epoxy floor
This is a low yellowing epoxy mixed in with a metallic pigment. The metallic parts used to make a metallic epoxy floor are often tiny pigments mixed in with epoxy resin before an application.
When the mixture is smoothened over, these metallic fragments twist and turn in different angles and reflect light from these angles. This is what gives this coating a shiny, smooth, sophisticated finish.
2. Self Levelling Epoxy
This can be used in kitchens, storage spaces, garages, office buildings, and more.
This epoxy is applied to a slab, and it’s easy to apply because it spreads out on a surface, basically leveling itself out.
This feature helps to create a seamless epoxy surface on the floor. While most similar applications require a roller to level the surface, this one doesn’t. It can also be applied over damaged and cracked to create a smooth finish.
3. Mortar Epoxy Floors
This ranks among the sturdiest flooring systems available. This flooring material is manufactured from 100% solid epoxies together with quartz or graded sand.
This flooring compound is excellent for areas that require a highly chemically-resistant floor able to absorb a lot of impact.
It can also be used to repair damage like cracks before applying a different epoxy coating.
4. Epoxy Flaked Flooring
A flaked epoxy floor consists of three parts: PVA flake, a coat of base epoxy resin, and a top sealer coat. These PVA flakes can be multicolored and are added to the wet resin.
The sealer coat aims to protect the underlying flake, enhance a glossy finish and increase chemical and chalk resistance.
5. Epoxy Terrazzo
This compound used to be made by embedding marble chips on a clay surface. Modern terrazzo is made from flakes of different minerals and rocks on the surface of the concrete.
The final product is textured beautifully and reflects light perfectly.
6. Epoxy Anti-Static Flooring
This is common in buildings manufacturing electronics, hospitals, and labs.
These are suited for a static-free environment or an environment that could be sensitive to static shock.
In Conclusion
With this list, it’s easy to see why epoxy floor coating has gained popularity in recent years.
You are unlikely to find an epoxy flooring type that will fit your needs perfectly.