What Are the Disadvantages of Epoxy Floor Coatings? [Video, Infographic & Downloadable Guide]

Epoxy floor coatings can look great when first laid, but over time their durability can fade, especially if applied incorrectly. An incorrect application can result in moisture being trapped underneath the epoxy, resulting in problematic bubbling below the surface.

Issues with epoxy floor coatings include...

Weak Adhesion

Epoxy only forms a surface bond with your concrete, making it prone to cracking, peeling, and chipping. Depending on how much use your coated floors get, wear and tear can lead to excessive peeling or cracking of the coating, especially where heat and pressure are concerned. This will result in your flooring needing to be replaced as items like wheeled storage carts or racks in a garage can begin to catch on the damaged epoxy coating.

Poor Flexibility

Epoxy never fully cures, it perpetually hardens and the coating becomes increasingly brittle over time. This results in increased failure over the lifetime of the coating. With extreme temperature changes in the days/nights epoxy is unable to flex with the expanding and contracting of the concrete.

Fading

Epoxy is not UV stable. As a result, your floor will not retain the color that it has when installed. Over time the color of your floor will fade with exposure to sunlight.

Hot Tire Pick-up

In extreme temperatures epoxy softens. If you park your car on your floor during a hot day, the combination of weight and heat can cause some of the epoxy to peel up with your tires when you leave. Hot-tire pickup is a massive cause for failure with epoxy.

Slippery

Oil and water cause epoxy to become extremely slippery and potentially dangerous. This vulnerability makes an epoxy coating less than ideal for use in a garage or pool deck area.

Slow Installation

Epoxy can take several days to cure and must dry completely if multiple coats are desired for more strength. It also emits strong fumes during the curing process, so areas that need to dry must be well ventilated.

Weather Sensitivity

These coatings require a low humidity application to properly adhere and do not do well when frequently exposed to UV rays or moisture; epoxy coatings will not fare well when applied to basement flooring or outdoor use areas.

Professional Removal of an Epoxy Floor Coating

Something else to think about when considering an epoxy floor coating is the fact that at some point you will inevitably have to remove and replace it. The removal process is strenuous and time-consuming.

The removal of an epoxy floor coating is best performed by a flooring professional. At Webfoot we have all the required equipment and know-how to safely get the job done successfully. In addition, we are able to avoid using caustic acids and toxic chemicals used in other DIY solutions. We simply grind the coating a 700 lb commercial-grade diamond-tooled grinder connected to triple-filtered HEPA vacuums.

What Makes a Floor Coating From Webfoot Concrete Coatings Different?

Our coatings are made by flooring professionals for flooring professionals; we think you’ll take notice—we use the very best products in our industry. Our coatings are a multi-layered pure polyurea system. Some of the great advantages of a Webfoot Concrete Coating product include:

Read our blog on polyurea vs epoxy for more details.

Polyurea Concrete Coatings at Webfoot

Advantages of Polyurea Coatings

The advantages of polyurea are dependent on the variety, or purity, of the polyurea product. Different products have very different physical properties and life spans. Webfoot examines polyurea in-depth to explain why we've committed to our multi-layered pure polyurea system.

Problems with Polyurea Floor Coatings

Webfoot’s product is a pure (100%) polyurea concrete coating that we get directly from the manufacturer, Penntek Industrial Coatings. As a pure polyurea, it differs from competitors who offer polyaspartics and other watered-down polyurea blends. Our pure polyurea is the strongest and most durable form of polyurea. Webfoot is Addressing 7 Problems with Polyurea Floor Coatings so you can feel confident when you choose our multi-layered pure polyurea system.

Polyurea Floor Coating Installation

Professional concrete coatings deliver professional results. We’re supporters of a good DIY project, but when it comes to concrete coatings we make it look easy because we’ve mastered the art. We’ll resurface your floor following a 5-part process: grinding, mending, basecoat application, chip system broadcasting (optional), and topcoat application. And we’ll do it all in one-day.

Polyurea Concrete Coating Cost

Polyurea concrete coatings are a great choice if you are willing to invest more money upfront for a type of coating that will last long-term. The overall total cost of your project will vary based on the 5 Cost Factors of a Concrete Coating Project.