The Pros and Cons of Epoxy Flooring

Are you thinking about laying an epoxy floor on your residential, commercial, or industrial property? If so, it’s essential to weigh up the pros and cons of epoxy flooring, as it’s a popular and practical flooring solution, but it’s not suitable for every surface. 

Below is a comprehensive list of epoxy flooring advantages and disadvantages to help you decide if it’s the ideal flooring solution for your property.

Pros of Epoxy Flooring

Appearance:

When compared to other flooring materials such as concrete, epoxy flooring looks bright and noteworthy. Whether laid in a commercial, industrial, or residential setting, the smooth and even surface of epoxy flooring is one of its most attractive properties.

Affordability/Economical:

Given its incredible versatility, great appearance, and various other benefits, the cost of epoxy flooring makes it an economical choice for small and large spaces alike. Depending on the type of resin you install, an Epoxy floor can cost as little as £20 per m2. 

Easily Customisable:

Epoxy floors are easy to customise, meaning you can add a range of features, designs, patterns, or even logos to be in keeping with the aesthetics of your property. You can also lay epoxy flooring in a range of colours and add it to various surfaces, making it an excellent flooring surface to work with if you’re looking for something slightly different.

Easy to Clean:

One of the most widely appreciated benefits of epoxy flooring is it’s easy to clean and maintain. Due to its composition, it is spill, water, and even chemical resistant, and most spillages can easily be wiped or mopped up without much hassle. Epoxy floors are often laid at commercial and industrial properties because they’re so easy to clean.

Damage Resistant:

Very few things can damage an epoxy floor, making it an ideal surface for sites with heavy traffic. Whether oil, gas, bleach, transmission fluid, various chemicals, or grease, your epoxy floor won’t be permanently damaged by a spillage. It’s perhaps for this reason that you see epoxy floors laid in car showrooms, factories, and other commercial and industrial buildings.

Weather-withstanding:

Although an attractive floor solution for indoor properties, epoxy can also be laid outdoors. Epoxy and resin are weather withstanding and won’t be irreparably damaged under any condition. Again, this makes it an excellent option for industrial or commercial properties that have outdoor and indoor spaces. 

Durable:

Dew flooring surfaces can rival epoxy when it comes to durability. Thanks to its robust composition, epoxy flooring is exceptionally durable and will stand the test of time without sustaining significant damage. Even in the busiest factories and industrial settings, epoxy floors will last several years without needing to be replaced or repaired. 

Protective:

Because epoxy flooring is typically laid directly on top of concrete, it protects the surface underneath from water damage, spills, stains, and cracks. Essentially, epoxy protects the structural integrity of your property and reduces the impact of any long-term damage being inflicted underneath the top layer of your floor.

Safe:

Epoxy flooring has anti-slip properties and is considered an extremely safe flooring solution. It also enhances visibility when installed, as light is reflected off its surface. Overall, epoxy is a perfect flooring option for safety-conscious employers. 

Cons of Epoxy Flooring

Temporary:

Although one of the benefits of epoxy flooring is that it is durable and long-lasting, it is still only a temporary flooring solution. Eventually, you will have to replace epoxy, as general wear and tear will take its toll. As such, it shouldn’t be regarded as a flooring solution that will last forever. 

Slippery when Wet:

Epoxy flooring has anti-slip properties, but it does become dangerous when specific contaminants are spilt on the surface, such as oil. If your property is prone to oil spills or will be regularly wet or damp, epoxy flooring might not be the best solution and may become dangerous for workers. 

Preparation Time:

Before laying an epoxy flooring, a lot of preparation is required. The concrete surface needs to be thoroughly cleaned and free of grease or other spillages. You also need to fill any cracks and treat any other damaged areas of the floor. Granted, preparation is required before laying any type of floor surface, but it’s worth noting that the prep time for epoxy flooring is cumbersome. 

Application:

Don’t expect to be able to lay epoxy flooring in a day. Applying epoxy coating is time-consuming, and it takes several days to dry before an additional coat can be added. Some epoxy floors can take 7-10 days to cure and dry, which means significant downtime for your business if you need to use the space. 

Toxic Fumes:

After it has been laid, epoxy gives off unpleasant toxic fumes. Darker shades of epoxy flooring smell particularly bad and tend to give off an ammonia smell once they have cured. 

Sensitivity:

Epoxy flooring needs to be laid by professionals, as it needs to be applied according to precise directions. When laid inexpertly, epoxy flooring will be less resistant and won’t last as long as you would hope. Epoxy is also sensitive to scratches, which aren’t easy to remove. 

Adherence:

For epoxy flooring to adhere to the surface on which it is being laid, the temperature and humidity must be conducive. If the space is too moist or damp, your epoxy flooring will peel off, so you need to plan its installation carefully.

Ongoing Costs:

Once laid, it’s advisable to use special cleaning acids and other chemicals to maintain epoxy flooring, which increase the cost of maintaining the surface. 

Difficult to Remove:

Perhaps the single most significant drawback of epoxy flooring is the fact that it’s notoriously difficult to remove once it has been laid. Pulling up epoxy flooring is a considerable undertaking and will require a significant investment in labour and tools to do it satisfactorily. 

As you can see, there are lots of pros and cons of epoxy flooring. Thanks to its durability, appearance, and relative affordability, it’s widely used in commercial and industrial environments. But that being said, you will need to consider the disadvantages of epoxy flooring before installing it at your property, or you could be relying on a flooring surface that isn’t fit for purpose.