Epoxy is only as good as the concrete it sits on. That’s the first thing to know about any epoxy flooring Melbourne project, big or small.
This guide explains what the system is, where it suits and where it doesn’t. It also covers what a good quote should include.
Epoxy coating is a resin plus a hardener applied on-site by the installer and cured to become a hard plastic material that adheres to the concrete surface. A bare concrete surface tends to be very porous and dusty, but not this surface.
“Epoxy flooring” refers to the entire system and not just one coat. The first thing the installer will do is to grind the surface and fix cracks. The primer and colour coat are followed by a clear coat.
It all depends on the diamond grinding. This will open the surface and allow the resin to adhere, something that acid washing cannot do. Put even a good epoxy coating on a dusty and/or sealed concrete surface, and it will peel.
The other cause of failure comes from moisture. The epoxy garage floors in older homes are likely placed on a concrete slab poured without a membrane underneath it. A good installer tests the concrete for moisture before any primer goes down.
Then there’s the weather. Warm slabs release air from under the surface via the moist resin, causing pinholes. Professional epoxy flooring Melbourne experts rely on the temperature of the slab when applying the coating layers and not time.
The procedure on how to epoxy a garage floor demonstrates the amount of work done before applying the resin.
The same resin does different work from room to room.
Residential epoxy flooring suits laundries and open-plan rooms. They have no seams where dirt can get caught, so cleaning is easy.
In interiors, aesthetics play a key part in choosing a floor. Finish ranges from dull to bright. Epoxy floors in rooms with north-facing glass must be UV resistant, as normal epoxy yellows with age.
An epoxy garage floor needs to withstand oil splashes and warm tyres. A poor-quality coating would become soft under the tyre’s weight and start peeling off, which is called ‘hot tyre pickup’ by the trade.
A flake finish is commonly used for this reason because it provides both traction and dust concealment.
Commercial epoxy flooring has an even harder time. Forklift traffic and nightly cleaning take their toll on the floor, and so it must be built up.
For kitchens and washbays, the topcoat should contain gritty material to provide slip resistance. Coving is a curved transition between the floor and wall.
Epoxy won’t rescue a bad slab. Where damp keeps rising through the concrete, no epoxy coating stays stuck for long.
Commercial epoxy flooring has limits too. A kitchen hosed out with near-boiling water each night does better on polyurethane cement.
Cheaper finishes are sometimes the right answer. A sound, dry slab in a back storeroom may only need a grind and seal instead.
Disruption is a fair concern at home. Residential epoxy flooring needs the room empty while each coat cures, which is hard in a lived-in house.
Two quotes for the same floor can sit far apart. When comparing epoxy flooring Melbourne quotes, read the preparation line before the price.
A credible quote can only follow once there has been an assessment of the slab itself. The quote must show the grind that was used and the moisture test results. One should enquire what topcoat is in the epoxy as well.
These vary depending on the project one is doing. With residential epoxy floors, one must request to see the samples under daylight. With commercial epoxy floors, one must find out how the team will work around trading hours.
Beware of cheap prices, as it means someone left something out.
With good preparation, epoxy floors will last for many years even when used every day. The period will depend on both preparation and traffic. Once the top coat wears off, you can always have your floors sanded and recoated.
Price is dependent on several things, including the size of the floor, the condition of the slab, and the type of finish required. The major determinant of cost is preparation.
Generally, yes, but exceptions include slabs with rising damp or movement, which should receive different finishes. The installation process involves repairing the cracks and grinding the slab.
Assessment of the slab first and then choosing the system depending on the space is key. This is followed by maintenance of the finish through cleaning. Visit our Thomastown showroom to view sample finishes.
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