Are you planning to purchase new flooring for your place?
Epoxy flooring has become extremely popular in commercial and residential places. This is because it can be used in a variety of settings such as bathroom floors, patios, kitchens, and garage floors. Epoxy flooring is formed by a mixture of resin and hardening chemicals which boosts its performance. This has made the usage of epoxy flooring higher than it was before.
Epoxy flooring is created and used in a variety of ways. To obtain the intended outcome, specific chemicals are applied during the creation of the flooring coatings. These additives include flow regulators, UV inhibitors, accelerators, and adhesion promoters.
These additives are responsible for causing an increase in abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, and cure of epoxy floors.
However, like the other flooring solutions, there are several pros and cons of using epoxy flooring for homes. Before using it for your floors, it is important to get aware of the effects it will have on your home and your life as a resident.
Pros of Residential epoxy flooring:
High durability:
The one thing epoxy flooring is very famous for is its durability. It has the ability to remain in shape and form after many years of use. This makes it more beneficial as compared to other types of flooring. To gain maximum durability, it is a better option to have an already existing layer of concrete below the epoxy flooring to get maximum durability.
Cost:
The cost of installing epoxy for your flooring per square is a lot less than installing any other type of flooring. This coating is usually installed over the already existing floor.
Even whenever there arises the need to replace the epoxy coating, only the epoxy is removed while the concrete floor remains untouched. This feature is not available on other floorings. Other floorings need to be completely removed before installing a new one.
It’s appealing:
When you look for the visual beauty of your floor, it is better to think of epoxy floors. It has a bright reflective surface that can give the home a warm and appealing look. It is best to give your floor an epoxy coating rather than leaving it raw and unfinished with concrete flooring. This type of flooring is seamless. To enhance its look, you can try some colors and combinations.
Resistant to damage:
Epoxy floors have the ability to bear any type of harsh condition. This doesn’t get affected by any type of oil or gasoline spillage or chemical spillage. This flooring can withstand extreme weather conditions and is resistant to germs and bacteria. But it is important to maintain a good cleaning culture for your floor.
Available in different varieties:
Residential Epoxy flooring is available in a variety of options. Choose from self-leveling coating floors, which look great in kitchens and dining rooms, Terrazzo coating floors, which are ideal for hallways and balconies, or gravel coating floors, which are not only aesthetically pleasing but also allow you to imprint any symbol or design of your choice.
Your home’s epoxy floors can be customized with unique epoxy flooring ideas. Or, you could just install them the old-fashioned way.
Epoxy flooring is safe:
Residential epoxy floors are shiny and reflect light. Even when the light is not enough, you can still locate objects coming your way. Epoxy floors are reflective and seamless in nature and this can help in finding any type of cracks on the floor. This can easily tell you at what time you might need a repair. However, to reduce the chance of accidents, you can install some anti-slip coatings on the floor.
Easy maintenance:
Maintenance is one of the top priorities if everyone installs a floor. You can have epoxy interior floors, epoxy floor indoor, epoxy floor living room, and epoxy for your indoor floors without worrying about its maintenance.
As we have discussed, epoxy floors are seamless in nature. They are easy to clean. You can easily clean the dirt on epoxy floors so there is no chance of any type of dirt getting stuck in epoxy floors. Quick cleaning and the use of inexpensive cleaning tools are both made possible by the surface’s smoothness. While installing your floor, consider adding an anti-microbial ingredient to assist ease your mind about bacterial activity, especially in the kitchen and eating area.
Cons of Epoxy Flooring:
Here are some of the disadvantages of epoxy flooring;
Takes time to harden:
Epoxy floors take almost 30 days to harden. You might face some difficulty in this duration if you have other construction work around your home. However, there are some advancements in the formula which can make the process fast.
It is temporary:
Epoxy floors are durable but temporary for your flooring needs. Over time cracks can appear over the epoxy coating. These cracks when turned into openings decrease the beauty of your home. Be aware that depending on the weight of your furniture and the frequency of activities in your home, you may need to replace your epoxy floor as you go along.
Tedious installation process:
There are a series of activities that need to be performed before installing epoxy flooring. The floor has to be completely cleaned from any type of dirt and debris. Even you have to get the repairs done before epoxy flooring.
In the absence of sophisticated cleaning tools and equipment, this operation will be taxing. Also, if the procedure is not carried out correctly, the durability of the epoxy floor may suffer.
Difficult to Remove:
A professional’s services are required for epoxy floor removal. An industrial grinding machine, which might not be easily accessible, is required to grind the floor. It costs money to hire a specialist with the necessary tools.
If the epoxy floor is removed without taking care of it, the concrete floor underneath could crack. The usage of this flooring type is less ideal due to the risk of such problems.
Conclusion:
There are many different types of flooring available nowadays. You can pick from a variety of materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Epoxy is used in one of the common flooring materials.
Residential epoxy flooring has good durability, high customizability, and relative affordability. On the other hand, this material’s drawbacks include a lengthy curing period, a challenging installation procedure, and a potential slipping hazard when wet or oily.