Risks of DIY Epoxy Flooring


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Epoxy coatings provide exceptional protection for your floors. Driveways become safer in the winter, garages withstand accidental spills, and basements transform into luxurious leisure areas. When considering your options for installing a new epoxy floor, you may find hardware store products touting easy-to-apply epoxy coatings. DIY epoxy flooring projects quickly fail to ensure protection against mold, moisture, and rust damage.

While DIY epoxy products cost less than hiring flooring professionals, the results of trusting trained professionals to apply epoxy speak for themselves. Expert flooring companies have the tools, training, and experience necessary to ensure the quality of your new epoxy coating. Before buying the cheapest epoxy floor coating you find in the store, consider exploring the services and products of your local flooring professionals. Continue reading to learn all the pitfalls and shortcomings of DIY epoxy flooring.

6 Risks of DIY Epoxy Flooring

You would never add parts to your car without a thorough understanding of engine mechanics, so why treat your floors differently? Quality epoxy floor coatings require patience, precision, and advanced techniques and equipment to apply correctly. A poorly installed epoxy coating damages concrete floors and necessitates expensive repairs. The six most significant risks of DIY epoxy flooring include the following:

Garage Flooring Damage

Concrete floors remain susceptible to moisture damage. Epoxy flooring provides essential protection for concrete floors by repelling moisture and resisting spills and scratches—hastily installed epoxy flooring results in trapped moisture between your coating and the concrete floor. Newly poured concrete applied with epoxy coating too soon allows unevaporated water to settle between the two layers. Moisture destroys concrete floors from the inside out, putting tremendous pressure on the concrete slabs causing spalling, bubbling, discoloration, and cracks.

Uneven Epoxy Coatings

Professionals painstakingly work to ensure the surface of your concrete floor remains free of cracks, damage, moisture, and debris. Even the smallest amount of dirt or dust negatively affects epoxy’s ability to bind correctly to substrates. Garage floors coated with uneven epoxy fail to resist problems causing moisture, spills, and damage. If you apply your epoxy coating in conditions too hot or cold for the epoxy to cure, uneven layers and peeling of your epoxy occur readily.

Lack of Protection

Many home and business owners utilize epoxy coatings for their excellent stain- and slip-resistant properties. Commercial and industrial industries use epoxy flooring to protect concrete floors from heavy machinery, chemical spills, and constant foot traffic. Trained professionals must apply epoxy coatings to guarantee your floors effectively resist damage. Unprotected concrete floors pose a severe risk to family members and employees slipping and falling.

Peeling, Blistering, and Discoloration

The three main signs of improper epoxy coating installation include peeling, blistering, and discoloration. The mixing and application of epoxy require precise measurements, perfect temperature conditions, and clean substrates. Reasons your epoxy coating peels, blisters, and becomes discolored include:

  • UV radiation interacted with the epoxy formula
  • Improper mixing of resins and hardeners within the epoxy mixture
  • Waited too long to apply the epoxy coating
  • Porous substrates trapped moisture underneath the epoxy coating

The best way to avoid costly problems when applying an epoxy coating requires the help of professionals. Experienced flooring professionals understand all the drawbacks of misusing epoxy flooring. Save time, money, and energy by enlisting the help of trained professionals.

Constant Reapplication

Epoxy floors provide long-lasting results for a variety of floor systems. Most professional flooring companies offer at least a 15-year warranty on epoxy floors. Constant reapplications and sealing of epoxy floors signify incorrect application of epoxy. The tools and materials needed to reapply epoxy annually add up over time and cost significant amounts of time and energy.

Less-Effective Results

Epoxy flooring works wonders when applied correctly. Hot car tires, heavy snow, and chemical spills do not leave lasting damage or stains on epoxy flooring. While DIY epoxy flooring remains an option, incorrect applications of epoxy result in areas of your flooring unprotected from damage. Enter the upcoming winter season with confidence by enlisting the help of flooring professionals for your next epoxy flooring project.

Trust Coating Designs for All Your Epoxy Flooring Needs

At Coating Designs, our team of experts works diligently to provide exceptional concrete coating services. We utilize the highest quality epoxy flooring bases and polyaspartic topcoats to protect your concrete floors from anything. We offer a generous 25-year warranty on all standard flake floors. To learn more about our services and speak to our friendly staff, contact us at Coating Designs at 888-837-6998 to receive your free quote today!

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What are concrete coatings?

Our epoxy floor coatings are a concrete resurfacing option that is installed over existing concrete floors for both interior and exterior concrete. All of our coatings are installed by hand (we do not use any stamps), thus giving our clients a true, one-of-a-kind floor. We install a wide range of flooring systems such as: 100% solid epoxy, concrete stain, acrylic cement, and rubber based products.

Clients have the ability to customize any coating with our various color options and design techniques. Concrete Coatings are used not only in residential, but industrial and recreational settings as well. Premier uses only the highest quality, industrial products on the market to ensure every customer is getting the best value.

