An epoxy floor coating is well-known for its durability, resistance to many elements, cost-effectiveness, and long-lasting lifespan. For areas like garages, basements, commercial kitchens, warehouses, and healthcare facilities, epoxy is perfect for residential, industrial, and commercial flooring. Crucial to this is the concrete floor underneath the epoxy. Before pouring it, you should ensure that the concrete floor is prepared well.
But before going into the importance of preparation, you have to know first if epoxy is right for your concrete floor. If your concrete is too old, worn out, and has large holes, you may need to replace this first. Moreover, if it has become uneven or has been previously sealed or painted, the epoxy flooring company that you will hire needs to make the necessary repair or stripping off of the old coating.
Preparation Needs of Your Concrete Floor Before Epoxy Coating
1. Cleaning
A critical part of concrete floor preparation is the cleaning of debris, stains, and other dirt build-ups on the surface of the concrete. Most times, water and soap can be enough for this. But for stubborn dirt and stains, you may need specialized cleaning solutions or use pressure washing to remove these issues. This is necessary to ensure that epoxy adheres well to the concrete base. To ensure that your basement, kitchen, or garage flooring will perform best for a long time.
2. Opening up concrete pores
Also referred to as profiling, this process is needed to promote epoxy penetration into the concrete more deeply. Profiling creates a rough surface. It is similar to the process called sanding wood furniture before painting it. This is ideal after ensuring that the concrete floor is free from dirt, stains, and other contaminants.
3. Repairing
If cleaning the concrete is not enough to fix its visible issues, it will necessarily need repairs. There may be cracks that have allowed water to enter or mold to build up. If these issues can still be repaired, then all the imperfections will be dealt with before pouring the epoxy floor coating. This is important to prevent peeling or chipping earlier than expected. These issues are not only unattractive but can also lead to structural issues if the concrete has been damaged for a long time.
Hire the Right Professional Epoxy Flooring Company
If you hire the right epoxy flooring contractors, they will make the proper inspections to find the issues in your concrete floor. After finding these, they will professionally inform you of the options to repair them. And if replacement is necessary, they will let you know that this is the best course of action for you to enjoy the durability of epoxy flooring for a decade or more.
Aside from the right methods to apply when preparing the concrete floor, a professional epoxy flooring company will use industry-grade epoxy and other materials. They will ensure that you are satisfied with their work at a competitive rate. When you contact one, do not hesitate to ask your questions about epoxy or the entire process.
