When it comes to interior flooring solutions, epoxy coatings are not usually on the list of choices. Until recently. Suddenly, people started considering epoxy flooring indoors too and not just for the bathroom or the kitchen but often for the whole house too!
What brought this big change and should you, too, consider the possibility of epoxy floors indoors? Let’s discuss it.
Epoxy floors – let’s talk safety first
Your safety, my safety, our children’s safety comes first. And since there are some rumors about the safety (or not) of epoxy, let’s clear the air. Pure epoxy, free of VOC, is safe. But since not all products are the same and you want the safe product, epoxy that is solid and not a paint, you need to find a reliable company. With good quality epoxy, there’s no fumes or any safety concern. So, safety-wise, it can be used indoors.
Is epoxy your floor style?
There’s no such thing as one epoxy floor design. There’s a huge variety of colors, techniques, flake options – just name it. But this is no wood. This is no tile floor. It’s a completely different style, most likely suitable for industrial interiors or minimalistic homes, although the color and pattern varieties are so many that epoxy will stand in a more traditional home style too.
Speaking of interior style, the main advantage of epoxy – mainly due to its seamless appearance, is consistency. You can apply epoxy on all floors in the home, making the space look bigger, enhancing consistency, letting the eye flow – all great things when it comes to interior design.
Is epoxy strong enough for your kitchen?
Epoxy is applied at industrial places, commercial facilities, heavy duty garage floors… Clearly, it’s durable. Why else would be considered as one of the most popular industrial flooring systems? Think about it. You see it when you walk in hotels, doctors, gyms, locker rooms, offices.
Epoxy is made of hardeners and resins. And so, the material is extra strong. Its curing period is sort of long, although it dries fairly fast. But it becomes stronger as time flies, while a week after its installation, the durability of epoxy is in full power. Yes, it’s strong and so an excellent choice for mudrooms, kitchens, garage flooring, anywhere around the house.
An epoxy bathroom floor too? Go ahead
Epoxy floors are like monolithic slabs. There’s no grout. There’s no crack or seam that will allow the penetration of water. And the material is resistant to water, spills, moisture – just name it. It is often used in walkways and commercial restrooms, too. So, you can, surely, bring epoxy to your bathroom as well.
Like an easy-to-clean floor? Then, epoxy is for you
Due to its polished and seamless appearance, epoxy is very easy to clean. So, if you hate spending hours cleaning the floor, epoxy is for you. And not only is it easy to care, but also resistant and so you won’t worry about stains either. In some easy-to-get dirty rooms, like mudrooms, you can also use flake epoxy patterns which hide debris.
How about epoxy floor scratching?
Can epoxy floors be scratched? Of course, they may. But wouldn’t also wood floors or laminate floors? If you drag heavy furniture without floor protection, there’ll be damage – no matter the material. Then again, it has to do with the thickness of the coating. You don’t want one thin layer of epoxy floor coating, but at least two millimeters. The combination of a thick layer and pure epoxy is the best for a durable, truly resistant floor. As for the appearance, it’s up to you! Do you like a crispy look? Because that’s what you get!