When floors are scuffed, chipped, or have missing chunks of asphalt, it means the time has come to either replace them or repair them. But the issue here arises is that many of you are not sure about the flooring material to use. There are many different types of flooring that you can go for but the one that will suit you the best would be epoxy.
Here is a question that people often ask in commercials for epoxy flooring contractors in Melbourne and that is – Does epoxy flooring get slippery when it is wet?
Epoxy floors are designed to prevent skidding and slipping, especially epoxy mortar and flake epoxy floors. Having said that, if the epoxy gets coated in oil or water, the surface of the floors becomes slippery which can lead to falls and potential injuries.
Flake Epoxy and Epoxy Mortar Floors
Does the potential slippery feature of epoxy make it a good choice for your garage? To know the answer, keep reading.
Epoxy
First, let us talk about epoxy floors and the other types, as there are many.
Epoxy flooring is intended for outdoor and for industrial use. These floors can be found in garages, both commercial and residential.
Do You Know Epoxy Flooring Is Also Called Resinous flooring?
The base of epoxy flooring is a mix of hardener and resin, both made of polymers. When the two ingredients are combined, they create a chemical bond that results in a hard material, quite similar to plastic.
You can either replace the current floor in your garage with epoxy or coat the pre-existing floor. The epoxy must have a thickness of two mm.
You will have your pick among several types of epoxy floors. Let us talk about these now.
Types of Epoxy Flooring
Flake Epoxy for Commerical Epoxy Flooring Contractor
When most people think of epoxy floors, they imagine single-colored, shiny floors. Luckily, that is far from your only option. Just look at the Tuff Build epoxy floors. We have everything to suit your needs. Flake epoxies have flake-like materials throughout the epoxy that introduces dimension and color.
The flakes are not solely for aesthetic purposes but these also add anti-slip grooves that make flaky epoxy floors a common addition to commercial places such as kitchens, clinics, showrooms, sports venues, and locker rooms. To get epoxy on commercial floors, contact Tuff Build, the best commercial epoxy flooring contractor in Melbourne.
Anti-Static Epoxy Floors
Anti-static epoxy floors are also known by other names such as electrostatic charge resistant (ESD) floors. Electric discharge from computers or other electrical equipment can pose dangers, which also brought in the introduction of anti-static epoxy flooring.
The conductive compound used in the flooring reduces the rate of electrical discharge. The compound keeps both commercial and residential users safe. Chemical plants, pharmaceutical clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities use such anti-static epoxy flooring quite often.
Epoxy Quartz Floors
As the name itself suggests, epoxy quartz floors combine quartz with a durable polymer resin. It is beloved for being anti-slip, this type of epoxy floor can stand up to large amounts of foot traffic.
The places such as showrooms, schools, locker rooms, cafeterias, offices, lobbies, and bathrooms most utilize epoxy quartz floors.
Epoxy Mortar Floors
These are one of the best anti-slip epoxy floor types. Epoxy mortar floors are made of quartz or graded sand which is mixed with pure epoxy. The result is a floor that can handle impacts and even chemicals without even wearing it down. Right from home and professional garages to restaurants, manufacturing plants, warehouses, and mechanical spaces, all the places use epoxy mortar floors.
Here’s an interesting fact about this type of epoxy floor: if your current floor has cracks, epoxy mortar can patch them.
Self-Leveling Epoxy Floors
In the same vein are self-leveling epoxy floors. These help in leveling the concrete floors that are damaged, cracked, or just old. The floors then give a safe experience. With many epoxy styles and designs, self-level floors can blend in seamlessly with your old floors.
Are Epoxy Floors Slippery?
Now that we have discussed epoxy flooring and its types in more detail, let us circle back around to the main topic. That is, does the epoxy floor become slippery?
Most types of epoxy floors are anti-slip resistant. The floors that resist slipping the most are epoxy mortar and flake epoxy floors. If you keep the floor dry, then you can expect to walk back and forth safely all day around, without losing your balance or slipping.
Wet epoxy floors do make the anti-slip properties negligible. For instance, if you trail in some water from the outside on a particularly rainy day, the floor around the door is now a hazard. The same will be true of any liquid leaks elsewhere.
Oil spills, such as car oil in your garage, are also quite dangerous. Taking a step near the spilled oil can knock you off your feet. The oil will eventually dry, and then it will not be threatening.
How Can You Make Epoxy Floors Less Slippery?
If your epoxy garage floors are a slipping hazard just waiting for those to happen, you are not without any options.
Here are some tips to lessen how slippery your epoxy floors can actually be.
Use Anti-Slip Coating
Your epoxy lacks flakes or quartz for better grip, so it is an anti-slip coating that comes to the rescue. Some anti-slip coating products go straight on your floor without the use of a primer. Others might need a primer, so always read the instructions on your particular product before beginning.
Abrasive materials such as aluminum oxide within the anti-slip coating gives your feet a grip, even in wet conditions. Make sure to follow the anti-slip coating across the whole floor for excellent results.
Add Synthetic Rubber Mats or Runners
Here is a quick fix for wet, slippery epoxy floors – Just buy a few synthetic rubber mats. PVC vinyl mats work well. Place the mats in those areas where water accumulates like a leak in the ceiling that you keep meaning to fix.
The mats soak up the water, so it will not spread all over your epoxy floor. Anti-slip backing on the underside of the mat keeps it from skidding or moving when you step on it so you can walk safely on it.
Synthetic or vinyl runners can border the edges of your garage, especially around the door where most water may gather. Use the runners in conjunction with rubber mats or on their own.
Try a Containment Mat
If you are living in a colder environment with consistent snowfall, a containment mat is recommended over synthetic runners. These sizable mats will also catch excess water when the snow melts, so it does not leak and creates a big mess.
You can even park a car at a containment mat if you are worried about oil or chemical leaks in your garage.
Clean the Mess
You should also be conscious of the liquid mess going out of your way. Mats and runners can contain most spills, but if you spot any mess on the epoxy, do not hesitate to mop it up so no one slips on it.
What to Choose – Epoxy Floors or Other?
Whether you want a new floor for residential or for commercial areas, you would not want to compromise on the quality.
If you are seriously considering epoxy floors for your garage, but you don’t want anyone to slip or get hurt by themselves. Should you still be sticking with epoxy or should you choose another floor option?
With careful use of the floors following the measures described above, your garage can be a safe place, even with epoxy floors.
Now, let us see the benefits of epoxy:
- Durability: Epoxy coating can last for upwards of 30 years, although heavy foot traffic can reduce that lifespan to some years down.
- Chemical Resistance: You may also not work in a scientific lab, but it is still great to know that if you ever spill a chemical in your garage, the epoxy floor will be able to withstand it.
- Heat Resistance: Some epoxy floor types can handle temperatures of 200degree F without melting or degrading, yet making it a safe choice.
- Color Freedom: Epoxy comes in all sorts of colors and patterns. Also, you can mix paints with epoxy to hide cracks and chips from your floors.
- Lustrous: The shiny surface of the epoxy floor is timelessly appealing. You can never get that kind of look using anything else but epoxy.
Conclusion
Epoxy is a kind of flooring that is popular in garages and other outdoor applications. Many types of epoxy floors are anti-slip, but it is still possible to fall if the floor is wet with water, oil, or any other spill. By placing synthetic mats and runners strategically or buying a large containment mat, you can safely walk on your epoxy floor any day. Contact Tuff Build, the best commercial epoxy flooring contractor in Melbourne.