Epoxy paint vs epoxy coatings
Garage Floor Coating Advice,Coating Advice,Concrete coating guide,concrete paint,DIY,epoxy coating,epoxy floors,epoxy paint,floor paint,metallic epoxy
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Epoxy floor coatings and concrete paint, what’s the difference? Without all giving it away just yet, it’s a pretty big difference. Epoxy is relatively new, and a lot of home owners don’t know that much about it which leads to a lot of frustration. Epoxy started being used on floors in the early 1950s for concrete restoration. Over the last fifty or so years, the industry has expanded considerably and epoxy garage coatings have become extremely popular. Many homeowners, DIY enthusiasts, and contractors have started applying epoxy paint and epoxy coatings.. But there is a huge difference..
Differences between Epoxy Paint and Epoxy Coatings
The main differences are in the durability and quality of the materials as well as the knowledge required to successfully apply the products. Concrete paint is easier to apply and a lot less expensive, but it was never meant for industrial use. These products perform well for what you pay for them, if you don’t want to go through the whole surface preparation of a garage floor for epoxy coating. It’s as simple as that, but you shouldn’t expect them to last beyond a few years and they certainly aren’t durable or strong enough for high traffic areas.
What is Epoxy Floor Paint
Epoxy floor paint is made up of two or three components, A True epoxy is 100% solids epoxy. If it is less than 100% solids epoxy, you know right away that paint is mixed with the epoxy and there is an acrylic instead of epoxy in the mixture. With epoxies that are less than 100% solid epoxy, whatever percentage is lower than 100% is the amount of paint that has been added to the epoxy and is not as strong and can evaporate, yellow or peel when it doesn’t bond as hard to the concrete during the curing process. Water based epoxy paints can dissolve during the curing process.
Here’s an example: If the epoxy is 50% solids it means that 50% of the coating could evaporate dry or condense over time. The lower the percentage of epoxy the lower the quality of the material (as a reference).
So why do people use epoxy floor paint if it isn’t as good? Simple. It’s easier and cheaper. There is nothing wrong with epoxy paint as long as you know what you are getting. The floor is not as durable as a full 100% solids epoxy and you can do it yourself without hiring a contractor. For a full review of the best epoxy garage floor coatings, you can reference our guide.
That is paint and epoxy resin and a polyamine hardener. The two need to be mixed together immediately before application. When the two are mixed an exothermic chemical reaction happens during the curing process. The coatings cure process will produce polymer structures that are closely cross-linked, and this will give the floor epoxy its superior strength and durability.
The floor epoxy coating reaction will cure instead of drying. This will benefit a concrete floor because the process seals the porous concrete, while the resin gives the floor a shine. Epoxy coating is more resistant to chemicals and abrasion than an ordinary paint-on application. It is also impact resistant and hard and durable. making it perfect for a garage floor coating. This means that it will not fracture, crack, or split if heavy loads are dropped on it. This includes equipment and machinery being driven over the surface.
Epoxy Coatings
Epoxy coatings will cure, but not dry like the paint does. The performance and amount of resistance of the coating are determined by the quality and solids constituents of the epoxy. The thickness of the epoxy and its ease of application will be dependent on the volume of solids content. This is displayed as a percentage. What this means is that 100% solids epoxy will have a 100% of the product on the floor as it cures. While 50% of solids will have 50% of the product remaining on the floor after it’s curing process. The reason behind this is that the carrier agents (solvents and water) which are in use in the lower solids products will evaporate out during the curing process. An example is when 100% solids epoxy is applied with a roller and will have an approximate wet film thickness (WFT)of 10 mils. After its curing process, the dry film thickness will still be 10 mils, while, 50% solids epoxy will have a wet film thickness of about 6 mils but after it cures the coating will reduce to a dry film thickness (DFT) of about 3 mils.
Because of its thicker viscosity and limitation in time to apply, the 100% solids epoxy is a bit harder to work with during its application, while epoxy with a much fewer solids count will have less viscosity and will be much easier to apply.
Many cheap DIY epoxy paint kits available locally and online will have as little as 48% solids. This will make it easy to apply, similar to applying paint, and cheaper to buy because of the low solids content. These features, however, make the quality lower.
What is epoxy floor paint?
Epoxy floor coating and epoxy paints are terms that are usually used interchangeably. When you buy epoxy paint to use on your floor as a coating in a home improvement store, you may realize that the two terms used on the can or kit. (You may also find another term, that is epoxy sealant)
The principal difference between epoxy paint and traditional paint is that when epoxy is present, the paint adheres to the surface better. This makes it more durable. Without epoxy, however, the traditional standard acrylic paint eventually flakes and peels. This is especially predominant in high traffic areas.
Many paint companies do sell their own proprietary epoxy paints. Epoxy coating isn’t really traditional paint, this is despite the name being used. Normally epoxy paint is made of latex acrylic paint products that have a small amount of epoxy in their mix. These latex acrylic paint products tend to have better adhesion and durability than standard acrylic paint. Latex paint acrylic products should however not be confused with epoxy floor coatings. Straight epoxy paint contains both epoxy and acrylic paint in the mix. This is sometimes known as 1- part epoxy. This latex acrylic formula allows for customizations in coloring and it dries like regular paint. The epoxy component makes the paint resistant to chemical stains on the floor like oil or gasoline. It is thus a good choice for a workroom or a garage floor
