Apr 17 , 2019 Anderson Painting

Of all the rooms of a home, the basement is often the most varied in its use. One homeowner might largely ignore the basement and solely use it as a storage or laundry space. Another might turn it into a personal space, studio, or recreation room. Whatever the case, every home gains value from having a clean, safe, and aesthetically pleasing basement. If your basement floor is dirty, ugly, and filled with cracks, it’s time to consider your options. Here are some new concrete basement floor epoxy options that will enhance your home’s value.

The Three Main Types of Epoxy Floor Paint

Epoxy floor paint is chemically different from standard paint. It involves a careful mixture of two parts: a resin and a hardener. This reaction results in a coating that is sticky like glue when wet, and hard and durable once dried. Because concrete basement floors are susceptible to gathering moisture and fracturing, this durable basement floor paint provides a powerful protective layer that looks good, too.

However, not all epoxy paint is created equal. There are actually a few different types of epoxy paint, each different in composition, durability, ease of application, and hazard. These are 100% Solids, Waterborne, and Solvent-borne.

100% Solids Epoxy Floor Paint

This type of epoxy paint is often considered the best epoxy paint for its durability. However, it’s also the most difficult to properly apply. 100% solid refers to the paint’s composition, meaning that none of the material will dissolve once dried. In other words, 100% solid epoxy paint is thicker and therefore more protective of the floor underneath.

Because there is no solvent component, however, this type of epoxy paint must be applied quickly and evenly, which can be difficult considering how much thicker and heavier the paint is than other types. Still, for the most protection, 100% solid is a great choice to add value to your home.

Waterborne Epoxy Floor Paint

Waterborne epoxy floor paint involves a water solvent component. This makes for a thinner solution that’s easier to apply, but not as thick as 100% solid epoxy once dried, as the water component evaporates during the drying process. The main advantages of waterborne epoxy floor paint are that it’s relatively environmentally-friendly and easy to clean.

Solvent-borne Epoxy Floor Paint

The oldest type of epoxy floor paint – solvent-borne or solvent-based epoxy floor paint – isn’t used as frequently today as it once was. This is primarily due to its toxicity levels. The chemical solvent present in the paint evaporates during the drying process, releasing toxic fumes into the air.

Are Those the Only Epoxy Options?

While the three types listed above outline the main options for concrete basement floors, there are better ways to protect a floor than simply covering it once with epoxy paint. At Anderson Painting, we use Penntek Industrial Coatings for garage and basement floors. This process doesn’t just include a coat of 100% solids epoxy floor paint, but also an underlying primer coat and an overlaying Polyurea topcoat.

With these additional protective layers, your basement floor will be stronger than ever, more resistant to moisture and chemicals, and easier to maintain and clean. Penntek also offers numerous epoxy floor paint colors so you can customize your basement to your liking. With a lifetime warranty, this type of floor coating will surely maximize the value of your basement and your home.

To learn more about everything we can do for your basement and for the rest of your home, call Anderson Painting today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!