Most facility managers aim to strike a perfect balance between project cost and performance quality when it comes to flooring applications. In the case of epoxy coatings, although they are the most popular choice in floor coating solutions, there is a trick to the use of epoxy formulations that will help achieve the cost-benefit balance.
For example, a gallon of cheap epoxy coatings may suffer in performance when compared to a gallon of pricier but quality epoxy. The formulation may be thinner and can only cover a smaller, as compared to a thicker formulation that can cover more surface area with the same amount. The trick is not to let pure budgetary concerns be the sole deciding factor in choosing the epoxy coatings product to use.
Another consideration is the importance of proper surface preparation. Even with the best-quality coatings, a coatings failure is imminent when surface preparation is neglected. Any coatings system can weaken when a layer of dust, oil and grease are lodged in the surface before application.
Advantages of Epoxy Coatings
Facility floors are the most heavily-used areas of the facility. The coatings system should therefore provide strong and long-term protection from the heavy loads. As a first line of floor defense, epoxy coatings provide muscle-and-brawn to the flooring system. Here are the abilities of epoxy-based coatings that make them the logical choice in many industrial and commercial facility floors:
- Highly resistant to chemical spillage and toxic materials released on floors.
- Eliminates concrete “sweating” when moisture seeps out of concrete slabs.
- Prevents dust and dirt particles from staying and accumulating on floor surfaces.
- Increases skid resistance of floor surfaces.
- Serves as a decorative concrete floor finish for beautiful floors.
The Best Epoxy-based Coatings Solutions
For creating appealing floors, epoxy-based coatings combined with aggregates of sand or quartz deliver the best results. The effects are stunning as well as functional. The coatings system provides good skid resistance. When epoxy systems are topped with colorful abrasives, the same beauty and function is achieved. And when these coatings are used as top-coats or sealers, the final dual-coat floor systems provide durability to withstand even the heaviest of physical impacts.
Epoxy coatings are so flexible that when applied as single-coat systems and minus the sand or abrasive aggregates, they are also perfect for floors exposed to lesser loads. The resulting smoother and glossier finish may be sprinkled instead with fine sand or pellets on the top layer, to remove the risk of slippage due to smoother floors.
Another versatile application of epoxy-based coatings is as a green flooring application minus the toxic solvents. Certain epoxy formulations release no fumes and have lower or zero VOCs. Solvent-less epoxies have even thickness either wet or dry, because no solvents are trapped within to create surface voids and indentations.
Summing up, epoxy coatings offer some of the most durable and flexible solutions to facility floors. However, it still requires some careful planning when it comes to product choice, due to budget considerations and the long-term effect to the facility.
