Their durability and non-flammable nature make epoxy-coated floors a good choice for garages and basement workspaces. They are strong enough to withstand dropped power tools, carry the weight of rolling and parked cars, and stand up to spills of all kinds. In fact, when properly applied, epoxy floor finishes can endure for as long as 20 years.
How to Choose the Right Epoxy
Epoxy floor paints are tough, resin-based paints that come in two separate parts mixed together before applying. There are three different types of epoxy paint: solid, solvent-base, and water-base. Solid epoxy: Epoxy that is solid is the purest form. It doesn’t contain solvents that evaporate. These products are expensive, and difficult to handle, because they harden very rapidly. This finish should be applied by a professional. Solvent-base epoxy: Solvent-base epoxies contain 40-60% solids. They penetrate the concrete surface and adhere well. They are available in a wide range of colors. Because the solvents are powerful and potentially hazardous, you must wear a respirator when applying the finish. You’ll also need to ventilate the garage and keep people and pets away from the area. Water-base epoxy: Like solvent-base epoxies, water-base epoxies also contain 40-60% solids. The benefit of this type of epoxy is having no hazardous solvent fumes. These epoxy finishes are sold at most home centers and hardware stores and are becoming increasingly popular alternatives to solvent-based finishes. Pre-tinted and metallic epoxy floor coatings are other options that create stylish flooring inside and outside living areas. Some epoxy floor coating systems provide colored flakes, which are scattered as the second layer of coating is applied, creating speckled patterns in the surface.
Tips for Applying Epoxy Floor Coatings
Applying epoxy floor coatings is almost as simple as rolling paint on a wall or across a porch floor. But before you begin, you need to thoroughly clean and patch the floor to be coated. You should also carefully calculate how much mixture is required to cover the area you wish to coat. Many floor epoxy kits supply only enough for one coat, and you’ll need a minimum of two. Measure the square footage of the area to be coated, and compare that with the coverage supplied by your preferred floor epoxy kit. Time is of the essence once the epoxy paint and the hardener components are mixed—the epoxy mixture is only workable for about 2 hours. Consider this time frame as you determine how you will paint yourself out of a garage, patio, or room.
Potential Drawbacks
Although the benefits are many, epoxy coatings require a good deal of surface cleaning and preparation upfront, as well as multiple applications with curing times of at least 12 hours for each coat. For optimum curing, concrete surfaces should be bone dry and at least 55°F, and air temperatures should be between 60-90°F. Plan on at least a day of prep time (more if you have to fill holes and patch cracks in the concrete) and at least two days of painting time to complete a garage floor. Epoxy floor coating finishes are naturally shiny, which makes them easy to clean but slick when wet (anti-skid additives can be added to give surfaces more traction). There are some concrete surfaces, such as ones that suffer from dampness, or that are already sealed, that are unsuited for epoxy floor coatings. New concrete must have cured for at least 30 days before epoxy coatings can be applied. If you want to hire out the work, data from HomeAdvisor shows that having a professional lay down an epoxy floor will cost you between $3 to $12 per square foot, with an average two-car garage floor costing anywhere from $1,200 to $6,000 to complete. Before you hire a contractor, ask how they plan to prep the floor, what type of epoxy they will be using, and how many coats they will be applying. It is recommended that professionals should apply three layers of 100% epoxy with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Get multiple quotes, and check the contractors’ references.
How to Maintain Epoxy Floors
To maintain and protect your epoxy floors, vacuum or sweep up debris, immediately wipe away spills with a soft cloth, and deep-clean soiled floors by mopping with a mixture of ½ cup ammonia to a gallon of water. Lift rust stains by gently scrubbing with a kitchen scrubbing pad and hot water; never use an abrasive cleaner, acids, or chemicals on epoxy-coated floors. The easiest way to clean epoxy floors is to hose them down and dry them with a squeegee on a pole.
