Concrete Floor Sealing
Concrete is used extensively as a flooring material in commercial, industrial and domestic environments and while very convenient and flexible to use both indoors and outside its biggest disadvantage however is that it highly porous. This means concrete is susceptible to staining and damage from from water, chemicals and traffic. To protect the surface a concrete sealer such as epoxy floor coatings can protect the concrete by providing an impervious coating which is both smooth and durable. The protective floor coating not only protects the concrete and improves its lifespan but will add to the appearance as well.
What Is Epoxy Coating?
Epoxy is a liquid resin and when combined with different hardeners reacts and when cured produces a tough surface with excellent hardness. It can be applied over new or existing concrete surface and can be clear or coloured to improve the concrete’s aesthetic appeal. While hardening epoxy is extremely adhesive allowing it to bond to floor surfaces. Once cured it provides a smooth consistent surface which is chemical spill resistant, non-slip and easy to clean.
Floor Preparation
In order to provide a high quality polished finished the concrete must be prepared to a high standard. Depending on the flatness and roughness of the concrete surface a concrete floor grinding contractor may be required to level off the surface and remove any previous surface adhesives. The floor may then be filled with a scree coat or other concrete filler to cover holes and fill cracks with an epoxy crack filler. Alternatively if the floor is sloping a skim coat may be applied using a fast setting concrete levelling compound.
Floor Sealing
Epoxy can be applied like paint however it require to mixing the resin and hardener prior to application and he batch should be mixed and applied within the given timeframe. An epoxy roller to apply the resin in a series of W patterns with each pattern finished promptly to ensure consistency. Be aware a new concrete floor require approximately 2 months to fully cure before epoxy coatings can be applied to ensure there is no residual moisture under the coating. Once the floor coating has been applied concrete polishing can bring it to the desired level of shine and gloss.
Types of Epoxy Flooring
Perfect for residential, commercial and industrial use, epoxy flooring is a durable and simple to apply alternative to polyurethane floor coatings. Typically the additives to the resin will differ depending on requirements. Commercial and industrial often contain an aggregate to improve slip resistance and the surface coating can be applied in a semi-gloss, gloss or high-gloss finish. To add style to flooring colours or different aggregates can be added and applied with special techniques to give an artistic finish. Existing epoxy flooring can also be resurfaced by concrete grinding before a new concrete sealing is applied.