If you have ever considered an epoxy coating for your home or business, then you have some options for flooring. First, let’s talk about what epoxy is, and then we will cover where it is used as well as the benefits of choosing epoxy flooring in Austin, Texas.
What is an Epoxy Coating?
Epoxy refers to a substance made from a combination of two or more substances that form a resin. In this case, it refers to a two-part liquid material with a hardening agent added. When combined together, the liquid materials create a chemical reaction that turns into an extremely strong substance. This strong substance can be used on the floors of homes and businesses both inside and outside.
These durable surfaces can then be used as a coating for many other surfaces. The chemical compounds that make up the epoxy are non-porous, allowing it to form a very strong bond to whatever surface you apply it to. This makes it an excellent choice for flooring because it will not peel or chip away during use and will create a hard surface that can handle a lot of wear and tear.
Types of Epoxy Coatings
There are various types of epoxy coatings to choose from. The epoxy that will work best in your space can be determined by the amount of foot traffic you receive, the type of surface you are covering, and whether you want to apply it yourself or hire a professional company to do it for you.
Metallic Epoxy Floors: These floors have a metal flake mixed inside the base epoxy to create a reflective effect. In Austin, metallic floors are typically used as garage flooring because they can handle extremely heavy use and withstand very high temperatures. However, it is also possible to use these coatings for indoor spaces as well.
Flake Epoxy Floors: In addition to a base epoxy, these floors contain a flake inside. This type of epoxy has more shine and reflects light better than the metallic option. Flake floors are used similarly to their metal cousins but can also be found in some indoor spaces as well.
Textured Epoxy Floors: As the name implies, textured coatings have an uneven surface that results in tiny ridges running across the flooring material. This type of epoxy is more visually appealing than the other options because it creates an interesting design that is different for each application. Textured floors are more of an indoor style of flooring, but they can also be used outdoors in some cases.
Epoxy Mortar Floor: This type of epoxy is a combination of mortar and wax. This mixture gives it a slightly rough surface that can be applied to the top layer of cement in order to create an interesting design similar to textured coatings.
Self-Leveling Epoxy: Self-leveling coatings are not actually part of the epoxy family, but they do technically use chemicals and resins as epoxies do. These types of coatings contain polymers that react with water and spread out across the floor until the desired level has been achieved before hardening into its final state.
Quartz-Filled Epoxy: Finally, quartz-filled epoxies contain real crushed quartz that has been mixed in with the base material. This creates a much more translucent and solid coating than other coats because of its extremely high concentration of hard materials.
Where is Epoxy Flooring Used?
There are several places where epoxy flooring is installed in Austin homes and businesses. Of course, if your home or building has a garage attached, there is going to be more foot traffic moving through that section of the structure than anywhere else except for maybe the kitchen or bathroom. That means that anything from the garage to the kitchen to the bathrooms in your home might benefit from epoxy flooring.
Now let’s talk about where you can use an epoxy coating outside of homes and businesses. Places like warehouses, garages, farm buildings, car washes, parking lots, stadiums are common for epoxy coatings – basically, anywhere you need a tough flooring that can handle heavy traffic. Anywhere that needs to be protected from moisture is also a good candidate for an epoxy coat.
What are the Benefits of Choosing Epoxy Floor Coatings?
Epoxy floors offer three major benefits over other types of floor coverings: they are chemical resistant, oil-resistant, and heat resistant. So if you install an epoxy coating onto your garage floor, for example, you will not have to worry about spills and messes causing damage or ruining your floor. You can simply wipe up the spill and keep going.
Heat resistance is also a major benefit of epoxy floors over other types of flooring. Because epoxy contains such strong chemical compounds, it can handle high temperatures much easier than softer materials like concrete or wood. This makes it the perfect choice for areas where there is a lot of heat that could potentially cause damage to the surface below. Some additional benefits of epoxy include:
- Long-lasting durability
- Chemical, oil, and abrasion-resistant
- A non-porous coating that is resistant to mold and mildew growth
- Resistant to damage from chemicals, moisture, or high heat
- Ability to be used for a variety of purposes including on walls as well as floors
- Customizable with various color options and choices
Epoxy floor coatings offer a superior installation over other types of flooring. They are chemical resistant, able to handle high temperatures much easier than other materials, non-porous, so it resists damage from spills and other messes. In addition, the strong chemical compounds allow an epoxy floor to absorb less liquid than less durable surfaces, which not only protects your floor but also helps keep things dry in the event of a spill or if something gets dropped on the floor.
If you are looking for a non-slip surface that can be custom colored to match any decor, look no further than epoxy coatings. This strong and durable material is ideal for use in garages, warehouses, bathrooms, kitchens, parking lots – anywhere where durability is needed without sacrificing the overall look and feel.
Epoxy coatings are also environmentally safe, which makes them an excellent choice for protecting the surfaces of your home or business while still staying eco-friendly. For more information about choosing epoxy floors in Austin homes or businesses, contact our team at Epoxy Flooring Austin today. We offer free estimates on our services!