Pros & Cons of Epoxy For Houses
When it comes to the flooring in your home, there are so many options to choose from that it can be difficult to narrow down what’s best for you and your household. Laminate and wood flooring are among the most common, but residential epoxy floors are fast becoming an option for those looking to save money while having great-looking flooring.
What is Epoxy Flooring For Homes?
Epoxy resin has made a name for itself in the decorative art world, as well as being used in specific circumstances as a fill for concrete cracks. But residential epoxy floors are often overlooked by homebuilders, despite their utility, longevity and versatile nature. Epoxy resin is made of two compounds containing pre-polymers and polymers and a hardening agent.
Because epoxy resin has a sealing effect when applied to a surface, residential resin flooring can be used as a waterproofing addition to an existing floor or can be used in the garage to protect the concrete from impact damage or oil/chemical spills.
Epoxy flooring for homes is the application of epoxy resin on top of an existing flooring structure to provide it with additional protection from wear and tear, damage and elements like water. It’s a relatively quick way to seal any gaps in your flooring and can be a more cost-effective option than repairing chips in existing flooring.
How Much Does Epoxy Flooring For Homes Cost?
While precise numbers can be difficult to quantify because the cost of installing residential epoxy floors will depend on the area that the resin needs to cover and how many coats of resin you want, the baseline price of epoxy floors is between $25.00 and $30.00 per square metre.
However, more complex epoxy flooring, such as that which has designs cut into it, or has been customised with colours to provide a certain look, will add to the price. If you are paying for professional installation on a bare surface like concrete, expect your price to be around $60.00 to $80.00 per square metre, because of the preparation involved.
Pros of Epoxy Flooring For Homes
There are many pros to bringing epoxy resin flooring into your home space. Let’s go over a few here.
Versatility
Because it is a paint or pour-on substance, epoxy resin flooring can be applied to almost any surface in the home. It is also non-porous and waterproof, making it a fantastic option for spill-heavy areas. Kitchen residential epoxy flooring is among its most common applications. It can also be applied in the bathroom to provide a waterproof solution to your bathroom floors. However, this can become slippery due to its non-porous nature. You can add aluminium oxide or silica sand to the flooring to minimize this slipperiness.
Customisability
Another great ‘pro’ of epoxy flooring is its customisability. Whether you’re looking for a design that incorporates a business logo, say, for a home-studio setting, or a decorative design for your kitchen floor that adds a different stain appearance to your existing hardwood kitchen floors, epoxy flooring in the house can be customised to whatever your heart desires, with a variety of colour options to match the walls, or designs to provide intricate accents to your existing furniture.
Durability
One of the most common reasons why people install epoxy flooring in places like warehouses and mechanic garages is because it is durable! Because it is non-porous and auto-levelling when poured, there’s no room for water to get in underneath and cause upheaval. Likewise, it doesn’t expand or contract with temperature changes (unlike wood), making it impervious to blow out or bulge.
A well-installed epoxy floor in the house should last between 10 and 20 years, or longer!
Ease of Install
Installing epoxy resin flooring is generally a fairly simple process. You need a clean, sanded and swept floor surface, whether you’re dealing with wood or concrete. Sand the surface down to remove any artefacts that will otherwise be sealed once the epoxy is applied. Then, sweep up the dust and dirt and vacuum the flooring surface.
Next, you’ll need to apply a primer coat to the surface to allow the hardener to adhere properly to the surface. Once the hardener is mixed with an electric mixer (typically for about 2 minutes), it is ready to install. Simply pour or paint on the hardener to the primed surface. Once finished, the epoxy flooring should be left to cure for 12 to 24 hours before a second coat can be applied. Once the second coat has been applied, a further 12 to 24 hours of curing is needed.
Affordability
Unlike other types of flooring, epoxy floors can be installed relatively cheaply, even if you’re not DIY-ing it (really, for larger installations, it should be done by a professional). The lower price point of epoxy flooring, as well as the ease of installation, makes it a more affordable option than other types of flooring, even when installed by a professional team.
At SWEF, our epoxy resin flooring installation teams are committed to providing you with the most cost-effective, professional flooring installation service on the market.
Cons of Epoxy Flooring For Homes
However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for epoxy resin flooring home installs. There are some drawbacks to installing it in your house!
Proper Installation Is Critical
It’s a bit of a double-edged sword. While it is more expensive to have the professionals at SWEF come and install your flooring, if you do DIY it, you may find that you installed your epoxy floors incorrectly, totally by accident! This improper installation can lead to cracks, bulges or even peeling over time.
You Get What You Pay For
As with almost everything in the commercial world, you get what you pay for. There are different types of epoxy resin flooring for the home, and they each come at different price points and are of different qualities. Epoxy resins are also made with different applications in mind. Ensure that you read the fine print when selecting your coating to ensure that the flooring that you intend to install the resin on, is what’s suitable for the type of resin that you’re purchasing.
If you need clarification on what type of epoxy resin might be best for your flooring type, reach out to SWEF! We’ll happily answer any and all of your questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Epoxy Flooring Good For Your Home?
Epoxy flooring is often something you’ll have heard about in an industrial setting, but not necessarily inside a home. However, its durable, customisable and versatile nature, make it a perfect option for many surfaces in your home, regardless of the room size, shape or purpose. You can even clear epoxy coating, so as not to lose any of the definition provided by the existing sub-flooring!
Epoxy flooring in the house can provide a fantastic option for protection against damage in high foot-traffic areas, as well as being easy to clean and incredibly durable. The only consideration to make when installing is that your home must be well-ventilated at the time, as certain epoxy resins can be more noxious than others.
Is Epoxy Flooring Cheaper Than Tile?
Yes! Epoxy floors are much cheaper than, sometimes, less than half the price of tile flooring, including installation. Comparatively, epoxy flooring resin comes in at between $20.00 and $30.00 per square metre, whereas tile costs between $30.00 and $150.00 per square metre. Tile flooring is also much more susceptible to damage and cracking than epoxy floors.
How Long Does Residential Epoxy Flooring Last?
High-quality residential resin flooring will last between 10 and 20-plus years! Provided it is properly installed and well cared for during its lifetime.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been searching for that perfect flooring solution for your residential flooring desires, look no further than residential epoxy flooring. This durable, flexible, affordable flooring solution can be installed anywhere in the home and is infinitely customisable.
Whether you’re looking for a single room, or putting epoxy flooring throughout your entire space, SWEF can help! Reach out to us today for a consultation!
