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Which Floor Coating Is Ideal for Your Space?

By
Industry Observer with Spectrum Communications

When you’re looking to redo your flooring, or add that extra touch to your current concrete floors, it’s important to know what your options are. Depending on the scope of your project—whether you’re coating a commercial kitchen or shoring up the durability of an automotive workshop—the type of one-day floor coating you’ll want to invest in will change.

Every type of flooring offers its own unique benefits, so it’s necessary to understand how certain types of flooring will lend an advantage to your specific business or residential needs.

 

Multilayer Chip Flooring

A popular flooring choice for production areas, showrooms, garages and offices, multilayer chip floor coatings offer durability and strength. This one-day floor coating sports a polyurea composition for maximum durability and a non-slip surface, making it great for high-traffic areas. This type of flooring also provides added flexibility to personalize the look of your space, often featuring custom-colored chips, which makes it great for spicing up your garage or other residential areas.

Quartz Flooring

Add an extra “wow” factor to your floor with the versatility of quartz flooring. As a smooth, easy-to-clean, and multilayered floor system, quartz is frequently found in commercial kitchens, locker rooms and medical facilities. The durability of quartz, combined with a layering technique, allows the flooring to remain unharmed, even when exposed to extreme heat or cold.

Quartz also offers UV stability, making it a great choice for flooring exposed to a lot of natural light. It’s also chemical and abrasion-resistant, and reliably adhesive—making it easy to install and maintain.

Epoxy Flooring

If you’re looking to affordably coat a large surface area, epoxy is a smart choice. Strong UV, chemical and abrasion resistance makes it great for withstanding heavy foot traffic and minimizing odor. Pre-tinted for high-quality color matching, epoxy is also great at hiding small chips and cracks in your existing concrete floor. Its affordability and slip-resistant qualities also make epoxy a popular choice in large commercial kitchens.

Polyurea Flooring

Polyurea is a low-maintenance coating that can be installed quickly. It offers enhanced slip resistance while reinforcing the strength of your underlying flooring materials. This type of floor coating offers a long recoat window, meaning you’ll be able to enjoy it for much longer than comparable materials before needing to reapply. Combine this with its ability to perform well in any temperature and you’ll see why many consider polyurea a cost-effective, durable flooring solution for any interior or exterior use.

Polyurea is often used in garages, pool decks and locker rooms. It offers a premium-quality finish, and has a lifespan up to 20-times longer than other flooring materials. It’s a great option for those looking to coat smaller spaces with a high-quality, durable floor coating.

 

Deciding What’s Right for You

Not all floor coatings are formulated to work optimally in every space. In fact, some coatings, while composed of high-quality materials that offer excellent durability, aren’t reasonably priced for use in larger spaces. That’s why it’s important to consider the advantages and drawbacks of each coating type, and how well these flooring materials suit your unique project needs.

William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.

When redoiong a floor yoiu need to consider the traffic and what ever else it may be used for.

Oct 20, 2017 09:33 AM
Raymond Denton
Homesmart / Evergreen Realty - Irvine, CA
Irvine Realtor®

How about resdidential, Kevin?  I'm considering replacing my carpet with a floor coating in my house.

Oct 20, 2017 09:35 AM
Spectrum Communications
Spectrum Communications - Chicago, IL
Helping Realtors with Expert Content

Hi Raymond, thanks for reading! For a residential floor coating, you definitely want material that adheres well and stands up to heavy foot traffic, especially if you entertain frequently.

Polyurea has become a popular choice because it offers these benefits, and sets quickly. Since it does dry so quickly, though, it's not an ideal DIY option for those coating their floors for the first time. Epoxy grants a wider application window, allowing for more trial and error.

You seem like you have some experience, though, so I would recommend polyurea, especially if the area you're coating gets a lot of sunlight exposure.

Oct 20, 2017 11:13 AM