It’s easy to think that epoxy resin and epoxy floor paints are the same products—but the two are not the same! If you’re a facility manager who wants to install a high-performance, long-lasting, and durable flooring solution, it’s important to understand the differences.
Read on to discover whether epoxy resin or epoxy paint provides the best flooring option for your business.
A cheap way to cover a floor
Epoxy paint often wins out as it’s an inexpensive way to coat a floor. In the short term, you’ll be left with a great-looking floor that is odor-free and very easy to clean and maintain.
So, you may be wondering: why would a budget-conscious facility manager consider epoxy resin when epoxy paint has so many perks?
Good question!
Let’s take a deeper dive into why epoxy paint could end up costing you more than you bargained for.
Resin cures but paint dries
One of the main differentiating factors is that epoxy resin floors bond to the substrate and cure to become a hard-wearing floor that can withstand decades of abuse from harsh elements and heavy foot traffic.
The resin surface is also highly resistant to oils, grease, stains, and chemicals, whereas epoxy paint simply coats the floor and does not form a seal with the substrate, leading to visible wear paths after just a couple of years
Fail to prepare… prepare to fail
Preparing a large area of flooring, such as a warehouse floor or car showroom, is a dirty, tedious, and expensive job. In some cases, your organization may be forced to close while the old flooring surface is removed and prepared, which many businesses may not be able to afford.
Before applying epoxy paint to a concrete floor, the surface has to be thoroughly cleaned and dried, as any debris or dampness could prevent adhesion and leave bubbles behind as the floor slowly dries. These bubbles, however minuscule, can trap microorganisms (i.e., fodder for bad odors) and create an unhealthy environment for staff, visitors, and customers.
In contrast, Everlast® Epoxy resin floors can be installed over most existing surfaces without the laborious preparation or primers. It’s fast and easy to install as it’s a simple one-step application trowelled directly onto your old floor. No fuss, just fast flooring!
Unlike the thick yet trowable texture of solvent-free Everlast® Epoxy, painted epoxies are mixed with solvents, which makes them thinner and less elastic—and therefore drier and more prone to cracking.
The thin consistency of epoxy paint does not bond as well with concrete floors as the resin-based alternative and can be damaged by certain solvents, oils, and alkaline salts, causing efflorescence (a crystalized deposit of salts that can form when water is trapped in concrete and requires specialist treatment to solve).
Need your floor to cure fast?
Downtime is unproductive, and closing your facility to replace a failed floor is a costly last resort for any business.
One of the biggest advantages epoxy resin has over epoxy paint is the fast curing time. Our regular formula cures quickly overnight, but for an even faster flooring installation, our Everlast® Overnight (Fast Cure) Floor provides an ideal solution for facilities—such as hospitals, schools, and care centers—for which closure is not an option.
Everlast® Overnight is ready for foot traffic in just 6 hours. Comparatively, epoxy paint can take up to 72 hours to fully cure and be ready for light use—and may even stay tacky long after the curing process has finished.
Coating the floor with epoxy paint is also hard work! Most paints require two coats of epoxy with a 12-hour drying period between each coat, plus two topcoats of a protective glaze—that is a lot of painting!
Epoxy resin or epoxy paint: the choice is clear
From warehouses and commercial kitchens to medical and leisure facilities, if you’re looking for industrial quality, durable flooring with a professional finish, choose Everlast® Epoxy.
Our easy-to-install flooring is designed to stand the test of time and still look great—without any heavy maintenance or excessive elbow grease!
If you are thinking about investing in a long-lasting flooring system, our thick epoxy flooring is a cost-effective and durable choice compared with the thinner epoxy paints commonly available.
Call (800) 708-9870 to discuss your new commercial floor or request a free sample and a no-obligation quote online.