Choosing floors for your home? What would you say to epoxy flooring? such floors seem to have more advantages than others and look interesting. Still finding out what pros and cons they have is essential before you choose. Let’s consider them and have a look at some examples.
Pros
Epoxy floors look bright: many people choose them just because of that. It’s available in a variety of colors that add a flawless, smooth, elegant shine. The flooring can also be arranged into traditional or personalized patterns and designs. Besides, they have a smooth and even surface that is easy to maintain.
Epoxy floors are highly resistant to just about everything: from chemicals to heat and water. They are also resistant to bacteria and germs. This is a great option for a garage or a hospital.
Pricing remains one of the biggest and the most immediate advantages you’ll find with epoxy flooring. Epoxy floors aren’t expensive, they can be installed directly over concrete and other flooring types.
Epoxy floors are very durable, they last longer than most of types of flooring. When installed properly, it can last for several decades without cracking or peeling.
Cons
Though epoxy floors are durable and resistant, you will have to replace them. To keep them good-looking, you’ll have to put down a new coat of epoxy from time to time. This is inevitable especially if heavy things are dropped on the surface of the floor.
Cracks can develop and chipping is a very common issue. Thought chips can start out as a small annoyance, eventually they can lead to a large area of the coat peeling off of the floor. If such things happen, the floors are to be repaired.
Oil-covered epoxy can be very slippery, and when wet, they all are slippery, so this isn’t a good idea for areas where you often spill something.
Preparations for epoxy floors are tedious, and you’ll have to apply much effort. Apart from the extensive preparation that goes into getting the concrete ready, applying the epoxy coating is a time consuming process. If you want to remove the existing epoxy floors, it will take you much time, too.
Wet epoxy has strong fumes. Darker shades of epoxy have more hardeners than the lighter shades. They tend to have an ammonia smell after applying.
Epoxy does not adhere well in a moist environment such as a basement. The epoxy paint peels off the floors if applied in a damp environment on a moist floor. Since the material doesn’t breathe once it cures, any moisture trapped below the surface can be a problem as it evaporates.