The origins of self-leveling epoxy floors come from production halls and warehouses. They have been used there for many years in very difficult conditions due to their exceptional durability properties. What is worth knowing about self-leveling epoxy floors and what are their characteristics?

Self-leveling epoxy floors – Advantages

  • Very high abrasion resistance - this feature is essential in production plants where floors are intensively used by forklifts, trucks and intensive pedestrian traffic.
  • Another feature necessary in production plants and warehouses is impact resistance. During production processes and storage of goods, the floor is particularly exposed to impacts from smaller and larger objects.
  • Another feature highly appreciated by people responsible for floors in warehouses and production halls is the fact that they are very easy to keep clean and may have hygienic certificates.

Epoxy flooring in apartments

These advantages have been noticed by owners of apartments and single-family houses in recent years. This type of flooring is increasingly used, for example, in kitchens and bathrooms. The high gloss of epoxy floors and the ease of cleaning the surface are particularly appreciated. This feature is possible due to the lack of joints (joints). To meet the expectations of individual customers, resin producers began to produce decorative self-leveling epoxy resins.

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Epoxol Design, base color light gray RAL7035 with aluminum metallic addition.

Epoxol Design decorative flooring

One of the most interesting resins for making decorative floors is Epoxol Design . It consists of a two-component epoxy resin and a two-component metallic additive. The metallic addition makes the floor unique and unique after installation. Its appearance is limited only by the imagination of the customer and the artistic skills of the contractor.

When choosing an epoxy or decorative epoxy floor, it is best to entrust this task to a company that has extensive experience and knowledge in a given topic and can boast of a large number of works performed. However, basic knowledge of subfloor preparation and floor installation may be necessary.

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Installation of an epoxy floor

The installation of an epoxy floor can be divided into two stages:

1. Preparation of the substrate - the concrete substrate for the application of the epoxy floor must be of good quality and with adequate compressive strength, i.e. a minimum of 25 N/mm 2 . An additional condition before applying the epoxy floor is the Pull-Off test result above 1.5 MPa . Concrete must have a moisture content below 4% . Concrete, of course, must be clean, dust-free, free of dirt and grease and oil stains. It may turn out that shot-blasting and grinding of concrete is also required (it is best to rely on the contractor's ).

2. Floor installation - the installation of the epoxy floor itself consists of the next two basic stages: priming the substrate and the actual floor.

a) Priming the concrete substrate is intended to increase the mechanical and chemical resistance of the floor and to improve the adhesion of surface layers (epoxy resins). Epoxol Primer should be used to prime the substrate . Apply 1-2 layers depending on the absorbency of the substrate. A well-primed substrate must shine evenly. The product can be applied to dry, seasoned concrete. If the concrete is fresh (at least 2 weeks old), Neopox Primer WS . , Neopox Primer AY should be used . This is a product that will protect and cut off moisture coming from the ground.

b) After priming the substrate and waiting the appropriate time, you can start pouring the basic layer of Epoxol Design resin. It is recommended to use metal trowels, spatulas or squeegees to spread the resin. After spreading the resin, it should be deaerated with a special spiked roller . The resin should be vented until air bubbles stop appearing in the floor structure. This process takes approximately 10-15 minutes . Poor preparation of the substrate or incorrect preparation of the resin may result in excessive bombing. This element of work is one of the most important in the entire process. Once the base resin has been vented, it's time to apply the metallic pigment. A very important element is to apply the metal additive onto an unbound (liquid) base resin. After pouring the decorative pigment, spread it artistically on the floor with a squeegee or trowel . Full hardening takes place after 7 days, after which you can enjoy your unique decorative Epoxol Design epoxy floor. The ambient temperature during application and hardening should be approximately 20-25°C , which allows for the best effect.

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Unusual use of Epoxol Design - bar counter.