Difference between epoxy floors and polyurea polyaspartic

Difference Between Epoxy Floors and Polyurea Polyaspartic When considering updating your floor you will be presented with many options. The most popular two you are likely to encounter are epoxy and polyurea polyaspartic. Understanding the differences in these materials can help you to determine which may be the right choice for your project. Age of Product Epoxy floors have been around for much longer than polyurea polyaspartic. In fact, it is only in the last 20 years that the polyaspartic material has been available. This means two things: that the material is recently developed using newer technology, and that it may not be fully understood by all contractors. If you are planning on applying your flooring yourself you will have the full responsibility of doing the research to understand your chosen flooring type, as well as the necessary materials and application process, which lessens the importance of a professional understanding the differences. Strength and Flexibility Much research has gone into determining the strength and flexibility differences between these products. Using a variety of methods it has been indicated that polyurea polyaspartic is more flexible than epoxy as well as being more resistant to damage from influences such as traffic, impact, and abrasion. This means that polyaspartic may be a better choice for floors that will see a tremendous amount of use. Temperature Tolerance If you were to use epoxy as your flooring method you would need to be vigilant about the temperature during installation. Epoxies are sensitive to temperature and cannot be installed when the environmental temperature has dipped below freezing. This completely stops the curing process and can cause damage and defect to the finished floor. Polyurea polyaspartic, on the other hand, can be applied even in extreme weather conditions, including very low temperatures and very high temperatures, which gives greater flexibility to the times of application. Elemental Tolerance Another difference between the two materials is their ability to withstand elements such as dampness in the underlying concrete and exposure to UV rays. Polyurea polyaspartic will not blush or whiten if applied to concrete that is slightly damp, as is a risk with epoxy. It also will not yellow or otherwise discolor after exposure to UV rays. Application

Upload
steve-wright
Category

Self Improvement
view
848
download
0

Embed Size (px):

Transcript of Difference between epoxy floors and polyurea polyaspartic

Difference Between Epoxy Floors and Polyurea Polyaspartic

When considering updating your floor you will be presented with many options. The most popular two you are likely to encounter are epoxy and polyurea polyaspartic. Understanding the differences in these materials can help you to determine which may be the right choice for your project.

Age of Product

Epoxy floors have been around for much longer than polyurea polyaspartic. In fact, it is only in the last 20 years that the polyaspartic material has been available. This means two things: that the material is recently developed using newer technology, and that it may not be fully understood by all contractors. If you are planning on applying your flooring yourself you will have the full responsibility of doing the research to understand your chosen flooring type, as well as the necessary materials and application process, which lessens the importance of a professional understanding the differences.

Strength and Flexibility

Much research has gone into determining the strength and flexibility differences between these products. Using a variety of methods it has been indicated that polyurea polyaspartic is more flexible than epoxy as well as being more resistant to damage from influences such as traffic, impact, and abrasion. This means that polyaspartic may be a better choice for floors that will see a tremendous amount of use.

Temperature Tolerance

If you were to use epoxy as your flooring method you would need to be vigilant about the temperature during installation. Epoxies are sensitive to temperature and cannot be installed when the environmental temperature has dipped below freezing. This completely stops the curing process and can cause damage and defect to the finished floor. Polyurea polyaspartic, on the other hand, can be applied even in extreme weather conditions, including very low temperatures and very high temperatures, which gives greater flexibility to the times of application.

Elemental Tolerance

Another difference between the two materials is their ability to withstand elements such as dampness in the underlying concrete and exposure to UV rays. Polyurea polyaspartic will not blush or whiten if applied to concrete that is slightly damp, as is a risk with epoxy. It also will not yellow or otherwise discolor after exposure to UV rays.

Application

Page 2: Difference between epoxy floors and polyurea polyaspartic

The application process for these two flooring options can be very different. The pot life of epoxy, that is the length of time that the materials need before beginning to harden, is much longer than that of polyurea polyaspartic so it can be applied using a manual gun if desired. Polyaspartic, on the other hand, has a pot life of only a few minutes so it is necessary to use automatic application guns that will distribute the material quickly.

Setting Time

Finally, the two materials differ in the length of time it takes for the floor to be ready for use. Epoxy floors can take up to five days from the beginning of the process to be completely ready for use. Polyurea polyaspartic, on the other hand, can be completed in a matter of hours and ready for use the same day.