Epoxy Flooring — Coatings, Self-Levelling and Screeds

What it is

A resin flooring system applied to a concrete substrate, ranging from a thin sealing coat to a thick trowelled screed.

System	Thickness	Duty
Coating	0.2 — 0.5mm	Dust sealing, light foot traffic
Self-levelling	2 — 3mm	General industrial, forklift traffic
Trowelled screed	4 — 9mm	Heavy impact, chemical, thermal cycling
Anti-static	Varies	Electronics, clean rooms

Preparation is the specification

The finish is only as good as what it is stuck to. Required, not optional:

• Mechanical preparation — shot blasting or diamond grinding to remove laitance and open the surface
• Moisture testing to the system's stated limit before any resin is applied
• Crack and joint treatment, since movement joints must be carried through the resin, not covered over
• Edge and upstand detailing, including coving where hygiene requires it

Most epoxy failures are preparation failures, and they are visible within months as peeling, bubbling or delamination in traffic lanes.

Where projects go wrong

• Acid etching instead of mechanical preparation.
• Applied to a green or damp slab. Concrete needs its drying time.
• Movement joints bridged, so the floor cracks where the slab moves.
• System thickness below the duty, wearing through in aisles.
• Applied in poor ambient conditions, since cure depends on temperature and humidity.
• Standard epoxy in daylight, which yellows.

Standards referenced

Concrete substrate requirements under IS 456:2000. Screed material classification under EN 13813. Concrete protection products under EN 1504.