Why You Need to Know the Difference
Between Epoxy Paint and Epoxy Coating
It’s easy to use the terms epoxy paint and epoxy coating interchangeably, but they’re not the same product.
Understanding the difference between the two terms is essential when it comes to choosing your flooring. Without knowing these differences, you may end up choosing the wrong option between the two for your garage flooring.
Durability
One of the most critical aspects of your garage floor coating is durability. You need flooring that can stand up to ample foot and mechanical traffic.
When 100% solid epoxy coatings are used, your floor surface becomes hard, durable, and resistant to concerns such as chemical spills, impacts, oil and grease spills, stains, and abrasions.
Formulation
Epoxy paint is made of latex acrylic, sometimes with a small amount of added epoxy. The epoxy ensures that the paint bonds with the concrete surface and makes it more durable.
Epoxy coatings, on the other hand, are made of a combination of a polyamine hardener and epoxy resin, which must be mixed by a professional before usage, unlike epoxy paint, which is ready-to-use. Because of this, epoxy paint is more susceptible to staining, unlike epoxy coating.
Application
Most of the do-it-yourself kits available on the market are epoxy paint kits. You can purchase these kits at your local home improvement shop.
Their popularity is partly because of the ease of application for epoxy paints. However, the final product is a much thinner coating of your concrete flooring than you get from an epoxy coating. Epoxy paints tend to deteriorate, known as “chalking out”, due to UV exposure, so expect to be applying it often.
Epoxy coating, on the other hand, must be applied by professionals. Before application, the surface of your flooring must be cleaned, and we must repair any damaged areas. The next step is performing a moisture test. From there, surface pores must be exposed to create a better bond between the coating and the flooring so that the coating can more easily seep through this way.
With epoxy coating, specialist tools like rollers and squeegees must be used to apply the layer. There are two to three coatings involved in applying an epoxy coating.
Given the application’s involved manner, it is easy to see why epoxy coating must only be applied by professionals. When it comes to epoxy paint, it is cheaper and can be useful in some applications. However, epoxy coating is far more durable, long-lasting, and low-maintenance, all of which are important in spaces such as garages. Essentially, you get what you pay for.
Final Thoughts
Epoxy coatings are not paint, but instead, reliable, durable, and long-lasting layers of protection. When you use epoxy coatings instead of paint, your floors become slip-resistant, moisture-resistant, and beautiful to the eye.
With epoxy coatings, you have a variety of color choices as you do with epoxy paint. However, with epoxy coating, you have the option to add liquid metallic and colored chips and flakes.
If you’re looking to re-do your flooring in Houston with either epoxy paint or epoxy coating, contact Xpedite Coatings to discuss your options and the benefits and drawbacks of each flooring solution.
Give us a call at (713)365-0444.
