Epoxy Coatings
When you are considering a floor coating system, Epoxy tends to be the most popular seamless flooring solution in both the Commercial and Industrial markets.
An Epoxy coating system consists of a polymer and a co-polymer (or a resin and hardener), that when properly mixed together, permanently crosslink and transform from a liquid to a solid...very similar to a hard piece of plastic.
Since it is applied as a liquid and then hardens, it transforms into a seamless, solid material, and is often referred to as "Seamless Flooring". This is an ideal type of floor system for laboratories, clean rooms, restrooms, and kitchens, since there are no places for dirt, germs and bacteria to hide.
Epoxy offers several advantages as a floor coating system, the most important is Epoxy's natural adhesive properties that allow it to form a tenacious bond to properly prepared concrete. Even customers who are considering a Urethane or other coating system as their "final wear" surface, will elect to go with Epoxy as the "primer", due to it's wonderful adhesive properties.
Epoxy coating systems come in a number of colors and different textures, such as:
* High Gloss
* Orange Peel
OR
* Flat Finish
Epoxy Coating Systems can be
* Water-Based
* Solvent-Borne
OR
* 100% Epoxy Flooring Systems
and can be installed with little or no VOC's (volatile organic content), thereby making them eco-friendly and ideal where people, product and food exposure is present. Inasmuch, there will be no fear of odor contamination or disruption to production in nearby areas.
Epoxy Coating Systems are sometimes loaded with fillers, such as, sand, colored quartz, paint chips, glitter and other innovative ideas in order to produce decorative effects or to simply "spruce up" the coating thickness.
Certain Epoxy Coating Systems are engineered to harden at substantial thickness, which makes them excellent for repairing damaged, existing concrete flooring.
If Epoxies have a disadvantage, it is that they become extremely hard and continue to harden over the life of the coating system. While hardness may seem like a desirable characteristic, Epoxy Coating Systems can be very easy to scratch and chip. Even normal and regular foot traffic on an Epoxy Floor can produce millions of micro-abrasions, which over time, can "dull" and "cloud" the finish...this can cause the floor to look prematurely old and worn. It is primarily, for that reason, most customers and architects choose to topcoat Epoxy with a more "abrasion-resistant" material, such as Urethane, in order to maximize the image and life of the floor.
Although Epoxy is one of the most popular seamless flooring systems we install, beware of a "one-size-fits-all" flooring material. Original Floors works closely with our clients to select a flooring solution to meet their needs, based on their specific environment.
