Epoxy Flooring

What types of epoxy are there?

Apart from there being a wide range of manufacturers in South Africa (most of them good) each manufacturer has a range of epoxies. You have thin coat epoxies (less than 1mm) which are designed to be applied with a roller. They can be either 1 part or 2 part (a resin and activator) Mostly they are heat or air cured.

Then you have thick coat epoxies which are typically applied between 1mm and 5mm, although they be thicker. These are typically bulked up with a filler to give them “structure”. They are normally pulled with a rake, and then spiked and back rolled.

Epoxies have “solids” and the more solids the stronger the epoxy is. Then you get food grade epoxy, phenolic epoxy which is acid resistant, heat resistant epoxy, flake epoxy – the list is endless.

Just to confuse you further you get several types of resins:

Epoxy, which is what we think of when we think of industrial flooring
Polyurethane, which is softer than epoxy, but more flexible.
Polyaspartic, which combines the best qualities of polyurethane and epoxy.

High Build Epoxy

Clear Epoxy

How do i choose the right epoxy?

In industrial applications, selecting an epoxy is driven by environmental exposure and mechanical load rather than aesthetics. For flooring or containment areas subject to heavy foot traffic and chemical spills, a High-Solids Coating Epoxy provides the necessary abrasion and chemical resistance. If your project involves heavy machinery or structural reinforcement, you require a Structural Grade Bonding Epoxy engineered for high shear strength and vibration resistance. Specialized environments may further demand Marine-Grade resins for moisture exclusion or High-Temperature epoxies that maintain integrity at temperatures exceeding 150°C.

Now I’m even more confused

You need a professional consultation. Beware of the bakkie brigade, there are a lot of cowboys out there. We are approved applicators for several of the major manufacturers in South Africa. We also give written guarantees on all our work. I will come do a free site visit. During the visit I will do a detailed examination of your floor, including concrete hardness (normally a Schmidt hammer test), porosity, and what type of surface contaminates are present on the floor. We will then suggest several options to you, so that you can reach an informed decision as to what would be the price point that works for you. We specialise in commercial and industrial work, i.e. factories, offices, workshops, etc. Give us a call, at the very least you will get a professional opinion on your floor and it won’t cost you anything!