Epoxy Flooring Pros: Nowadays, Epoxy Flooring is used in different spaces with its various applications. The various features and advantages of epoxy resin have made this type of flooring popular in different spaces. But every flooring has advantages and disadvantages. Although the disadvantages of epoxy resin are less than other types of flooring, to help our dear customers in choosing their flooring, in this article, we have discussed the disadvantages and advantages of epoxy resin.
Epoxy Flooring Pros
Epoxy Flooring Pros: First, to learn more about epoxy flooring, we will describe the characteristics and structure of epoxy resin, and then the disadvantages of this flooring are presented.
Epoxy flooring consists of epoxy resin, mineral and reinforcing fillers, process additives, etc. Epoxy flooring is in a liquid state before application, which will turn into a solid substance due to chemical reactions after adding the curing agent or epoxy hardener.
Epoxy resin with very strong mechanical properties and high strength, is highly resistant to chemicals.
Epoxy is a polymer obtained by reacting epoxide resin with polyamine hardener. Apart from flooring, this material has other wide applications. including in epoxy paint products, protective coatings, FRP (building resistance), composites and adhesives, etc.
One of the main uses of epoxy is to use it as a floor covering in various uses (industrial, hospital, warehouse, etc.).
What are the disadvantages of Epoxy Flooring?
As we said, Epoxy flooring, in addition to its many advantages, also has disadvantages that buyers and applicants should be aware of. The importance of knowing these disadvantages is that they can be easily prevented by considering changes in usage or consumption patterns.
For example, the time to implement epoxy flooring, resistance to sunlight and UV rays, scratchiness, flexibility, replacement, etc. are among the disadvantages of epoxy flooring, which are fully described below:
The unpleasant smell of Epoxy Floors:
As mentioned, epoxy flooring is liquid when the flooring is installed, and the chemicals are spread directly onto the floor. Depending on the formulation of the epoxy product and the quality of the material, volatile substances may also be used in the product. Naturally, applying a large volume of chemicals in the space leads to the spread of odors, which may not be desirable for some.
Although the volume and intensity of the smell are low, it can be easily prevented from accumulating with proper ventilation. Besides, no smell will be emitted from the product after the initial curing.
Epoxy floor replacement
One of the main advantages of epoxy flooring is creating a completely new surface. In other words, during the installation of epoxy flooring, this product completely adheres to the surface of the floor, and there will be no space between the flooring and the substrate. If you need to change the design of epoxy flooring, you need to change it only by re-applying the final layer with the desired design and color.
Slippery epoxy flooring
Self-leveling epoxy flooring with a polished surface, which is suitable for health-sensitive uses such as a clean room or a drug production hall, will be slippery if it gets wet or spills liquids on its surface. The polished surface of the flooring, which is one of its health features, can be dangerous.
Therefore, in applications that involve the movement of personnel and liquid spills or regular washing of the floor, we recommend the use of non-slip types of epoxy flooring.
Lack of adhesion to oily or wet surfaces
In the article “Epoxy floor blistering“, we have discussed in detail the problems caused by the presence of moisture under the epoxy floor.
The presence of moisture under most floor coverings is a problem and not only leads to the growth of fungus and mold and health problems, but it can also cause functional problems. If the concreting of the surface has been done recently, about 28 days should pass before applying the epoxy flooring so that the concrete does not have moisture. Also, if oily substances, diesel, etc. have penetrated the surface of the concrete, it is necessary to rebuild the foundation. Otherwise, problems such as blistering of the epoxy flooring or separation of the flooring from the substrate can occur. To prevent the occurrence of such problems, we strongly recommend that you make sure that the substructure is completely dry and the surface is free of fat and oil before starting the installation of epoxy flooring.
