Epoxy versus Urethane for Concrete Floors: Know the Differences

When you have concrete floors, you need to understand how to best protect these floors in order for you to receive years of reliable use of them. Special coatings are available today to safeguard your floors against numerous damaging elements and actions. Since there is a wide range of choices in these coatings, though, it can be overwhelming trying to select the one that is best for your situation. For this reason, we are here to compare epoxy and urethane coatings in the following, so that you can understand what they are, and how they differ from each other.

Information about Epoxy Coatings for Concrete Floors

Epoxy floor coatings involve a two-part process that provides a concrete floor with a durable, hard surface. This surface will protect the floor from the effects of heavy foot and vehicle traffic, dropped objects and issues from chemical and water exposure. Also, epoxy coatings make cleaning a concrete floor easier and safer. Many colours are available from which to choose and all types of floor designs are possible. No matter how resilient these coatings are on concrete floors, there are two major downsides. One is that surface preparation for installation can be a bit labour-intensive since you must remove all oil residues from it to ensure proper adhesion of the epoxy coating. Another problem with epoxy coatings is that they are not permanent and will need reapplication after a while. Chipping and cracking can occur if the angle of impact or the force of the impact is great enough.

Facts about Urethane Concrete Floors

Urethane coatings for concrete floors are extremely resistant to abrasions, chipping, and corrosion from chemical exposure and exposure to UV rays. They are suitable for a wide assortment of industrial settings for these reasons. In addition, urethane coatings have superior lasting ability and can last for up to a decade before needing reapplication in certain cases. Urethane coatings give concrete floors a satin or glossy finish and can be used as a topcoat for existing floor patterns and colours since they come in clear as well as numerous colours. Also, these coatings can be mixed with epoxy ones for the best of each. Surface preparation is not as extensive for these coatings as it is for epoxy coatings. About the only downside that we can think of is the fact that the urethane coatings take a bit longer to cure than the epoxy ones do on concrete floors.

For further differences between epoxy and urethane coatings for concrete floors, consult with Auseal. We specialise in designing and manufacturing innovative coatings and decorative surfaces that are compatible with concrete flooring.

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