Epoxy Floor Coating Explained

September 16, 2019

Epoxy is an incredibly versatile floor coating for basement and workshop floors, conference tables, countertops, and even highly detailed artwork. Epoxy is popularly used for floor surface preparation. The coating can be used on numerous foundations and can be applied using different methods.

What Is Epoxy?

Epoxy is a common floor coating used in advanced floor preparation in New England, and elsewhere. Epoxy is a chemical coating made with fillers of different grades, hardeners, and polymers. This type of coating is commonly used to coat floors in commercial and industrial buildings. The coating lasts a long time; can withstand heavy loads without being damaged; and provides a clean, safe surface for workers, equipment, and products. Epoxy can be applied to many surfaces, including wood, steel, and vinyl. Concrete is by far the best surface to apply epoxy to due to the surface being naturally porous.

Benefits of Epoxy

Epoxy creates a glossy surface that brightens up any commercial or industrial space. The coating provides a smooth, durable surface that’s easy to clean and can endure heavy, continuous traffic. The coating is stain-, water-, and chemical-resistant, which is excellent for warehouse and manufacturing plant surfaces. A surface preparation company can apply epoxy in different patterns. An epoxy coating prevents wear and tear on floors and has anti-slip additives that provides extra safety for workers.

Before Preparing and Coating

Epoxy needs a clean, slightly gritty, fully cured surface, or the product won’t seal properly. If you are dealing with an older concrete floor, you might need to test for previous layers of epoxy, sealant, or other products. You can do this by pouring a small amount of water on the floor. If the water soaks into the floor, then you can use epoxy to coat the surface. If there are any cracks or chips in the floor, patch them up before applying the epoxy.

Floor Preparation Methods

According to surface preparation companies, the key to epoxy’s longevity is thoroughly preparing the surface the material will be applied to. There are several methods of surface preparation contractors use before applying epoxy. The lightest form of preparation is sanding. You can sand the surface with a light floor sander and sandpaper of varying grits. This type of surfacing is ideal for recoating your floor with epoxy. The second method is stone grinding, which involves smoothing and evening the floor using an electrical stone grinder. Stone grinding works well on soft concrete.

Diamond grinding is the most versatile method of floor preparation. You can easily switch out diamonds to prepare different floors. Diamond grinders can strip old paint and clean oily patches as well. Shot blasting is a more aggressive method that involves blasting air at extremely high speeds to smooth and even the floor. This surface preparation method is great for high-quality concrete floors. Lastly, scarifying digs into the surface of the floor, providing a deep clean that works great with thick applications of epoxy.

Advanced Prep-Coat, Inc., has more information about epoxy floor preparation that you might want to check out. Contact us by phone today at 1-800-230-2937 or visit our website at www.advancedprepcoat.com.