Lots of people are under the mistaken belief that if they are going to paint a floor then they can just use any old paint at all and everything will be OK. This is just not true. Oh sure, you will get a nice looking result for a while but it will just peel off again within a few weeks or months. For floor painting you want to use the proper paint and you want to prepare the surface to take the paint.
There are two types of cement floor paint that work really well. The first is an enamel and then second is epoxy. Of these two, I would go with the epoxy as it will give you a longer life and it is really tough. Epoxy is the type of paint that is used in most auto repair garages and commercial fleet maintenance shops. You can imagine how much wear and tear these floors see in a years time and the epoxy stands up great.
If you decide on epoxy, which will give you the longest life, then you have another choice to make. You can choose from either a one-part water based epoxy floor paint, or the industrial grade two-part solvent based. Both of these have their benefits and downsides and you just need to weigh them to find out which is right for you.
Benefits and Disadvantages of Water Based Epoxy
Water based epoxy paints are a relatively new product on the market. They were developed for the homeowner who wants the benefits of an epoxy surface but don’t want the hassles. The water based paint is easy to apply and clean up is done with just soap and water. Another added benefits is the dramatic decrease in the amount of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) which are gassed off during the curing process. This fact makes it much safer to use indoors.
The main down side is the resulting thickness of the coating. After the water has evaporated the epoxy layer will be about 3 mils thick. This is three thousandths of an inch and is only about one third the thickness found with the industrial grade.
Benefits and Disadvantages of Two-Part Epoxy Paint
The number one advantage to using the two-part epoxy product is the thickness of the coating once it is cured. With the water based product over half the can is filled with water that just evaporates off. The solvent based product is almost 100% solids which means it goes on a lot thicker and it cures to a thick coating. Since this type of epoxy has been used since the 1960’s we can see many applications that have lasted for decades with very little wear showing.
If you have surface that takes a lot of abuse like a working garage or an industrial area then the two-part system is well worth your money.
The two main disadvantages of this type of epoxy paint are the VOCs and the cleanup. Since it is solvent based the curing process will release dangerous gases into the atmosphere. It is very important to have a lot of air flow through the area you are treating to try to mitigate the potential harm. Also, be sure to read the hazard label on the container to see if a respirator is recommended.
Clean up can be a real pain since the epoxy will start to set up about 10 minutes after you mix the resin and hardener together. Most professionals use throw away tools so they don’t have to hassle with cleaning.
Although the two-part epoxy paint products do have some downfalls they can’t be beat for a long lasting, hard and durable coating to be applied to a cement floor.