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Are you thinking about installing epoxy coating on your concrete floors? Well, you need to know the right installation procedures for epoxy floors near me.
Epoxy floors consist of resins and hardeners. They brighten up, protect and update concrete floors in residential, commercial and industrial settings. They are usually rolled in multiple layers thus creating the best floor stretches to withstand scuffing, grease, chemicals and moisture. During application, 2 separate components are blended together before applied on concrete.
As a result, the epoxy coating adheres to the concrete firmly leading to less peeling and chipping unlike other flooring options. Epoxy coatings are also popular because they are durable and non-flammable. They can also withstand power tools and the weight of any heavy vehicles.
If you are looking to install epoxy floors, here are some useful tips to consider.
1. Choose The Right Epoxy
Before application, epoxy coatings come as 2 separate resin-based paints that need to be mixed together.
Here are the different types of epoxy paints and what you need to know before choosing the right one.
• Solid Epoxy – It doesn’t contain any solvents that could evaporate. Solid epoxy is a little tough to handle because it hardens very fast.
• Solvent-based Epoxy – These contain at least 40 – 60% of solids. They penetrate the concrete surface and adhere properly. You can choose from any of the colors available. When applying this type of epoxy, you should always wear a respirator because they are powerful and quite hazardous. Make sure the area is properly ventilated and keep the pets and people away from it.
• Water-based Epoxy – It also contains 40-60% of solids. It’s better because there are no hazardous fumes. It is more popular than solvent-based epoxy because of these benefits.
• Pre-tinted And Metallic Epoxy – It’s the best way to add more decorations to the floors. It can come with colored flakes or speckled patterns depending on your preferences to increase the aesthetic value of your commercial or industrial floors.
2. The Coverage Considerations
Applying an epoxy coating is as simple as applying any other type of paint. Make sure the area to be applied is thoroughly cleaned and patched. You also need to assess how much of the mixture is required to cover the entire area. Start by measuring the square footage of the area to be covered to get the best results.
3. Know The Risks
As much as there are numerous benefits of using epoxy floor coatings, there is a lot of surface cleaning and up front preparation required. Also, the epoxy coating needs to be applied for several layers with each layer requiring curing for at least 12 hours. Make sure the concrete is bone dry with heat of 55 degrees and the air temperatures should be between 60 and 90 degrees.
To complete the application task, you should leave a day for the whole preparation. If you have to patch cracks, fill holes or anything else in the concrete floor, you should take more than a day. Also, the painting requires at least 2 days or more depending on the overall square footage of the area being painted.
Remember, epoxy floors are naturally shinny so they are easy to clean. However, they become very slick when wet. Therefore, you should add anti-skid options to create more traction and avoid slip and falls. Also, there are some concrete surfaces that are not suitable for epoxy coating, especially those that suffer from dampness or those that are sealed. Make sure the concrete is cured for at least 30 days before you can apply any epoxy coating.
4. Cleaning The Concrete Surface
For the best results, you should use a shovel (preferably flat-edged) or a scraper to remove any hardened debris. Don’t forget to vacuum the entire floor. You should also prepare a degreasing/cleaning solution depending on the manufacturer’s instructions. You should wear rubber gloves. Also, use a stiff-bristle brush and use the right solution to scrub off the oil and grease stains.
5. Mixing And Applying The Epoxy Coating
Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions when mixing the epoxy coating. Also, you can use a drill and stir the epoxy coating. If necessary, you can mix any 2 epoxy options for the best look. Make sure they have blended perfectly then you can mix the paint into another bucket.
Start applying from the perimeter and you can use a duct tape to make sure the epoxy coating doesn’t get to the walls. Use a roller to cover the rest of the floor.
Start rolling from the inside going towards the door for the best application procedures. You can use any rolling procedure as long as you don’t find yourself stuck in the middle.
