Epoxy Floor Paint

Featured Epoxy Two Pack Floor Paint Projects

An Introduction to Epoxy Floor Paint

Whether you have a garage in your home that needs protection, or you have a commercial garage or warehouse that should look its best, you want something better than bare, plain concrete. The solution for these cases is epoxy floor paint. This gives a colourful, shiny look that makes you feel like you are standing in a showroom—not a garage or warehouse. This is especially beneficial in commercial environments when you want things to look their very best for the benefit of the customers. In addition to looking good, epoxy also protects the floor. It resists oil stains, beads water and is easy to wipe clean. Quality epoxy resin floor paint will resist damage from acids and salts too. This means when you paint a surface with an epoxy paint, you can expect it to look great for years to come. You can use a dust mop for day to day cleaning and a broom and full mop with an epoxy cleaner to clean up larger spills.

Specialist Paint Manufacturers

Here at Regal Paints, we offer both epoxy floor sealer and an epoxy top coat in a variety of popular colours. It is recommended that you use these together to get the ultimate in coverage and durability. These epoxy paints are recommended for use in high-traffic areas and remain durable even in areas that are driven on by cars and trucks. Our selection of fine epoxy paint is what brings customers to shop at Regal Paints. However, the excellent customer service is what keeps our customers coming back time and again. Whether you are a do-it-yourself-er looking for advice on painting your garage, or you are in charge of the interior of a huge warehouse facility, we are here for you. Browse our selection online or contact us with any questions or concerns. We are always happy to assist with your paint choice or if you have questions about the application process.

Epoxy Floor Paint – a versatile solution to many problems

Whilst there have been many articles written on the subject of Epoxy Floor Paint few have really tackled the key reasons why Epoxy Floor Paint is such a versatile product for flooring. This is partially due to the wide variety of different types of epoxy resin floor paint available and with choice comes the decision press of what is best for which particular use or problem. 

An Overview of Epoxy Chemistry

First it is worth spending a few moments to give an overview of the basic chemistry of these types of product as this helps to understand why they are so versatile. All Epoxies are based on a resin system containing epoxide reactive groups, the most common one in use today is one based on bisphenol A, although others based on hydrogenated bisphenol A, Bisphenol F or S and so called reactive diluents also exist. This is the building block of the system and provides the key benefits we are looking for namely chemical resistance, strength, adhesion to a variety of different surface types (anything from steel and concrete to wood and composite decking on boats). This “building block” resin is then cured, usually in the familiar 2 component system with a second resin containing some form of amine functionality, an accelerator (a tertiaryamine or phenolic derivative for example),viscosity reducing components (to  help the paint flow and level) and a variety pigments to add functional characteristics such as colour, wear resistance, crack bridging, toughness and anti-slip floor paint properties and by varying these constituents we can as expected adjust colour, gloss and other properties. 

Applications of Epoxy

Epoxy paints lend themselves to a wide range of application types whether by brush, roller spray or pour and spread depending on the thickness the customer wants and the degree of levelling required. For most standard even floors a solvent or water thinned are quite acceptable and economic, but their limits tend to be around 150 – 200 microns wet due to the risk of solvent or water becoming trapped in the paint as it cures. Hence for thicker films and self-levelling of uneven or damaged services we tend to opt for a system which contains no solvent or water but a “reactive diluent” instead. These diluents as well as reducing the viscosity can bring other properties to the epoxy paint, depending on type and quantity used. Low molecular weight types based on butanediol can give better water solubility and hence can give a system which can be “thinned” on site with water for the floor primer or sealer coat, these are particularly favoured currently due to this flexibility of application. Others contain diluents based on natural chemicals derived from palm oil  and these are primarily used to improve mechanical properties and water resistance and of course the use of any natural raw material to replace a petrochemical one is better from a sustainability perspective.

