Epoxy floors are becoming more popular by the day. They are by far the most versatile flooring option, not only in terms of design, but also in terms of special properties. Epoxy coatings can have different compositions in order to meet special business needs like intense traffic, special sanitary requirements or resistance to harsh chemicals. As you can imagine, this makes them ideal for most industrial and commercial spaces. However, there are some people who have had bad experiences with these floors. In most cases, the problems were caused by some basic installation mistakes. Here’s what usually goes wrong;
The epoxy coat is installed on a bad surface
First of all, epoxy coatings need to be installed on a porous surface. Concrete is the preferred choice, but any other porous surface can work just as well. Moreover, even if you have a porous surface to begin with, you still need to prep it properly. The surface needs to be washed and vacuumed to remove all dirt, after which, it needs to be allowed enough time to dry completely. If the initial surface is not dry enough, the moisture will remain trapped underneath the epoxy coat, since epoxy flooring doesn’t breathe at all. Once it starts evaporating, it will cause bubbles and other damages in the epoxy coat. Ideally, you should hire professional contractors to install these floors, because they have the proper equipment for prepping the initial surface and for installing the epoxy coat.
A poor substrate
It is very common to install epoxy flooring on old concrete slabs. However, while age is not a problem for the substrate surface, a poor-quality concrete can ruin your epoxy floors. This can sometimes happen if the epoxy bond is stronger than the concrete, in which case, the concrete will start separating from itself, completely ruining the epoxy floors. Moreover, if you are dealing with another type of substrate, other than concrete, make sure it is suitable for epoxy coatings. As we already mentioned, most porous surfaces can work, but there are some substrates that would never work such as wood or plywood.
Primer mistakes
In an effort to save some money, people often choose cheap primers, or they decide to take a risk and they don’t use any primer at all. However, just like paint, epoxy coats require a good primer in order to adhere properly, and that primer should match the specific requirements of the substrate.
