There are a lot of flooring materials out there but epoxy flooring is one of the most durable. However, if workmanship-related issues are present, the floor can turn into something that could give you regular headaches. Defects in epoxy installation can be very damaging. Fortunately, most of them are avoidable.
Soft Spots
These are areas on an epoxy surface that remain soft even after curing and drying. This problem can compromise the durability of epoxy-coated concrete floors and is often caused by improper mixing before installation.
Epoxy requires the resin and hardener to be combined in the correct proportions. Some installers fail to scrape material from the sides and bottom of the mixing bucket, leaving portions inadequately blended. If this unmixed material is applied, it may not harden properly. Using a scraper during mixing helps ensure that all the resin and hardener are thoroughly combined.
Contamination
Contamination can cause the epoxy to crawl, also called fish eyes. These are spots where the epoxy seems to repel or stay away, leaving a black spot. The most common cause is when unseen stains of oil or grease are present on a concrete slab. It is important to prepare the slab thoroughly, washing and drying it before installation. It is important to note that contamination can also happen in between coats. Even if the first coating was fine, if contamination happens on that first coating, the second coat may crawl. Keep anyone away from the floor after the first coating to prevent anything from contaminating that layer.
Insects or Bugs
Epoxy has that certain quality that attracts bugs. Once a bug gets stuck on the coating, there is no way you could take it out without ruining the epoxy. It is fine to get one or two bugs here and there but don’t let anything more than that attempt to get on a newly installed epoxy floor. What you can do is turn the lights off in that room to keep insects from going on the floor.
There are many other defects out there but these are some of the most common. They can be easily avoided with just simple things like proper preparation, mixing, and installation. All the effort and work you or the installer would exert will be well worth it in the end.
I have been in the decorative concrete industry for over 29 yrs. My husband and I started in business when plain, gray concrete was the only choice a customer had. We have evolved to offer Sundek Classic Texture, Stamped Overlays, Acid Stains and Polyurea/polyaspartic coatings. Our motto is "We Make Concrete Beautiful"!