Long installation time of epoxy resin flooring
Epoxy flooring has a step-by-step installation because it is layered. After the installation of each layer, enough time should be passed so that the curing reaction is completed and the next layer can be implemented. For this reason, it takes at least 3 to 4 days to install flooring in the smallest area. Although this issue leads to a longer installation process in small areas compared to products such as roll flooring or laminate, in large areas due to the ease of installation, the installation time will be much shorter because other details of installing the flooring piece by piece have been removed and the product It is easily applied to the surface. In other words, in large areas, the time required for each layer to dry coincides with the application of flooring in other areas, and there is no need to spend time separately.
Lack of resistance to sunlight (UV rays)
Epoxy flooring is not resistant to sunlight and changes color. For this reason, in applications where the flooring is exposed to sunlight, to solve this problem, the final layer of polyurethane flooring can be applied to provide resistance to sunlight.
To get more information about the properties of polyurethane resin flooring, click: Polyurethane flooring
The brittleness of the epoxy floor
The high physical strength of epoxy flooring, which is mainly known by the tensile strength and high modulus of epoxy resin, has led to the high hardness and low flexibility of this resin. Therefore, in applications where there is a possibility of concrete settling or cracking of the subfloor, it is suggested to use flexible material to prevent cracking of the epoxy floor surface.
Scratch resistance of epoxy flooring
As you know, scratches are caused by dragging any object with higher hardness on a surface with lower hardness. Since the hardness of epoxy flooring is in the high range, in general, this product has good scratch resistance. But if pebbles, iron surfaces, etc. are dragged on the surface of the flooring, there is a possibility of surface scratches on it.
For this reason, it is recommended to regularly clean the floor, use a dust collector at the entrances, especially in winter, and avoid dragging sharp objects on the surface of the floor to maintain its beautiful appearance.
Of course, in decorative applications, the scratch resistance of epoxy flooring can be significantly increased by applying BASADUR®-E 401 protective clear coat.
Disadvantages of 3D epoxy flooring
3D epoxy flooring is also a new and different design that is used for interior design in different buildings. 3D flooring can be implemented with various resin materials, but the most widely used resin among them is epoxy resin-based flooring material.
In addition to beauty, 3D flooring conveys the charm of naturalness to the user.
The advantages of 3D epoxy flooring are presented in the article (3D epoxy flooring).
In this part of the article on the disadvantages of epoxy flooring, the disadvantages of 3D epoxy flooring are provided for the information of applicants:
- Difficult installation and repair
To install, repair, and modify the 3D flooring, it requires a specialist and professional experts with sufficient information. It will take 5 to 6 days to modify the three-dimensional surfaces of the flooring.
Since a printed design is used in the installation of 3D flooring, if the design needs to be changed or it is damaged, the entire floor surface needs to be re-installed with a new design, and it is not possible to repair the design locally.
- Costly
Due to the lack of 3D flooring installation specialists and the high demand for this type of flooring, its installation cost increases.
The possibility of breaking, cracking, or separating from the floor
Since the 3D flooring is a combination of a layer of resin material and a printed design, if the material of this printed design does not fit with the resin material, there will be a possibility of separation and cracking.
It is also recommended not to use this type of flooring in places where there is a possibility of hot water falling directly on the surface of the flooring, such as a bathroom without a bathtub.
Advantages of Epoxy Flooring
If all instructions for installing epoxy resin flooring are followed, it will have the following special features:
- Excellent adhesion to the substrate (reasons for separation of epoxy flooring from the floor)
- High chemical resistance against acids
- High mechanical strength
- Being non-conductive and insulating electricity (it can be made conductive)
- Easy removal of grease and dirt from the surface
- The ability to adjust the surface roughness and slip resistance of the flooring
- High-temperature resistance after drying
- Not flammable (fireproof flooring article)
- Unlimited color variation and compatibility with the environment
BASA Polymer Company specializes in providing products and services in the field of resin-based flooring, and in addition to producing products, it also provides specialized consultations in the field of designing floor protection systems and monitoring services. It is suggested to contact BASA Polymer’s technical experts to receive free expert advice and place an order.