If you are thinking about installing a floor over concrete, you should consider a quality flooring underlayment. However, there are many different products on the market today, so which one is best for your residential or commercial application? Let’s look at some of the selections you will find and discover the many benefits of epoxy type underlayment.
What is the Purpose of Underlayment?
Before we discuss the benefits of epoxy underlayment, let’s take a closer look at underlayment and why it is so important. If you have a concrete floor and wish to install another type of flooring like tile, carpeting, or other materials, you need something which will bond with the concrete to give you a permanent surface to install your new flooring to. This is one of the purposes of underlayment.
Underlayment is also used to level flooring. This is very important because if the floor is not level, you could have dips or unsightly imperfections in your floors. Plus, an uneven floor is not a great surface to work or walk on.
A good flooring underlayment material must also seal out water. Unless you choose something which is waterproof, you’ll need to make sure your have completely waterproofed the entire concrete surface. Otherwise you are inviting disaster.
Benefits of Epoxy
Besides making floors level, epoxy underlayment can be used to provide a slanted or inclined floor. This can be very useful for concrete floors with drains. In some cases, epoxy is used along with a top coat made from urethane to provide a number of benefits, such as:
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Strong resistance to many kinds of chemicals – this is important for all kinds of industrial environments.
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Resistance to ultraviolet light (which can fade many types of flooring)
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Cannot be penetrated easily yet the surface has the ability to breathe
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Can be used indoors as well as outdoors
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Highly resistant to thawing and freezing
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Excellent adhesion properties
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Can be use in areas which require de-icing with salts and chemicals
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Does not affect the expansion and contraction properties of concrete
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Not difficult to clean – this can save a great deal of time on floor maintenance
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Durable and long wearing
Applications
Some epoxy floor products are designed for use in food preparation areas and you will see them in many other applications, including:
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Residential homes
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Automotive services
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Warehouses
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Healthcare facilities
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Restaurants
These are only a few of the many benefits and uses for epoxy flooring underlayment products today.
Dex-O-Tex is a trusted supplier and installer of high tech flooring underlayment systems for all kinds of applications. To see what we can do for you, check us out on the Web today at http://dex-o-tex.com/.
