Epoxy coating can take anywhere from a few days to a full week to fully cure. During this time, your garage or business is out of commission.
This is a big reason why it’s important to work with experienced professionals. The size and dimensions of your floor can impact overall costs, allowing for economies of scale and accurate material estimates. To ensure your floors remain durable and visually appealing, it’s a wise decision to invest in durable and stylish flooring services, which can significantly reduce long-term maintenance costs and enhance the aesthetic value of your space.
Poor Preparation
While it is common to try to save money on any project, attempting to use a cheap epoxy can cost you a lot more in the long run. Many budget-brand epoxy resins have ingredients that aren’t compliant with safety standards. As such, they may contain contaminants that can cause severe allergic reactions in people who normally wouldn’t be affected by resin.
In addition, low-cost epoxy products are formulated with inferior raw materials. As such, they require more maintenance and are more likely to crack or soften over time. This leads to additional treatments, premature refresh coatings, and costly repairs. Moreover, they typically don’t last as long as premium products, leading to a greater number of wasted man hours and unbudgeted expenses.
For example, many low-cost epoxy resins are water-based and have a short lifespan in industrial environments. These products are designed to be easy to apply, but they don’t hold up to forklifts or withstand chemical exposure as well as high-quality epoxies. In addition, they aren’t as abrasion-resistant as premium epoxies and have a limited temperature range.
Additionally, these budget-brand epoxies can be damaged by high temperatures, which is a huge problem in many industrial facilities. Using a high-quality epoxy with a low-temperature cure is essential to prevent damage and to maintain the longevity of the product.
Another issue that can be caused by using a low-cost epoxy is improper surface preparation. Before installing epoxy, any existing concrete should be thoroughly cleaned and prepped with abrasive media like shot blasting or diamond grinding. This process removes dirt and corrosion from the surface and creates an even surface that is ready for application of an epoxy coating.
Poor Quality Epoxy
There’s no doubt that choosing the correct epoxy resin is essential to a successful flooring project. However, the fact is that not all epoxy resins are created equal. There are low-quality epoxy brands that offer a lower upfront cost but are much more likely to break down or require excessive maintenance over time.
The primary reason for this is that cheaper epoxy resins often cut corners by using impure chemicals and filler ingredients to save money. As a result, they tend to produce results that don’t last and may even be hazardous to health. This is especially true if the chemicals aren’t listed or aren’t known. Low-quality epoxy releases mild fumes that can irritate sensitive lungs and skin, and even cause redness and rashes (though this is less common).
When applied improperly, low-quality epoxy also fails to fully “wet out” the concrete substrate. This causes air pockets that can lead to delamination and other problems down the road. Professionals use thicker epoxy coatings than DIY kits, ensuring that they fully saturate the concrete surface and create a durable, long-lasting surface.
Another reason why choosing a high-quality epoxy resin is important is that it’s more likely to be produced in a way that meets quality standards. Many if not most of the lower-cost epoxy products are produced in nations with laxer labor and safety standards. This makes sense from a financial perspective, but it’s not good for the longevity of your industrial floors or your health.
A final note on this subject is that customization of your floor’s color, pattern, or design will add to the total installation cost. This is because custom features require a significant amount of material and labor to install.
Poor Adhesion
Epoxy resins are incredibly versatile. You can find them in everything from etching copper tracks on wristbands used by fitness trackers to coating floors. Epoxies are like chameleons, changing their composition depending on what they need to do.
However, that versatility is also what makes them pricey. Epoxies use expensive raw materials, require skilled labor and precision to apply, and must be marketed to consumers. Because of this, they tend to be more costly than other types of flooring materials.
Another factor that contributes to the price of epoxy is its sensitivity to temperature. It needs to be applied in a warm environment to dry properly. This can be challenging for businesses that can’t afford to shut down their operations while the floor is coated. To overcome this, some companies opt to do a phased approach where they coat areas of the facility before or after business hours. However, this can create noticeable transition lines between coated and uncoated areas.
One of the biggest reasons for epoxy failure is contamination of the concrete substrate. Grease, oil, paint, wax, and other chemicals will affect the epoxy’s ability to bond with the slab. Additionally, moisture in the slab (or in the form of water migrating through the concrete) can also lead to adhesion failure.
Using a low-quality epoxy will also result in poor performance. A cheap epoxy will wear down faster, which means that you’ll need to apply more coats or touch-ups sooner. Investing in a high-quality epoxy up front will save you time, money, and headaches down the road.
Poor Durability
Epoxy coatings require significant work to install and cure, which makes them pricier than other types of flooring. This is due to the fact that they are made with high-priced raw materials, demand skilled labor and precision, and are often manufactured in nations where such costs are higher.
Another factor that contributes to the price of epoxy is that it needs to be properly mixed and matched with hardener before application. If the ratio between resin and hardener is off, the resulting floor will not be able to set correctly or hold up to abrasion. This may result in air bubbles, unevenness and discoloration.
Aside from mixing and matching, it is important to apply epoxy in the right temperatures. Too hot or too cold, and the floor won’t harden properly. This can cause damage that will require expensive repair and reapplication.
Using the wrong type of epoxy or choosing a product that isn’t designed for your specific material can also result in poor durability. For example, if you use an epoxy designed for wood floors in a metal garage, the surface will crack and melt under the heat of car tires. This can cost you thousands of dollars in repairs or replacements.
Another way that an incorrectly chosen or applied epoxy can cost you is by making your business unusable for extended periods of time. Some epoxy products have lengthy curing and drying times, which can require your facility to shut down for a period of days while the floor is in the process. In such cases, businesses can choose to use a phased approach by applying the epoxy in sections and returning to each section once it has fully cured.
Poor Maintenance
When you invest in high-quality epoxy coating, it provides a surface that’s tough against impacts and resists moisture, stains, abrasions, and other damage. However, you must also invest time and effort in proper maintenance.
Scrubbing frequency varies, depending on the soilage that typically plagues your floor. For example, high-traffic areas may require daily scrubbing with a scrub brush or mechanized scrubber. Using gentle cleaning solutions or pH-neutral cleaners is recommended. Avoid abrasive cleaners and stiff brushes, as they can scratch the epoxy and degrade the protective layer. If you’re using a mechanized system, consider investing in a scrubbing pad that minimizes scratches on the epoxy surface.
Epoxy surfaces must be cleaned frequently to prevent contamination from bacteria, fungus, and other harmful pathogens. They must be regularly sanitized to ensure safety and create a positive environment for your employees, customers, or residents.
Some people think they can save money by purchasing a cheap DIY epoxy resin kit. However, the quality of these products cannot compare to professionally-installed systems. They’re often not durable enough to resist the abrasions of heavy machinery or foot traffic, as well as the effects of heat and water vapor.
Many DIY products also fail to bond well with concrete. This causes them to peel and chip over time. Professionally-installed epoxy, on the other hand, offers a strong bond with concrete that lasts for years. Choosing the right product for your facility’s needs ensures the longevity of your investment. In addition, choosing the most durable option allows you to reduce future costs by avoiding costly repairs and replacements. This is particularly important for high-traffic areas like warehouses and retail stores. For the best results, choose a 100% solid epoxy, which is more expensive than other options but offers unparalleled durability.
