Epoxy floor coating, which is considered to be a very durable and versatile material, can be used both in industrial and home applications. In industrial applications, it is, for instance, employed in sealing of factory floors and it works as an effective solution in that. For home applications, epoxy floor coating works as a good decorative terrazzo.
When choosing the correct type of epoxy floor coating, it is advisable to have the knowledge about the available options as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each over the other. They are categorized according to the type of fluid the epoxy is mixed with: we have the solvent borne, waterborne, and 100% solid epoxy.
1. Solvent borne epoxy
This is the earliest form of epoxy floor covering before the onset of others and is made by mixing epoxy with a solvent that dries up after application of epoxy. This leaves a hard epoxy coating on the concrete floor. It can be applied into a thin film and produces better built-in cohesiveness, which are some of its advantages over other epoxy floor coatings for concrete. However, the fact that they use solvents means they are associated with some controversies given the volatile nature of solvents: they are flammable and can be toxic when too much of them is inhaled, which is likely because they will be evaporating from floors.
2. Waterborne Epoxy
Waterborne epoxy floor coatings for concrete are made by replacing water with solvents when making the epoxy mixture. It means they are water soluble but are not as reactive as their solvent-based counterparts. This makes them safer to use. Other advantages include ease of application as thin and thick coats and only water is required for cleaning up. They are used for waterproofing concrete and concrete slabs. However, they are considered as more environmental unfriendly than the solvent-based types.
3. 100% Solids Epoxy
This metallic epoxy floor coating is hard to apply because it has no fluid carriers and therefore has a very high viscosity. It also does not produce thin coats or films on flooring. Its versatility, adaptability to numerous applications and the fact that it is not associated with the environmental problems as is the case with solvent and water-based epoxy flooring, are some of the advantages it has. You can use metallic epoxy floor paint also.
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