Benefits of Epoxy Flooring

Epoxy flooring is a popular choice when considering flooring options for your business, thanks to its resilience and durability. Epoxy can be installed over existing industrial and commercial flooring, including concrete, tile or wood, and can even correct faults and protect uncoated floors from further damage.

What is Epoxy Flooring?

Epoxy flooring is a hard-wearing, fast curing and stable floor surface added as an additional layer to an existing industrial flooring base. It is created using a two-part mixture of resin and hardener. It creates a chemical reaction that seals and bonds to the base substrate and sets as a hard plastic when mixed. Epoxy flooring is an ideal solution for floors that must withstand the use of heavy machinery, continued exposure to chemicals and extreme temperatures and constant foot traffic from employees and customers.

The Benefits of Epoxy Flooring

Below, we look at some of the main benefits of epoxy flooring to discover why so many business owners choose epoxy floors for their workspaces.

Resistant

To Stains and Water

One of the most appealing benefits of epoxy flooring is its ability to resist stains from accidents, spillages and flooding. In addition, once installed, the seamless bond it creates protects from water damage and warping that would permanently damage other flooring types such as wood, VCT and laminate.

To Shock

This hardy flooring method is also shock resistant, so sudden impact, such as falling stock or heavy tools, will not damage the floor surface. Crashes, bumps and collisions that would typically crack, chip or erode other flooring types over time is no longer a worry with epoxy flooring.

To Heat

A cured epoxy floor also benefits from being heat resistant. Higher grade epoxy floors can withstand temperatures above 200 degrees Fahrenheit, making them ideal for use in commercial kitchens and bakeries.

To Chemicals

Epoxy flooring is resistant to stains and damage caused by chemicals.
In addition, the nonporous nature of epoxy resin makes it difficult for chemicals to adhere to it, which makes dealing with chemical spillages more straightforward and safer for employees.

Durability

Epoxy resin is arguably the toughest flooring solution you can get. Its durable and protective qualities ensure that it will last for years, enduring much longer than tile, wood and even uncoated concrete flooring. The strength of the epoxy compound not only protects against damage from shock impact and wear and tear but can also withstand substantial weight. Most epoxy flooring is more than three times stronger than concrete making it an ideal flooring solution for industries using heavy machinery.

As it is nonporous and seals to the edges of rooms, it also has the added benefit of protecting the durability of the base flooring underneath.

Appearance

Epoxy resin sets as a smooth, shiny and seamless coating, giving otherwise dull and damaged flooring a new lease of life. Epoxy flooring can even cover and strengthen existing defects in the base flooring layer.

Reduces Damage to Machinery

As previously mentioned, epoxy resin is a great flooring option for businesses using heavy machinery due to its durability and strength. Its smooth and seamless surface can also significantly reduce the damage sustained to vehicles and transport that travel over it. In addition, businesses can make sizeable savings on maintenance and repairs as general wear and tear are vastly reduced.

Covering existing flooring, such as concrete, with an epoxy resin can also reduce the damage to machinery caused by dust and other particles.

Attractive Work Surface

Many business owners choose epoxy flooring as an attractive flooring solution for their space. It is available in a wide range of textures and colours and can even include decorative pieces of quartz or be applied with a metallic finish. Epoxy resin can completely transform a workspace and give it a professional, high-quality finish.

Safe Working Environment

Epoxy resin comes in a range of colour options making it ideal for spaces that require colour designated zones, machinery paths, walkways and loading bays. Businesses can also choose from a wide range of markings and stencils to highlight important health and safety areas such as fire exits, out of bounds areas and pedestrian pathways.
Its high gloss finish reflects light to boost and illuminate large or dark spaces and increases visibility for employees and customers, providing a safer working environment.

An anti-slip mix or topcoat is also available to provide more traction and reduce the risk of accidents and slipping.

Fast Application

A significant benefit of epoxy flooring is that it’s relatively quick and easy to install. As a result, businesses will not need to stop production for an extended time, as they would be with other flooring installations.

Easy to Clean

Due to its smooth and seamless finish, an epoxy floor is extremely easy to keep clean. As mentioned previously, applying it to a base floor, such as concrete, seals away dust and other particles that would otherwise circulate and create extra cleaning duties.
Due to its ability to correct damage and defects in existing flooring, epoxy resin ensures there are no cracks, crevices or pores in which dirt and debris can collect. The structure of epoxy resin means that dirt, grime, and even bacteria have a hard time adhering to its surface. Antibacterial mixes and topcoats are available to improve environmental cleanliness in settings such as hospitals.

Everyday cleaning equipment such as a hoover, mop or broom can effortlessly and efficiently clean an area covered by an epoxy coating.

Easy Maintenance

Epoxy resin benefits from being an exceptionally easily maintainable choice of flooring. The seamless nature of the compound ensures that no flaking, peeling or chipping will occur during its lifetime.
The initial cost of epoxy resin flooring is easily offset by the finished product’s reduced maintenance costs and longevity.

Safety

Any business owner will tell you that safety is their number one priority when considering the working environments they provide for their employees.

The fumes emitted during the curing process are safe if your installation professional follows the basic precautions and ventilates the area accordingly. Once cured, the epoxy flooring is entirely safe and usable. It is essential to ensure that safeguards implemented by the installation professional are observed and adhered to during the curing process.

Eco-Friendly

Epoxy floors benefit the people and working space they are installed into and have many positive benefits for the environment.
The materials used in epoxy resin production are free from harmful substances, and the manufacturing process is minimal.
While other flooring methods require excessive tools and machinery for installation purposes, epoxy flooring uses nominal installation equipment.
Due to its longevity and durability, epoxy flooring needs replacing far less often than other flooring options. This vastly reduces the burden on the environment from continued material sourcing and pollutant from the installation process.

There is also no need to use harsh chemicals and cleaning products with an epoxy floor, as the surface is nonporous and easy to clean and maintain.

Cost-Effective

So, just how much is epoxy flooring? The initial price of epoxy flooring can seem quite steep. However, considering all the benefits mentioned above, it’s easy to see why many businesses view it as a cost-effective flooring solution.

When comparing epoxy floors to other types of flooring, its cost per square foot is relatively moderate. Possibly the biggest perk when considering the initial price of epoxy resin is that it won’t need replacing for many years and requires little to no maintenance in that time. The initial epoxy flooring cost can easily be offset by the long term money saved on machinery maintenance, cleaning materials and lighting costs.