When considering flooring options to cover concrete, building owners and managers have several different choices. These range from basic concrete paints to cheap floor coatings up to industrial grade epoxy coatings.
The Pros and Cons of Paint
There are differences between the various choices in concrete floor coatings. The most obvious differences are the price. Paint options and even commercial grade paints are less expensive. It is, however, the shortest lasting option which will typically need re-application every few years.
Paint is easy to apply and relatively fast to dry, but it also will not cover any imperfections in the concrete surface. This means additional surface preparation prior to painting, an often overlooked expense.
The Pros and Cons of Epoxy
For commercial and industrial use, the application of do-it-yourself kits for epoxy flooring sold through hardware stores or general contractor supply outlets is a very thin and easy to apply floor coating. However, it is not as durable as industrial grade epoxy. Like paint, it will not fill in cracks or minor chips or surface imperfections, which means additional preparation.
The low-quality types of epoxy floorings also tend to have a longer curing time. This may result in days before the area can be used, particularly in colder weather or areas with high humidity.
With true professional quality industrial grade epoxy, these issues are eliminated. While it has a higher initial price, it also as a significantly longer life cycle, can be used to fill in surface imperfections in the concrete floor and also offers a wide range of customized options in epoxy colors and chip designs.
For a long-lasting, quality flooring option, industrial epoxy is the best investment. This floor coating can also dry extremely quickly, which means limited downtime for any industrial building.
