What is Epoxy?

Have you ever thought of laying a floor that is tough and durable and at the same time great-looking? You can now, with epoxy flooring. In all probability, the term ’epoxy’ may be unfamiliar to you but the following article will explain all that is there to know about epoxy flooring.

What is Epoxy?

The term ‘epoxy’ can be best defined as a kind of durable glue that has superior bonding properties when compared to the ordinary pasting glues. It is normally available in a package containing two components which have to be mixed before use. One is a resin and the other is a hardener. Both have to be mixed together and the resulting chemical reaction produces a rigid plastic substance that is tough, resilient to degradation and bonds well to the material on which it is worked upon.Together they provide a combination of strong bonding coupled with a hard coating and this makes them a much needed item while fixing the metal plating on ships or hulls of aeroplanes. Besides its industrial use it is also used for several home applications.

What is meant by Epoxy Flooring?

To put it simply, epoxy flooring is a flooring surface which comprises of many layers of epoxy which totally form a depth of two millimetres. There is a difference between an epoxy floor and epoxy floor coating and that is determined by the depth of the epoxy. Any epoxy floor that does not have the required two millimetres depth will be referred to as the epoxy floor coating. These floors are extremely strong and can withstand the rigours of any industrial or commercial settings.

What are the Varieties Available?

Many epoxy flooring manufacturers in India have brought out the following varieties in epoxy flooring:

• Self-dispersing floors: A tough floor which is used in areas of increased traffic and heavy use.
• Self-dispersing floors with quartz sand: These floors are similar to the above but additionally they have anti slip properties.
• Self-levelling floors: These floors are easy to clean and maintain and offer a perfect solution for the kitchen, dining rooms etc
• Gravelled floors: These are the most exotic floors of all and also very complicated to make. They too have anti slip properties.
• Mortar floors: These are the toughest variety of all. Cracks can be easily repaired before the next epoxy floor has to be laid.
• Terrazzo floors: These are another variety of ornamental flooring and are used to cover vast spaces.
• Flaked floors: These floors have coloured flakes or chips laid within them for decorative purposes. The inclusion of chips also endows the floors with anti-slip properties as a slightly roughened surface is obtained. Varied coloured flakes can be mixed depending upon the requirement.
• Antistatic floors: These are best for sensitive areas where the presence of static in environment is not allowable.

Another similar kind of flooring that is popularly used in the high traffic and heavy duty use in food and beverage industry and other industrial setups is the PU flooring. There are several epoxy and PU flooring manufacturers and the names and contact addresses can be easily got through the internet.