Epoxy Flooring vs Concrete Polishing: Making the Right Choice

Epoxy Flooring vs Concrete Polishing: Let’s find out which is the better option for both commercial and residential flooring.

When making the right choice for your flooring needs, at some point you might end up wondering… Is epoxy flooring better than concrete polishing? Well, each option has its own ups and downs. It could be a bit confusing to people when it comes to making the choice for an effective flooring solution. One may be a better choice than the other, all depending on what will fit with your budget and personal preferences. Moreover, the nature of work in your space matters most.

At Epoxy Flooring Brisbane, we are dedicated to offering only the best flooring services. Our team take pride in every service that we provide. And we are here to help you meet all of your home or workshop flooring needs.

Understanding more about epoxy flooring and concrete polishing will further assist you in making the right choice for your floor. In this blog post, we will be evaluating their own unique characteristics and benefits, as well as their difficulties.

So, let’s do this. Epoxy Flooring vs Concrete Polishing which one is better?

EPOXY FLOORING: The Heavy-duty Choice

Not so many people have heard of epoxy flooring and how awesome it is. You’re probably curious now about epoxy, aren’t you?

Epoxy is defined as a chemical compound made up of basic components or the cured end products of epoxy resins. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, epoxy resin is “a flexible usually thermosetting resin made by copolymerization of an epoxide with another compound having two hydroxyl groups and used chiefly in coatings and adhesives.” Sounds complicated, eh? To make it simple, above mentioned materials are mixed together then resulting in a chemical compound that is epoxy.

Today, epoxy is known to be one of the most common solutions when it comes to enhancing the performance of a concrete floor. But did you know that it has been around for over a century? Though it was only in 1950s that it was first commercialized. Since then, epoxy has been steadily being known for its versatility. This amazing substance have proven its unique quality throughout the decades. It has established a good reputation for itself.

From just a chemical compound to transforming dull concrete into long last-lasting floors, how does it happen?

First and foremost, the concrete floor should be prepped. Moreover then, it must be diamond grind or shot blasted and cleaned afterwards. Further, applying epoxy coating / coatings base on the design and thickness we need. That is to say, this process can be repeated several times to achieve the result needed. The mixture formed is then applied into the concrete floor, turning into hard-plastic floor over several hours. It was allowed to harden before another layer is applied. This process enables the epoxy flooring to be strong and durable, making a smooth, stain resistant, high-performance and low maintenance floor. Installation process is fast, and cost is not very high, making it a very good investment.

Where is it usually used for? Can I use it for my home flooring?

The durability of an epoxy flooring makes it a popular and a practical choice for schools, garages, hospitals, and in heavy-traffic industries like warehouses, showrooms, manufacturing plants, food processing facilities, and more. It could withstand extreme conditions yet not requiring any special maintenance, even less maintenance and more hygienic compare to tile and wooden floor but of course don’t forget to clean on a regular basis. Epoxy is also an excellent choice for residential spaces.

The good news is epoxy could be installed on any concrete floor or even on tiled floors without removing tiles. Of course after special process and floor preparation.

Can I still add colors into my floor?

Being tough doesn’t mean it is rough, too. Epoxy flooring is smooth and is highly customizable. There’s a lot of colors and finishes to choose from, or you could suggest your own. It all depends on your style whether you want a classic look, modern feels, metallic finish, marbule look, or glow in dark. Aside from its versatility, epoxy flooring is environmentally friendly. It could increase light reflectivity on your floors up to 300%. Making it unnecessary to use high wattage lighting fixture or installing too many lights in your space, helping you save on your bills, enjoying low maintenance and wow-ing factor look.

Concrete Polishing: The Classic Choice

Polishing concrete floors is another common solution when it comes to your flooring dilemmas. When working on a budget, concrete flooring is a very popular choice.

What is polished concrete?

Polished concrete is defined as “a multi-step process where a concrete floor is mechanically ground, honed and polished with bonded abrasives in order to cut a concrete floor’s surface, then it is refined to achieve a specified level of appearance.” The process also involves using a hardener. Adding color and design to the surface is highly possible with the use of dyes and techniques applicable for polished concrete. Also, did you know that polished concrete is LEED approved? Therefore, it’s considered to be a “green” flooring system.

The history of using polished concrete goes way back 7000 BC. Archeologists analyzed the samples retrieved in Jericho, in the valley of the River Jordan, and discovered that among the several layers was a polished concrete floor. Though it was only in the 1990s when the polished concrete in its current form was accidentally discovered.

From dull, bare concrete, how will the floor be sparkling beautiful?

The polishing process uses coarse diamond segments bonded in metallic matrix. The segments are coarse enough to remove imperfections from the floor like minor pits, blemishes, stains, or light coatings. His step prepares the floor for the final smoothing. The initial grinding usually takes three to four steps, depending on the concrete’s current condition.

Next, the surface will be fine grinded using diamond abrasives embedded in a plastic or resin matrix. During the polishing process, the application of an internal impregnating sealer is done. The applied sealer sinks into the concrete and is then visible to the naked eye. It protects the concrete both internally and externally as it densifies and hardens the floor. To give the floor more gloss, it is optional to spread a commercial polishing compound during the final polishing of the surface.

Polishing concrete could either be through wet or dry method. At present, dry polishing is preferable since it makes the process faster, easier, and environmentally friendly. Wet polishing includes water in the process to cool the diamond abrasives and eliminate the dust. The inclusion of water increases the life of the polishing abrasives because it reduces friction and at the same time acts as a lubricant. Though its main drawback is the cleanup, there’s an amount of ‘mud’ that is left after and must be disposed properly. With dry method, there is a hooked dust-containment system in the floor polisher that vacuums up the mess.

Is it as beneficial as it sounds?

Polished concrete floor lasts long, is easy to maintain and environmentally friendly. Its cheap price makes it affordable to most people. Bare concrete, without proper treatment, is prone to moisture since untreated concrete floors are porous. It will absorb various substances that will contribute to mildew and mold build up, eventually deteriorating over time.

Similar to epoxy flooring, concrete polishing is also quite excellent in high-traffic spaces. Having polished concrete as a choice for home, business, commercial, or even industrial spaces is ideal and practical as well. It is attractive, and affordable, too. It uses no harsh chemicals and minimal to no amount of toxins are produced during the installation process.

Polished concrete could also be beneficial to your electric bills. It could increase the floor’s light reflectivity up to 100%. Not as much as with epoxy coated floors but, still, not bad.

Aside from adding colors, can I add more to it?

Yes, polished concrete is highly customizable. It could turn a dull and damaged concrete floor into a shiny, elegant, and very attractive surface. There’s a wide variety of stain colors, scoring, banding, and other design options.

Epoxy Flooring vs Concrete Polishing: So, what’s the best choice?

In conclusion, the best choice is YOUR choice. Upon weighing the pros and cons between epoxy flooring vs concrete polishing, each of them is uniquely great for their own purposes and advantages. In the end, it all matters to whatever your flooring needs best.

Epoxy Flooring Brisbane is the best flooring specialist in Brisbane. It’s not just about adding spark onto your floors, it’s making an investment!

What are you waiting for? Contact us for a free quote or sample inspection. Let’s discuss your flooring needs