Epoxy floor coating. Self-leveling epoxy floors, types and technologies. Video: Epoxy self-leveling floor

Polymer epoxy floors are used for finishing not only industrial, but also residential premises. They represent enough robust construction, which, contrary to popular belief, does not pose any danger to human health. Epoxy self-leveling floors can often be seen in airports, private homes and restaurants.

What kind of material is this?

Epoxy floor coating is a two-component composition based on a hardener and epoxy resin. The mixture also includes:

• Pigments that give the emulsion the desired shade;
• Fillers;
• Special additives that ensure uniform distribution of the emulsion over the floor during pouring.

Thanks to this composition, filling floors with epoxy resins is greatly simplified. In this case, the coating is not only seamless and smooth, but also very durable.

It should also be noted that this two-component material has pronounced antistatic properties and good vapor permeability. In this case, the polymer epoxy floor coating may vary in texture:

• matte and semi-matte;
• glossy and semi-glossy.

Where are they used?

This type of coating is subject to certain requirements, set out in the relevant standard (GOST-R 50766-95) according to which epoxy-polyester floor coating can be used in pharmaceutical and food industries, printing houses, as well as workshops specializing in electronics.

Today, the scope of application of two-component emulsions based on epoxy resins has expanded significantly. They also began to be used in:

• educational institutions;
• clubs, cafes and restaurants;
• luxury apartments;
• medical institutions;
• private and apartment buildings.

Note: Epoxy flooring can be poured not only indoors closed type, but also on open areas. This is possible thanks to the wonderful operational characteristics material.

What are the pros and cons?

Epoxy flooring materials have become very popular for a reason. After all, they have a large number of advantages compared to other types of floors:

• Easy to care for. Self-leveling floors epoxy based very easy to wash and clean. They are much easier to care for than, for example, a parquet surface;
• Significant temperature changes do not affect the quality of the material in any way. For this reason, they can be easily used even in baths. If you leave epoxy liquid floors on winter period V unheated room, their surface will not begin to crack and burst;
• Due to the monolithic nature of the coating, there are no areas of significant accumulation of dirt on the floor;
• Wear resistance. Epoxy resin floors installed in accordance with technological process, will last for decades. Moreover, thanks to the repairability of the material, scratches, chips and dents are very easy to eliminate. To do this, you will need a regular brush and a transparent epoxy compound;
• Resistance to chemical influences (solutions, acids, alkalis);
• Good waterproofing. If you decide to use this particular type of flooring, you will not have to think about additional waterproofing of the room. The polymer solution itself will cope with this task.

True, epoxy liquid floors are not without their drawbacks; they are also worth mentioning:

• Price. The material itself costs a lot of money, and you also need to take into account the cost of work performed by specialists in pouring the emulsion;
• Any type of damage is very noticeable on the surface;
• Since the epoxy resin for the floor is a monolith, dismantling it will be very problematic.

Types of coatings

A modern manufacturer is able to offer the consumer many types of epoxy textures. They are specially manufactured for specific operating conditions, so they also need to be taken into account:

1. Thin-layer. When pouring such an emulsion, a layer about 1 mm thick is formed. Despite the questionable thickness of the surface, it copes well with mechanical and chemical loads;
2. Thick-layer. Unlike previous version, this design may not be single-layer. Moreover, the thickness of one layer also does not exceed 1 mm. But due to the application of several layers, the floor is very durable. It easily copes with chemical reagents and mechanical stress. Now such materials are often used in housing construction;
3. Quartz coating. Quartz sand is added to the bottom layer of the composition, which improves the adhesion of the bottom and top layers. The material is resistant to almost any type of load, which makes it very durable and reliable. Such flooring can even be decorated to suit a specific interior of the room;
4. Epoxy industrial floors used in the construction of facilities industrial purposes. They are able to withstand enormous loads of both mechanical and chemical nature. At the same time, epoxy self-leveling coating The floor can be one- or two-layer, multi-colored or plain, matte or glossy, rough or very smooth.

There are quite serious requirements for this type of flooring:

• environmental Safety;
• safety while walking on the surface;
• fire safety.

Criterias of choice

If you decide to purchase epoxy-polyamide materials for flooring, consider tips on choosing products offered by experts:

• You can fill the floor not only indoors, but also in the garage, since the temperature difference is not dangerous for the coating;
• Emulsion compositions may vary. It all depends on the intended purpose of the coating. For significant dynamic loads, one type of emulsion is suitable, for chemical exposure - a second, and for non-conductivity of current - a third;
• Aesthetic component. Most likely for industrial premises this criterion is not very important, but for restaurants and private homes it is the main thing. Epoxy flooring mixtures can come in all sorts of colors and shades, even with patterns and designs. You can also purchase materials with a 3D effect that will decorate the interior of any room.

How to fill?

