3 Common Misconceptions About Epoxy Coatings

Epoxy coatings are durable, seamless, and strong, which is why they are such a popular choice for industrial flooring.

Some of the benefits of epoxy flooring are:

It’s easy to clean.
It’s durable and long-lasting.
It’s aesthetically pleasing, even after years of wear.
It helps to create a safer workplace in industrial settings.
It’s environmentally friendly.

However, even with these benefits, there are some misconceptions out there about epoxy coatings. These misconceptions can be costly and time-consuming if you don’t find out about them. Let’s talk about some of the ways to avoid expensive mistakes by learning about epoxy before you start your epoxy job.

Misconception #1: A painted floor does basically the same thing as an epoxy-coated floor.

If this were true, epoxy wouldn’t be so popular. After all, paint is easily accessible and relatively inexpensive. Here’s the problem: paint isn’t the same as epoxy. It doesn’t accomplish the same things at all. If you paint your industrial floors in hopes of creating durable, safe, and nice-looking floors, you are in for a frustrating experience within just a few months of finishing the paint job.

Paint does not protect the concrete floors the way that epoxy does. It does not protect against staining, abrasions, or other damage to the floors.

How to correct this misconception: Don’t expect paint to do the same things as epoxy. In industrial, high-traffic, or heavy-duty environments, get a high-quality epoxy coating instead of using paint.

Misconception #2: Epoxy is a good DIY project.

We get it: everyone loves DIY these days! Do-It-Yourself projects can be fun, challenging, and rewarding. There are tutorials online for how to do an epoxy floor covering on your own. However, we don’t believe epoxy should be left to amateurs and DIY-ers. It’s not that we don’t think you are capable of impressive DIY tasks. It is, however, a safety risk to install epoxy on your own, and the results are often underwhelming.

Some frequent problems that occur when trying to DIY an epoxy floor include:

Consumer-level epoxy kits are often lower quality than what professionals have access to.
Concrete floors have to be carefully and perfectly prepared in order to create the right chemical bonds between the concrete and the epoxy.
Uneven application can lead to unattractive floors and less safety.
The tools for applying epoxy can be expensive and single-use, which means that you may end up spending way more money on your DIY project than you planned.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you try to do the project on your own, you may end up having to hire professionals to come in and clean up your mess, which means you have wasted your time and your money on the first project, only to need to bring in professionals anyway.

How to correct this misconception: Trust the professionals for this job. If you really really want to try it yourself, at least have a conversation with a professional flooring installer so that they can give you a quote and let you know what issues they anticipate you may run into.

Misconception #3: Professional epoxy installation is always expensive and can’t be done on a budget.

Now that we have told you that doing a DIY epoxy installation is a bad idea, does that mean that you have to blow your budget by calling in the pros?

Good news: epoxy floorings are cost-effective! We work with customers who have diverse needs and varied budgets. More importantly, though, are the long-term savings that come with epoxy floorings. Because they are so durable and long-lasting, you don’t have to do as many repairs or replacements over time. Invest in epoxy flooring now and you will benefit from the savings for years to come.

Is epoxy flooring the right choice for your facility?

Let’s talk! Give us a call, send us an email, or contact us via our website to talk about your options and what industrial flooring is the right first for you.

In the meantime, check out our testimonials to learn more about the work we do for our customers. We look forward to hearing from you!