One of the first concerns when buying Epoxy Flooring is the question of whether the epoxy floor is anti-scratch!
This question is often asked by buyers of flooring for homes and offices, as well as buyers of epoxy resin for making wooden items, and the reason for this is the decorative use of epoxy flooring. If there are scratches on the surface of the coating, its glossiness will decrease, and if cleaning is not observed, black lines will appear on the surface due to the accumulation of dust and pollution inside the scratches.
Is Epoxy Flooring anti-scratch?
To answer the question of whether epoxy flooring is anti-scratch, it might be better to first learn about the mechanism of scratching. According to the definition of “Mohs Hardness”, any material with higher hardness will scratch the surface of a material with lower hardness. In the Mohs hardness classification, diamond is the hardest and talc is the softest mineral.
Therefore, are the products that are introduced as anti-scratch, really anti-scratch? Is there a product called anti-scratch at all?
The mechanism of carving scratches on the surface of epoxy flooring
Epoxy floor coverings are thermoset products with high hardness. The hardness can be improved based on the epoxy flooring formulation and installation method. But what is certain is that using the term anti-scratch, in general, cannot be correct under any conditions of use and against all materials, and if force is applied by a sharp object with a hardness higher than the hardness of epoxy flooring, the surface of the flooring will be scratched. In other words, not only epoxy flooring, but no flooring can be completely anti-scratch unless it is made of diamond!
How to prevent scratches on the surface of the epoxy floor coating?
1- Good maintenance of epoxy flooring during its service life cycle
Is Epoxy Flooring anti-scratch? The most important cause of scratching on the surface of the epoxy floor is debris and dust particles being dragged over it. Dust particles or soil are mainly a combination of minerals such as silicates, quartz, phosphate rocks, etc. As it is known, these materials have high hardness and increase the possibility of scratching the floor surface. To protect the floor surface, it is very important to use a doormat at the entrance and to implement a regular cleaning program. Not pulling metal items while moving them and lifting items is another important point that prevents scratches on the surface of the epoxy flooring.
2- Protecting the surface of the epoxy floor against scratches
Applying a transparent protective clear coating on the final surface of the epoxy floor is another solution. Protective clear coatings are available in epoxy and polyurethane types, and they provide the possibility of re-coating the floor coating by spending a small amount of money.
The protective clear floor coverings are transparent and provide higher resistance to scratches by creating a surface with higher hardness.
Anti-scratch protective clear coats can be used in both polished and glossy or semi-matte forms. After applying the final layer of epoxy flooring, these protective clear coatings are applied to the flooring surface using a roller, and at different time intervals, the epoxy flooring surface can be renovated by spending a small amount of money by reapplying the coating on the flooring surface.
Click on the link to learn about the types of protective coatings and epoxy and polyurethane Basa Polymer varnishes.
3- Maintenance and cleaning of epoxy flooring
Another point is that not cleaning the floor not only causes scratches but also black lines will be seen on the surface of the floor. These black marks are the result of the penetration of subsequent pollution into the scratches. Of course, even in this case, black lines can be removed by cleaning using suitable detergents for epoxy flooring!
Please note, that choosing the correct epoxy floor cleaning method depends on the type of flooring, the number of flooring layers, and its thickness. To get to know the correct methods of cleaning epoxy flooring, you can refer to the guide for cleaning and maintaining Basapolymer resin flooring.