If you decide to fill epoxy self-leveling floors with your own hands, you need to take into account a lot of nuances when carrying out construction work. Regardless of what type of liquid floor you choose, the application technology will be the same.

Preparing the base

• First you need to prepare the base. If you are planning to pour on a concrete base, keep in mind that the room temperature should not be lower than 5 degrees;
• Also, you cannot start work if the humidity in the room is above 75-80%;
• At this stage, you need to detect and eliminate all defects on the coating (dents, chips). To cope with the task, use regular cement mortar to seal defects;
• If the surface is very large, preliminary grinding and polishing will not hurt;
• Remove construction debris and dust formed after sanding.

Surface priming

• Then you need to prime the floor. This stage needed to improve the adhesion of the base to the liquid emulsion;
• When the primer dries, sprinkle the floor quartz sand. Only then will the base be ready for pouring.

The video and photo demonstrate the implementation of all preparatory work taking into account the characteristics of the room and the base of the floor (metal, concrete, wood).

Applying the base layer

• When the primer is completely dry (at least a day), start pouring the base layer;
• The self-leveling polymer product is applied in strips;
• To evenly distribute the composition, use a squeegee. Then the thickness of the layer will be the same over the entire area;
• To distribute the emulsion in the corners of the room, you can use a spatula;
• To prevent air bubbles from forming in the coating, roll the entire surface with a special roller with needles;
• By the way, you should also wear paint shoes that will not leave marks on the surface.

Applying the finishing layer

• This stage of installation is practically no different from the previous version. To consolidate the effect, you can use polyurethane varnish. It will make the floor surface glossy;
• Wait for the varnish to dry. This will take at least 2 days.

As you can see, pouring an epoxy floor yourself is not that difficult. The material is laid using the method of monolithic casting. In this case, there are no joints between sections. If necessary, decorative layers can be applied zonally. Often, professionals refer to these areas as chips. According to the design project, various materials can be laid under the finishing layer decorative elements, which visually divide the room into zones.

It is of great importance not only for the beauty of the apartment’s interior, but also for subsequent operation.

Self-leveling floors are currently of great interest to consumers. Their use is growing as they appear on construction market all new materials. One of them is epoxy flooring.

Properties of epoxy coating

It is based on epoxy resin, which is a mixture of oligomers and has completely unique properties:

• moisture resistance;
• chemical inertness;
• strength;
• high adhesion to other materials.

Epoxy resin has a complex composition, which includes various fillers, modifiers and additives that improve its properties. It hardens in the presence of special hardeners.

The elasticity of the epoxy mixture allows you to create a seamless coating, which, after drying, turns into a monolith. At the same time, it becomes so strong that it can withstand significant mechanical pressure.

The original purpose of epoxy floors was high-rise buildings and chemical production facilities. But later the design capabilities of these floors were also appreciated, so they began to be used for covering retail floors and other premises that require beautiful and durable floors.

Ultimately, quite a few varieties of flooring using epoxy resins appeared:

• increased strength have a thickness of up to 10 mm - used in places with high requirements for the strength and decorativeness of the floor;
• highly filled floors based on resin and quartz sand – thickness up to 10 mm, wear-resistant, resistant to abrasives and chemicals, and available in a variety of colors;
• two-component vapor-permeable coatings based on epoxy varnish 3 mm thick, wear-resistant, have, easy to repair;
• thin-layer colored epoxy floors with a thickness of only 0.6 mm can withstand medium loads and are repairable;
• the coating decorated with chips has a thickness of up to 3.5 mm, is moisture resistant, can withstand significant loads, and is chemically resistant;
• two-component antistatic coating 2.2 mm thick – does not spark, has high vibration resistance and chemical resistance;
• anti-slip epoxy-quartz floors (thickness 4.5 mm) – moisture resistant, not afraid of any loads and aggressive influences, do not slip;
• two-component colored epoxy floors 3 mm thick – moisture resistant and resistant to any load;
• dust-removing coating based on epoxy varnish 0.2 mm thick - laid on a concrete base, resistant to light loads.

Technology for self-leveling epoxy flooring

If you have all the necessary tools and carefully adhere to the floor installation technology, without skipping any of its stages, you can fill such a floor yourself, without involving professionals.

To work you will need the following tools:

• powerful (if possible, it is better to use industrial);
• construction mixer for mixing epoxy (you can use a drill with an attachment);
• containers for mixing the mixture and soaking tools;
• needle roller;
• spatulas of various lengths from widths from 15 to 60 cm;
• synthetic padding rollers (pile 12 – 15 mm);
• squeegee;
• means to protect the respiratory system, hands and face (mask or respirator, rubber gloves);
• paint shoes for moving on a surface filled with mixture.

