Homeowners look for improvements in their homes after they have lived in them for a while. They may look to paint the home and its exteriors, remodel kitchens and bathrooms, look at loft extensions, and add a better flooring than the one they already have. When you look at flooring, you will want to have one that is not only beautiful, but one that is safe for use, not for just using it to walk on or move from room to room, but also safe to have without any toxicity.
Epoxy flooring can be the perfect option for style, beauty, and safety. It is a durable flooring that can stand the harshest of weather conditions, can give good traction that saves you from slipping and falling, and is not affected by water spills. Epoxy flooring is made up of resins that need to be mixed with hardeners before they are applied. The resins are made from polymers, and the hardener is a chemical curing agent that reacts with the resin to form the epoxy flooring after it solidifies.
Epoxy resins require warm temperatures for curing, but once they have solidified they can stand extremes of temperature from freezing to high heat. Most of the chemicals used in epoxy flooring are non-toxic, and this makes them safe to use in a home. They can however become a risk, if they are taken in orally, inhaled, or you come in dermal contact with them. That is the reason you need to take proper precautions with safety gear if you are applying the epoxy coatings yourself. If you have professionals doing the job, they will take all the precautions necessary for their own safety, as well as those living in the home. Check out this professional epoxy and Resin Flooring Contractors who are the best in this field.
Health and safety are always prime concerns in a home, and this is what makes epoxy flooring an ideal choice for the flooring in your home. Epoxy floorings take anything up to three days to cure, depending on the temperature at the time of applying them. Once it has hardened the floor must be cleaned so that all the particles and dust are removed, and any vestiges of the epoxy and its other chemicals removed, so that there is no longer any threat to health and safety. This first cleaning is very important and must be undertaken with great care so that a thorough job is done of the cleaning.
Epoxy can be in the form of a coating or a complete flooring system. Coatings are thinner, while the flooring system will be much thicker. The process used for both types of flooring are the same and require to be carried out in rooms that are well ventilated until the curing is completed, the floor is cleaned, and ready for use. Some dilutants and solvents used in epoxy resins are carcinogenic, but technology has developed solutions that either substitute these dangerous substances or use them in amounts that greatly reduce their potential to be harmful.
Any danger from epoxy flooring that can come from the materials used can easily be avoided if the right safety precautions are taken, and after the application is completed and the epoxy has hardened, it is no more of a danger. Epoxy flooring is safe for your floors and can easily be applied over existing floors. These must be inspected, however, for any defect like subsidence that can then cause problems for the overlaid epoxy. You can make the epoxy slip-resistant by using various finishes and textures. Epoxy has a smoothness that makes it less abrasive than concrete and so your children will not get any abrasions when they fall on them. It is fire resistant and this adds to its safety for use.
Epoxy floors will be seamless and have no joints. Joints make a floor uneven at times, and this can add to the danger of tripping over them, a problem you will not have with epoxy. Epoxy floors need to be installed only after the surfaces on which they are being laid are thoroughly cleaned and prepared, as if you neglect this, it can affect the durability of the epoxy flooring in the long run. Have them installed by experienced and knowledgeable professionals and you will have a floor that will last for years, and always have a beautiful and easy to maintain appearance.
