We often get asked about the average life span of an epoxy floor. Top Gun Garage remains committed to educating our customers and setting realistic expectations about their epoxy floor. There are product manufacturers and installers that use a myriad of different marketing strategies centered around a “lifetime warranty” on their product or service. While epoxy is extremely durable and long-lasting, claiming that any floor that is exposed to vehicle traffic (among other things) is just unrealistic. There is also an equal amount of misinformation about how an epoxy floor needs to be re-coated every 1 to 2 years. It’s time we set the record straight and provide an honest look at what you can expect and the factors that impact the life span of your epoxy floor.
Factors that impact Epoxy Lifespan
Strength of the Underlying Substrate
As it stands to reason, no material installed on top of a weak surface is going to be as durable as one that is installed on top of a stronger one. Most residential concrete is rated to withstand anywhere from 3,000-5,000 PSI of pressure. If for some reason your epoxy floor is installed over a compromised slab that is below that range, the durability is compromised and the potential for failure is increased. It is important that your concrete is assessed by a professional prior to installing epoxy. In the event a weak slab is present, that issue would be to be addressed by a licensed contractor.Surface Preparation: The performance of your epoxy floor is heavily dependent on the amount of preparation that takes place before application. The surface must be free of dust and contaminants and the proper profile must be accomplished. See our article about surface preparation here.
Thickness of the Epoxy
There are several different epoxy flooring systems that can be installed depending on the intended use of the space in which they are being installed. For instance, an Epoxy Flake System can have a thickness of around 4-5 mils while a Single Coat Epoxy System can range from 1-2 mils. There are also some epoxy floor systems for industrial settings that can be as thick as 1000 mils which is about 1 inch. As you can imagine the thicker the coating the longer you can expect the epoxy floor to last.
Exposure to Traffic
An area that has heavy vehicle traffic or forklift operations is going to cause your epoxy floor to wear faster compared to an epoxy floor that has light vehicle traffic or only foot traffic. For this reason, it is vital that your contractor fully understand the intended use of your space in order to tailor the epoxy floor system accordingly.
Quality of Top Coat
The topcoat is the first line of defense for your epoxy floor. This is the material that is going to be most exposed to abrasions, chemicals, and UV light. It is crucial to select a topcoat that is durable and resistant to the elements in your space. It is recommended that epoxy flooring have a high-quality urethane or polyaspartic topcoat depending on your specific space.
Exposure to Sunlight
Here in Naples, Florida we have a high UV index which can significantly decrease the life span of your epoxy floor, especially on exterior surfaces. There are other epoxy-type flooring systems that are specially formulated for exterior application but the reality is, exterior epoxy projects simply don’t last as long as interior projects.
To sum it all let’s take a look at the average lifespan of one of the most popular epoxy floor systems, the Epoxy Flake System