Stages of work:

Preparing the base. It must be horizontal, otherwise there will be a large waste of material. If there are significant differences, then flooring is necessary. The humidity of the base should not exceed 4%.

Preparing the base for priming. Before this begins, the floor must be cleared of remnants of the old coating. First, the debris is swept away with a brush, and then the cleaned base is thoroughly vacuumed.

Base primer. Following the instructions, the components of the primer composition are mixed using a mixer at a speed of approximately 500 rpm. The speed must be such that container with the mixture, a funnel with a height of approximately 20% of the height of the container was formed. The result should be an absolutely homogeneous mixture. It is allowed to stand for 4 - 5 minutes so that the air bubbles come out.

You need to remember that the shelf life of the finished product is about 35 - 40 minutes, so you need to mix that much. How much can you earn during this time?

The soil is poured like a snake onto the floor and spread with a padding roller so that a glossy surface is formed. If the soil is strongly absorbed in any areas, you need to add mixtures there and level it again.

The primary layer of soil polymerizes within 24 hours.

After the primer has hardened, the floor is checked again for defects and eliminated. After the areas have hardened, apply a second layer of primer. Subsequent operations can be started only after 24 hours.

Construction of the base layer (underlying). Its main purpose is to eliminate remaining pores and permanently eliminate remaining unevenness. The thickness of this layer can reach 1.5 mm.

To do this, you need to prepare the primer composition again in required quantity. You need to proceed from the calculation of 400 ml of mixture per 1 sq. m. m. The composition is poured and evenly distributed over the surface with a spatula. Work must be carried out in paint shoes.

After about 20 minutes, the entire floor is covered with a layer of pure quartz sand (fraction 0.3 - 0.6 mm). Approximate consumption sand is 1.5 kg/sq.m. After 16 - 20 hours, when the primer has completely polymerized, excess sand is removed using a hard plastic brush. The floor is thoroughly vacuumed.

Sealing layer device. It consists of a basic epoxy compound. Using a mixer, mix the necessary components and let the mixture stand for 3 - 4 minutes.

The finished mixture should not be in the container for more than 10 minutes!

The composition is poured onto the floor and distributed using a spatula or squeegee. The consumption of the epoxy mixture is about 400 ml/sq.m. Particular care must be taken to distribute the mixture in the corners of the room and around.

If you plan to decorate the floor with chips or other flat decorations, then they are placed on the surface right now. Polymerization of the coating will also take 16–20 hours.

Finishing layer device. At this stage it is necessary to work especially carefully. It is desirable that the surface temperature is about 20 degrees. The lower the floor temperature, the the mixture consumption will be greater.

The filling mixture is prepared in the same way as in the previous step. Its quantity must be calculated based on the consumption of 1000 ml/sq. m. This is necessary in order to obtain the effect of self-leveling of the floor.

The composition is poured wide stripes and spread using a squeegee. After 15 minutes, it is rolled with a needle roller. In this case, air bubbles are removed and the surface becomes completely homogeneous.

The complete hardening time for the finishing layer is at least 24 hours. But over the next 6-7 days it is not recommended to exert mechanical influence on the new floor.

It should be open all this time, but care must be taken to ensure that no dirt, dust or liquids get on it.

Floor varnishing. This is not a mandatory, but desirable stage. Polyurethane varnish is applied (1 or 2 layers) with a brush or roller. Its consumption is 100 – 130 ml/sq.m.

The varnish dries in about a day, but the floor can be used only after 4–5 days.

Advantages and disadvantages of epoxy flooring

The advantages of this type of flooring include the following:

• Durable seamless floor.
• Chemical resistance of the coating and moisture resistance.
• Fire safety - epoxy resin does not support combustion.
• Easy care thanks to high dirt-repellent properties.
• Wear resistance guarantees long service life (more than 20 years).
• The ability to adjust the degree of roughness of the floor, which makes it safer.
• Harmless to humans. During operation, the floor does not emit any harmful substances.
• Variety of colors and possibilities.

The disadvantages include:

• Quite a high cost.
• The complexity of the floor installation process.
• Difficulty in removing epoxy flooring from the surface.

A patient and careful person with minimal skills can install an epoxy floor themselves. It is only necessary to strictly follow the work technology and adhere to the instructions when preparing the composition. The process is lengthy, but the result is worth it.

Self-leveling epoxy floors are found today not only in premises where chemical industry production is based, in factory workshops and garages with significant mechanical loads. Increasingly, polymer floors are being designed in hallways public buildings and structures, in shopping centers and supermarkets. Sometimes epoxy floors can be found even in private houses and apartments.

Durability and beauty

Epoxy flooring is a solid polymer self-leveling coating that is resistant to mechanical loads and chemicals. The thickness of the layer varies depending on the purpose of the room from 0.2 to 10 mm. Regular composition self-leveling epoxy floors:

• the basis– epoxy resins;
• hardener – carboxylic acids, their anhydrides and diamines.