How Much Do Your Concrete Floor Coatings Cost?

Each project is customized to your particular concrete flooring needs. Every job we do is different, because we offer different types of coatings and finishes.  We will work with you to develop a free estimate keeping your budget in mind. 

How Durable Are Your Epoxy Concrete Coating Systems??

We use only industrial products on all of our epoxy floor projects. They are designed to give clients the most value and longevity over any other coating material on the market. Just to give you an idea of how strong our products are, we installed an epoxy flake floor in the garage of a Fire Station in 2008 to protect the firehouse’s garage from dirt, debris, salt, and the extreme work environment. Due to our expertise and industrial coatings, we have yet to receive a repair call. Those same products are used in all of our residential projects.

How long does a typical epoxy flooring project take to complete?

A typical residential project takes approximately 3 – 5 days to complete depending on several variables. Variables include, but are not limited to: size of job, repairs and/or preparation requirements, weather, additional design details, customer requests, etc.

What if I already have an existing concrete coating?

Unfortunately, we must grind off any existing coating and repair materials before we can install any of our concrete coatings. This ensures the integrity and longevity of our flooring systems. If you have stamped concrete that has faded, please contact us for options in reviving it.

How Long Do I Need To Stay Off My Concrete Floor Coating After It Is Installed?

If using 100% solids epoxy, your floor will be cured and walkable in about 12-18 hours. You can return to full heavy traffic after about 24 - 72 hours. Wait for at least 24 hours before moving light weight furniture on your brand new concrete coating flooring. Before moving anything heavy (car, equipment and furniture).

How do you prepare concrete for resurfacing?

We start every project by first preparing the concrete for our products. It is imperative that we have a fresh concrete surface before installing our concrete coatings on your project – this will allow our products to have only the BEST mechanical bond.

We spend approximately 66% of the project prepping your floor which may either be by diamond grinding or pressure washing the concrete (depending on the location of the project) and in some cases we do both! Most contractors will come in and just acid wash or not even prep your floor – we get calls all the time about botched installs with customers asking if we can save their project; we must start fresh every time.

Will I Need To Reseal My Concrete Floor Coating?

If you follow our maintenance and cleaning guidelines, you should not have to worry about resealing the concrete floor coating. We offer a professional grade cleaner that will easily remove stains or tire marks, but will also preserve the life of your concrete coating topcoat.

What If My Concrete Floor Has Cracks, Chips And Is Old?

No worries, we are experts in repairing existing problem areas of concrete. In some cases we have been found to be a cheaper alternative over tearing out and replacing existing slabs of concrete. Once we have saved your concrete we then install our decorative designs to hide the flaws and repairs.

How Do I Care For My Concrete Floor Coating?

You can clean our concrete coatings with typical sweeping, mopping or steaming. 

Will Oil Stain My Concrete Floor Coating?

Epoxy floor coatings are extremely resistant to most hazards, including cleaners, gas, oil, transmission fluid, and even most industrial chemicals. Our epoxy concrete coatings system is both oil and moisture resistant.

Who Invented Polyurea Coatings?

Andy Phelan, director of business development and training at Rhino Linings Corporation, explains, “Polyurea was invented in the early 1980s when a less moisture-sensitive form of polyurethane was desired. By replacing the hydroxyl group in the urethane with an amine group, a product we now call polyurea was formed.

What Are Polyurea Concrete Coatings?

Polyurea is useful for concrete floors, as it quickly and strongly bonds to concrete while providing a smooth, virtually impermeable surface that protects the floor from impact, water damage, chemicals, heat, and sunlight.

What Types Of Environments Can Epoxy Floor Coatings Be Used?

Epoxy flooring coatings can be used in a variety of environments.  The durability, slip resistant finish is fantastic for any industrial setting, storefronts, patios, or even driveways or garages.

How Are Epoxy Floor Coatings Applied?

We have perfected a six step process for applying Epoxy Floor Coatings that involves prepping the floor, prime floor with epoxy primer, fill all cracks, holes with epoxy grout, then apply epoxy paint. 

Can I Apply Epoxy Floor Coatings In Cold Temperatures?

You can!  Epoxy can be used at cold temperatures but must be handled and applied with techniques adapted to cold temperatures.

Do I Need To Hire A Professional To Install Epoxy Floor Coating?

Installing Epoxy Floor Coating correctly is critical to the appearance and durability of your flooring.  Hiring a professional is the best way to ensure that your flooring will look amazing and last a lifetime! 

Does My Concrete Floor Coating Come With A Warranty?

The warranty depends on the system. For the Epoxy only and Epoxy with Polyaspartic topcoat, there is a 25-year warranty. For premium Polyaspartic only, there is a 30-year warranty.

Where We Service

We service Orange County, FL cities and the surrounding areas including:

Orange County, FL

Location

Coating Designs of Orlando, FL

EVERY job is done right and our customers are 100% Satisfied.