DISADVANTAGES OF EPOXY FLOORING

Source:www.stonediamondtool.com Date:2020/3/9 Read:280

By Joeb

Epoxy floors are known for their sleek appearance, durable quality and great protection of the floor. But that is not the only thing you should know. There are a few disadvantages of epoxy flooring that are worth considering before you decide to install in your home.

What is Epoxy Flooring?

Epoxy flooring material is made up of two components: resins and hardeners. The resulting material is usually a very rigid plastic material that has advantages including the following:

Highly durable

Very strong

Highly resistant to degradation

Forming strong bonds with base materials such as wood, concrete, and steel.

For most people, the concern with epoxy floors is that they might be toxic. However, what is usually ignored is the fact that the contents of the material are no different from what is found in a normal can of paint we buy from our local building stores.

The biggest advantage with epoxy floors is that you can make a very unique style and design that you’ll never get anywhere else. This is usually achieved through either a coating or a floor. An epoxy floor qualifies to be called so if its thickness is more than 2 mm. If you’re planning anything less than 2 mm thick, then you’re looking at an epoxy coating. Regardless of the type, you might want to consider the disadvantages.

Disadvantages of Epoxy Flooring

Strong toxic fumes

As soon as you start installing an epoxy floor, you’ll notice a strong smell when wet. Sometimes, you may notice the epoxy floor smelling like ammonia as soon as you start applying.

These fumes are toxic and may cause some side effects to anyone near. Some of the common signs and symptoms you’ll experience as a result of inhaling the fumes include inflammation in the nose and eyes, throat and lung irritation. Asthmatic people may have problems breathing.

However, fully cured epoxy floors pose no health risks unless you decide to sand the surface. The dust from sanding should never be inhaled as it contains the component chemicals.

Epoxy takes long to harden completely

It takes several days for an epoxy installation to cure completely. The general rule of thumb is that the floor should be left to dry in warm conditions and the duration should be a long one. A slow curing process yields a very strong, more durable result.

However, this can be a disadvantage especially if you’re installing this floor in a home you already live in. Some installations can take even as long as 30 days to dry and cure completely. This can cause inconveniences to any homeowner who’s not planning to go on holiday during the installation process.

Temporary flooring solution

Epoxy flooring is not a floor on its own. You’ll need to install either steel, concrete, or wooden floor before adding an epoxy on top of it. This coat is merely a temporary flooring solution.

As the coat wears away, you’ll constantly need to install new coats needed frequently. Unlike other flooring solutions, high traffic and heavy impacts wear out epoxy floors. For some people, this is a downside because the costs involved may not be planned for.

Cracks and chips on high impact areas

If you’re planning to install an epoxy floor in your garage or storage areas, prepare to do frequent replacements. Epoxy flooring does not do so well in areas with high impact and traffic. The surface chips and cracks easily, meaning you’ll incur extra costs and labor repairing and fixing the damaged areas.

Very slippery when wet

One serious disadvantage of epoxy flooring is that it can become very slippery especially when wet. In fact, any resinous flooring material is non-porous. This means that it creates a very smooth surface that becomes dangerous when wet or when there’s oil on the surface.

Homes with kids, the elderly, and even pets can pose a huge hazard to these vulnerable groups when epoxy flooring and the coating is installed. However, there are mitigation measures that can be applied to make epoxy flooring less slippery. These measures are, unfortunately, an additional cost. They may include the following:

Using silica sand on the final coating when installing to create resistance.

Adding an aluminum oxide additive to the epoxy material to get the maximum grip.

Adding Shark Grip to the final coating for texturing and adding resistance to the floor.

Purchasing containment mats

Some of these methods are an extra cost. Others such as containment mats may not be very attractive if you’re planning to install a designer epoxy flooring for the purpose of beautification.

Tedious installation process

Preparing the existing floor for the installation of epoxy coating or flooring is very tedious. Removal of grease, oils, or any sort of solvents, for example, must be done on concrete floors for proper installation of epoxy coatings.

Another sensitive disadvantage of epoxy flooring is that it requires the installation process to be done exactly according to instructions. For example, the humidity levels must be low enough for you to install an epoxy floor. If you do not take note of this, moisture usually ends up damaging your floor, affecting the durability of your floor in the end.

Any amount of moisture trapped inside the flooring material can cause serious damage to the epoxy installation as it dries. For example, when trapped moisture starts to evaporate, it can cause buckling, warping and even bulging on the surface as the flooring material dries.

When this occurs, you may incur extra costs re-installing your epoxy coating or flooring, doing re-touches, and refinishing to prevent visible flaws on the surface.

It takes a lot of effort to prepare concrete floors for the installation of epoxy. Getting rid of all the moisture and cleaning can be very tedious tasks before applying epoxy material on the surface. In some cases, you’ll find small particles still trapped beneath the application of epoxy. These usually become the origin of cracks in the future.