What Is Epoxy Flooring? Your Complete Guide

04/28/2022

What if you could have floors that look great and are easy to clean?

For homeowners and business owners, this has always been a dream. Fortunately, you can turn that dream into a reality with epoxy flooring.

But what is epoxy? How does the epoxy flooring process work, and why is it the best bet for your home or business? Keep reading to discover the answers!

Understanding Epoxy

What is epoxy? Technically, “epoxy” refers to anything created as a polymer of epoxides. Therefore, “epoxy” may refer to materials as varied as paint, plastic, and adhesive.

Epoxy is also considered a resin. And not just any resin: as it turns out, epoxy is the world’s highest-strength resin!

Its general durability is what makes epoxy floor coating such a popular choice all around the world. However, we would never be able to have epoxy flooring or other epoxy applications if not for the pioneering work of a certain Swiss scientist.

The Weird History of Epoxy

Where does epoxy come from? Way back in 1936, Swiss scientist Pierre Castan cured phthalic acid anhydride and created the world’s first synthetic epoxy.

It took some time to perfect the commercial applications of this new discovery. But by 1946, epoxy was getting sold at an industry fair in Switzerland. And it didn’t take long before epoxy was being sold all around the world!

Due to the durability we mentioned before, epoxy became popular in industries such as construction and roofing. And epoxy soon became a mainstay of the aerospace and defense industries.

The epoxy we mostly use today comes from the innovations of American scientist Dr. Sylvan Greenlee. By reacting both epichlorohydrin and Bisphenol A, he created the world’s most popular commercial resin! 

How Epoxy Actually Works

The good news is that you don’t have to be a scientist to understand how epoxy works. The process is very simple and very fascinating!

Epoxy comes from the curing process. “Curing” means that we have combined various chemical agents with epoxides. Those epoxides help to harden the resin and give epoxy its famous durability.

When the smoke clears, we are left with an epoxy made up of thermoset polymers. Thanks to these polymers, epoxy has both the durability and resistance you want out of floor coating along with a few other great benefits!

What Is Epoxy Flooring?

Epoxy flooring is a process in which a surface is coated with a resin first and then a hardener. Special additives added during this process give the coating qualities like higher resistance that are ideal for a floor.

In fact, these additives are part of the versatility that homeowners and business owners love about epoxy flooring. Depending on the additives in question, you can create a floor resistant to abrasion, chemicals, and slipping. You can also experiment with higher or lower viscosity flooring and even different aesthetic appearances.

At the end of the day, epoxy floor coating is so popular because it gives you so many different options. This ensures that you’ll be happy with the final product!

Benefits of Epoxy Flooring

Still not sure whether you want epoxy flooring? To help you make a decision, we’re going to review the different benefits of epoxy floor coating.

Visually, many love epoxy flooring because it has a shiny appearance. These surfaces are easy to clean and also make it easy to find anything on the ground. For this reason, epoxy is a very popular garage floor coating.

Financially, epoxy is very affordable compared to other flooring options. When you combine a low epoxy floor cost with high epoxy durability, it’s easy to see that you’re getting a lot of value for your money.

And in terms of durability, you can count on epoxy flooring to withstand just about anything. For this reason, it is often used in areas with high traffic, heavy lifting, or even sensitive experiments. You’ll find this flooring hard to damage and very easy to clean, and that’s quite the combination.

The Epoxy Flooring Process

The epoxy flooring process involves multiple steps. The first step is grinding down the floor concrete of the surface and ensuring it is ready for the epoxy coating. To get the surface clean enough, you will need to shot blast, grind, and scarify the surface.

Next, the surface must be primed. Priming is relatively simple, but unless you get the primer deep into the surface, the epoxy may not hold as you intended.

The next step involves putting epoxy into all of the holes and cracks in the floor. Afterward, you may need to do a little more grinding, sanding, and relayering. The floor should now absorb modest amounts of water you pour on it; if not, it is not yet ready for the next phase.

The next phase involves coating the floor with epoxy that has been mixed with the chemical hardeners. You may once again need to clear any visible dirt or dust off of the surface so the final result looks good.

Best Left to the Pros

As you can tell, epoxy flooring has many great qualities. But here’s one quality it doesn’t have: for most homeowners or business owners, this is not a very DIY-friendly process!

It can be difficult to clean and prepare a surface for epoxy and even more difficult to combine the right chemical hardeners for the intended effect. On top of that, the curing process requires an intimate understanding of heating and chemical reactions.

Long story short? When you want epoxy flooring, it’s best to hire a professional!

Get Your Epoxy Floors Today

Now you have an answer to the question “what is epoxy flooring?” But do you know who can help you get the flooring you want at the price you deserve?

Here at Blackhawk Coatings, we specialize in helping homeowners and business owners achieve the floors they’ve been dreaming of. If you’re ready to bring your own dreams to life, just contact us today!

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