What is Epoxy Flooring?

Epoxy flooring is composed of epoxy resin, a molecule with more than one epoxy group. The epoxy resin can harden into plastic and this synthetic compound is made out of the organic compound Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE).Depending on how much Bisphenol A and epichlorohydrin is mixed together, the resulting epoxy resin can have a mean molecular weight which will make them fluid or solid at room temperature. For example, a 380 mean molecular weight will make a resin liquid, while 1000 mean molecular weight will make the same item feel a lot harder. Because of this characteristic, the epoxy resin can be called a versatile material.

The Advantage of Epoxy Flooring

Epoxy coating and flooring are some of the most popular applications of epoxy. It is flooring that will provide structural support and protection because it has a coating made out of epoxy resin. Many industrial facilities have chosen to install epoxy flooring because of its many advantages listed here.

    Durability
Durable flooring is defined as flooring that can last for a long time. Floors are one of the most abused parts of any structures because it usually deals with these occurrences on a daily basis:

• Foot traffic wear and tear
  For many industries, pedestrian foot traffic is an expected problem. Industries such as hotel and retail, base their sales on the number of customers that visit. Thus, it a floor that can handle that many people walking.
• Spills
  Spills from different liquids can damage the floors by going inside the pores and entering the layer of the subflooring between the joist and the bottom plates. When there is too much water, the subfloor can be wrecked because it has become a breeding ground for mold. Mold tends to eat whatever material it chooses to breed in.
  Water cannot enter epoxy flooring because it cannot go through the barrier created by the epoxy resin.
•  Mechanical equipment scratches
  Mechanical equipment, including moving vehicles, can leave a lot of permanent scratches because it gives the floors abrasion and abrasion accumulation can peel layers of a floor until it becomes too weak to handle anything. Equipment, like forklift trucks, remove layers because their dragging nails move them.Epoxy flooring can remove this sort of abrasion because its compounds are cured, making them structurally harder and too difficult to remove with dragging motions.
  

  
  Compression Strength

  Compression strength refers to how much material or item can carry loads before failing and epoxy flooring in the Philippines can deal with a heavy mass on top of them because it has a strength of more than 10,000 pounds per square inch. Most floors like concrete only have up to 5000 pounds per square inch.

  Versatile Appearance

  Depending on the coating applied you can get epoxy floors in different colors and designs.
  
  Chemical Resistance
  Epoxy, just like other polymers, are naturally resistant to different chemicals. Epoxy flooring in the Philippines is resistant to a lot of these toxic substances because it is also mixed with catalyzing agents that harden it. The common compounds it is resistant to include:

  •  Acetic Acid
  • Ammonia
  • Barium Carbonate
  • Calcium Hypochlorite
  • Aniline
  • Benzol
  • Carbon Tetrachloride
  • Calcium Sulfate
  • Amyl acetate

   
  Low Maintenance
  When it comes to caring for floors, most working people have the most problem with cleaning. This is especially true with concrete floors. While the food and manufacturing industries love them for their reliability, these floors are very porous and will absorb a lot of things.
  
   

  Safety
  Floors, despite their benefits, can become a safety hazard when wet or if it is just naturally slippery. Industrial companies need slip-resistant floors especially because workers can drop all types of liquid and they may not have enough time to clean it up. Additionally, floors can lead people to trip if it was uneven due to improper installation.
  Slip, trips, and falls have caused major workplace accidents for these industries in particular:

  • Manufacturing
  • Food and beverage
  • Retail

  Epoxy flooring will protect your safety because it has aggregates in its constitution. Aggregates are anything grainy or flaky that will add much need traction. The most common aggregates inserted into the layers of epoxy flooring include.

  • Silica Sand
    Customers are fond of epoxy floors with silica sand because it gives traction to lubricating liquid spills such as oil. You can easily find silica sand floors in most machine shops.
  • Polypropylene spheres
    Retail stores prefer floors with Polypropylene spheres because they will keep their customers from falling, but at the same time, make them spend less on maintenance. These sphere surfaces do not accumulate much dirt and people need to spend less time cleaning them as a result.
  • Aluminum oxide
    Out of the four aggregates, this has the most slip-resistance because it has the hardest structure and you can feel it even when it is hidden in the resin of the epoxy flooring. These are used by food and beverage industries that deal with a lot of by-products that not only make people get into accidents but is difficult for them to clean.
  • Colored quartz
    Malls prefer epoxy flooring with color quartz because it can fulfill both safety and decorative purposes.

   
  Affordability
  Installing epoxy flooring into your building does not mean you need to spend extra costs on removing your old one. Epoxy flooring can be installed over old ones and these will definitely cut down on your spending.
  
  Natural Glossiness
  Epoxy floors, because of the coating applied to it in the production process, always have a natural glossiness. These automatically make dark-colored rooms seem brighter and larger.