Epoxy resin floors are becoming more and more popular, and there are plenty of reasons why. If you’re looking at getting epoxy floors, then you might be wondering how sturdy they are, and whether or not they’re scratch resistant.
Here’s what you need to know about epoxy floors and how durable they are with tips from Epoxy Gang.
What is epoxy flooring?
Epoxy flooring is a coating that is poured on top of a concrete floor. It consists of a resin and a hardening agent. The two components form an incredibly strong chemical bond when they come together, and as a result, create a very sturdy surface that is used in industrial facilities and retail facilities, as well as, more recently, residential properties.
What are the benefits of epoxy flooring?
There are plenty of reasons that people choose to have epoxy floors installed in their homes.
Epoxy coating creates a durable floor coating
Generally speaking, epoxy flooring is considered to be incredibly durable. It is used in places that use heavy objects, heavy machinery and have heavy foot traffic because of this property.
Epoxy flooring is easy to maintain
Epoxy flooring offers a seamless finish, which makes it incredibly easy to maintain and clean. It does not store bacteria or germs like other flooring surfaces and as a result is considered very hygienic.
Epoxy floors come in lots of colours and styles
Unlike many floor surfaces, an epoxy floor coating can be almost any colour and any style. The freedom that epoxy coatings bring to a property when it comes to the creativity and design aspect is greatly appreciated by many, and allows you to truly personalise your property.
Epoxy flooring is anti slip
Epoxy floors can have additional ingredients added to their mixture in order to make them anti-slip. This can be very helpful for people with excitable pets or children, or those who just worry about other surfaces providing minimal grip.
Does epoxy flooring scratch easily?
So do epoxy resin floors scratch? Epoxy flooring is considered to be scratch resistant. It is not easy to scratch the surface of an epoxy coating unless the epoxy floor has been applied incorrectly or has not fully set yet.
Often, epoxy flooring owners mistake scuff marks for scratches, but these can be buffed away. That’s not, of course, to say that epoxy flooring cannot be scratched. But short of trying to damage your epoxy coating, you should find the epoxy floor to be fairly sturdy, like concrete floors.
Things like moving furniture incorrectly, or improperly cleaning epoxy flooring may cause scratches, and should be avoided where possible.
Can you repair scratched epoxy floors?
Fortunately, if your epoxy flooring does get scratched, it is fixable. Scratched epoxy floor coatings can be fixed using an epoxy touch up kit or epoxy resin to fill the scratches, followed by sandpaper to buff and level the area. A sealer can then be applied to the epoxy floors to protect them.
How long do epoxy floors last?
If installed correctly and allowed to cure completely, epoxy floors can last as long as 10 to 20 years. In order for this to be the case, however, they must be installed onto a properly prepared surface. This means the concrete floors must be swept, cleaned thoroughly, and repaired so that there is a completely flat surface for the epoxy coatings to be poured onto.
Likewise, the epoxy floor will need to be looked after properly. It must be cleaned regularly, it should have a protective layer, and owners should ensure that they are not doing anything on the epoxy floor that may damage it; such as dragging furniture, wearing heavy work boots on a regular basis, or running around with a pet with unclipped nails.
So long as all of that is done, you should find that your epoxy floor lasts upwards of 15 years, and hopefully even longer than 20.
How can you protect an epoxy floor from scratches?
To help protect your epoxy floors, you can ensure that the pet’s nails are trimmed regularly. You will need to make sure you lift furniture when you move it, not drag it.
Try to avoid sharp objects from coming into contact with the epoxy floor to limit the risk of scratches. You can also invest in a top coat for your epoxy floors. This works as a protective coating and will keep your epoxy coatings safe from anything that might scratch it.
Is epoxy flooring more scratch-resistant than other flooring materials?
Epoxy flooring and tiles
Tiles are not a sturdy surface. They are prone to scratching and cracking due to the brittleness of the material. Tiles are considered to be fragile generally speaking, and as a flooring surface, they are no different.
Epoxy floors and concrete
Concrete scratches are much easier to fix that epoxy scratches, but they are unfortunately also more common. Concrete is not as durable as epoxy floors and is certainly not scratch resistant.
Epoxy floors and paint
Paint can resemble epoxy flooring, and is done quite a lot with the hopes of adding that creativity to a property, however it is incredible likely to become scratched. Paint has little to no scratch resistance, and as a result will need to be redone on a regular basis.