Formulation Matters

Putting all of these together enables the skilled formulator to deliver a product suitable for almost all applications whether it is a car park in a multi-storey, a high traffic warehouse area or a domestic garage with an uneven floor. The system is generally capable of good results with a relatively basic set of tools, good quality roller, a power mixer is always recommended for best results and always follow the data sheet instructions. 99% of application problems are caused by not following the data sheet and applying in unsuitable weather conditions – too cold or wet before fully cured being the main risks of a problem – these usually manifest themselves in the form of “amine bloom” and this is particularly prevalent in cheaper epoxy systems which leave out to save cost the accelerators needed to reduce this – although this can usually be removed later with a dilute citric acid or vinegar wash after full cure for 1 week. Incorrect surface preparation is the second most common cause of a poor finish – you are unlikely to get the best finish if you paint over oil or grease or grit – so a good clean first makes a huge difference to the finish and durability of your floor. To summarise, whether you are planning to use garage floor paint to hide those old oil stains, a car park to keep it clean and dust free or to give colour and safety to your floor project there really is nothing better with such a wide range of options than a good Epoxy Floor Paint applied by roller following the manufacturers instructions.  

Again, primer can have differing environmental requirements to a base coat.  Top coat (e.g. polyurethane) can be different in its environmental sensitivities to base coat. Apart from temperature considerations, a general guideline is that you shouldn't apply Epoxy Resin Floor Paint if the humidity is greater than 85% or the temperature is less than 5°C. A concrete moisture meter is a good tool to determine these values. If conditions are close to those limits that then it is really best to simply wait for more favourable conditions to ensure the best possible application. This is because most Epoxy Resin Floor Paints don't apply well in a damp environment and will have an adverse reaction to the water vapour in the air if you apply it in those conditions.

Essential Temperature Tips for Epoxy Floor Paint Application

The most important temperature to pay attention to is that of the floor, not the air. This is because in the cold weather a concrete floor is frequently colder than the surrounding air.  There reasons for this are in the way that heat is conducted and the way it rises. The concrete floor is a good conductor of heat. The heat from the floor rises easily up form the concrete to warm the air above it and for that reason the measured air temperature will be higher. Epoxy concrete floor coatings will instantly take on the temperature of the concrete floor once it is applied to and it is this temperature you need to be aware of, not just at the point of application but throughout the entire drying process. The best way to measure this is to use an infrared thermometer. Please take additional care when doing this temperature measurement to ensure that the concrete floor slab temperature around your doorways, vents, and walls is within the acceptable range. The thermal properties of these areas can mean that these can be some of the coldest spots within a heated factory, warehouse or garage and, to ensure a successful project it is vital that these should be in the correct range before applying the Epoxy Resin Floor Paint. In addition, you should always ensure test areas first before walking over them or applying a second epoxy coating. Your temperature worries are reduced significantly if your concrete floor has heated slab as this will mean that then your only concerns besides the correct slab temperature of course, would be humidity and dew point. You can also look at heating the space where you are planning to apply the epoxy floor paint. This can be very effective, but it is does depend on how cold it is. It can take several days for a concrete slab's temperature to rise to the ambient air temperature. If you were to decide to go down this route, you should avoid kerosene heaters as they can release contaminants into the air which will end up in your floor! A better alternative are propane heaters as these are much cleaner burning. NOTE: You should keep your epoxy products inside a heated room prior to use. This allows for much better mixing and activation of the epoxy floor paint when you are ready to use it. One of the additional benefits of the application of epoxy in cooler weather is that the lifespan of your pot will be extended. Please remember that the curing time of your painted floor will be  extended in cold weather, and you may need to wait longer before applying a second coat or to gain full use of the floor. Another important consideration is that if you are up heating the floor or entire garage, you need to keep it heated until the epoxy fully cures, as if the temperatures drop below a certain level, the epoxy can actually stop curing and will never fully cure after that. If you have any concerns, please contact us. We are happy to help and advise you on your project so you end up with a successful outcome when applying an epoxy coating to your floor in cold weather.