One of the biggest rivalries in flooring options is between polished concrete and epoxy flooring, especially in commercial facilities. Truth be told, they both have benefits that are better for different types of facilities that have different needs or handle different objects. Today we are going to go over how these two floorings can benefit different facilities and overall what flooring option reigns supreme.
Polished Concrete Flooring
One thing to take into consideration when deciding between the two floorings is that polished concrete is only suited for use in low to medium volume facilities so heavy use is not recommended. Polished concrete is also not able to resist chemicals so facilities that handle chemicals, wet processing plants, food or beverage plants or laboratories are not able to use this type of flooring as it can cause severe environmental contamination. Polished concrete is the flooring for facilities that are looking for a low-cost flooring option that is able to get them by until it is time for a renovation. Since polished concrete used polishing to keep its appearance, it may not be suitable for 24/7 operations as it will take some amount of time to maintain the polished concrete flooring. You must also take into account when using a polished concrete floor that your concrete slab will not be receiving any type of added strength as epoxy flooring is able to give to the concrete slab. This is why polished concrete is best suited for new concrete slabs and not for old or damaged concrete slabs as damage will continue to spread and cause more problems further down the line. Bottom line is that polished concrete is a flooring option that is able to reflect light very efficiently while adding a more modern and simple look to an area, but polished concrete is not suited for heavy industrial use or chemical resistant.
Epoxy Flooring
Contrary to a polished concrete flooring system, epoxy flooring will be able to handle whatever you can throw at it, from heavy foot and vehicle traffic all the way into impact from dropped objects without taking a scratch most of the time. Epoxy flooring is also a chemical resistant flooring as it isolates all chemicals on the top layer of its coating that allows for easy cleanup and disposal of the contaminant. Epoxy flooring is also a USDA approved flooring so it can be used in both food and beverage plants as well as the medical field as it is easy to disinfect and clean the flooring. The maintenance of epoxy flooring is also as simplistic as they come as no types of polishes or waxes come into play, all that is needed is a soft bristle broom, dust mop, and a standard wet mop to keep the epoxy flooring in tip-top shape; with the reapplication of the top coat every 7 years. Epoxy flooring has also been tested to make the concrete slab up to 300 percent stronger and last 2-3 times longer when it is properly installed and maintained, adding much-needed strength to the concrete slab. While one of the bright spots of polished concrete was its ability to reflect light, epoxy flooring can do this as well, if not better. Epoxy flooring is able to make the area up to 300 percent brighter without the use of lighting sources outside of the main lighten source, which will save money and make the area safer as well. One of the biggest rivalries in flooring options is between polished concrete and epoxy flooring, especially in commercial facilities. Truth be told, they both have benefits that are better for different types of facilities that have different needs or handle different objects. Today we are going to go over how these two floorings can benefit different facilities and overall what flooring option reigns supreme.