If self-leveling floors are planned for installation in public spaces, filler is added to the mixture - tinted quartz sand, colored chips, etc. The imagination of designers when arranging floor coverings for restaurants, bars, and hotel lobbies is unlimited. Before pouring epoxy self-leveling floors, special decorative elements, as well as colorful banners, are laid on the primed base. The recommended layer thickness when laying chips underneath is 3.5 mm.

Three types of polymer coatings - the right choice

Manufacturers produce a variety of materials for the construction of the base, varying in quality and cost. The price, as well as the degree of complexity of the work performed, determines the final costs. Depending on the conditions of further use of the premises, one of three main types is chosen polymer coatings:

1. Thin layer. Its thickness is less than 1 mm, after preparing the base, sanding it with a mosaic grinder, removing dust, a double layer of primer is applied and painted with a polymer mixture in two stages. Such floors have good strength and resistance to liquid penetration, and can withstand loads from human traffic well. Area of ​​application: rooms with low humidity, car wash back rooms, canteens. They are suitable for a temporary solution to dust problems during the destruction of concrete monoliths in garages and small warehouses.
2. Bulk.The layer thickness in this case is over 1 mm. After the usual preparation and priming, an intermediate layer of epoxy resin mixed with a hardener is applied. The final floors are poured after the rough floors have completely hardened. These high-strength bases are resistant to moisture, vehicle traffic, acids and alkalis. Self-leveling floors are used in car washes, confectionery shops and large kitchens, in dairies, in laboratories of chemical industry enterprises. Due to their aesthetic appeal, epoxy floors constructed using this method are used in administrative buildings for various purposes, in apartments and houses.
3. With quartz filler. Added to the usual technology is sprinkling the rough layer with quartz sand. This material allows you to achieve excellent wear resistance and impact resistance, and extends the service life of the coating. Its thickness in some cases reaches 1 cm, it can withstand mechanical loads from the movement of heavy vehicles and the movement of cargo. Area of ​​application: large motor transport enterprises, metallurgical industry workshops, oil refineries, where the aggressive chemical environment is most active.

If necessary, the finishing layer of the polymer base floor is sprinkled with quartz sand. In this way, an anti-slip surface is obtained, which is necessary in conditions high humidity. There should be no accumulation of static electricity in rooms where explosives are stored in explosive industries. Here, special requirements are imposed on floor coverings, primarily antistatic. This is achieved by applying a conductive primer and sticking it on copper tape, coated with an antistatic composition.

Advantages and disadvantages - what more?

Epoxy floor– aesthetic coating, seamless, perfectly smooth and glossy. However, they choose it not only because of its beauty and decorativeness. Among its other advantages:

• wear resistance - high mechanical loads, common in industrial facilities and sports grounds, do not violate the integrity of the surface layer;
• durability – service life reaches 15 years;
• monolithic hardness and absence of dust – ideal conditions for garages and warehouses;
• resistance to aggressive chemical compounds and moisture penetration - epoxy self-leveling floors are usually installed in work areas of food and chemical industries;
• fire safety - the components that make up the coating do not support combustion;
• ease of cleaning - the ideal surface is cleaned with minimal labor both manually and mechanically.

For polymer self-leveling bases many advantages. Before making your final choice, you should also become familiar with their disadvantages. They exist, although they are minor:

• The plasticizer sometimes evaporates over time;
• low elasticity due to increased hardness.

Disadvantages include the inability of the material to bridge cracks, but this problem can be solved proper preparation floor bases. In general, the minor flaws are more than offset by the advantages.

Safety and harmlessness

Previously, epoxy coatings were used only in production premises, where special strength and wear resistance were required, and the presence of people was only occasional. The reason for this is fears that building materials made from epoxy resins can be harmful to the human body. Ideas about its harmfulness did not arise from empty space. The surface of any packaging containing epoxy flooring components must contain information about safety precautions when working with these materials.

Why do self-leveling floors today decorate the halls and corridors of public buildings, schools and even kindergartens? Moreover, colorful coatings become a decorative element modern apartments. The reason is that harmful substances are released and volatilize exclusively during the laying process, until the materials have hardened. When performing work, builders use special means protection. As a result, they get an excellent result - a durable, beautiful and absolutely safe polymer floor.

Modernization and renovation - preparation of concrete floor subfloors

Even the most durable concrete Over time, under the influence of moisture and temperature changes, it begins to become covered with microcracks and dust. Once the process has begun, it proceeds like an avalanche. IN concrete base Cracks, chips and potholes appear and urgent repairs are required. Conventional repair of damage concrete mixture solves the problem for a short time. To achieve good strength and durability, other technologies are required.

In such cases, the problem is easily solved by applying an epoxy coating to the concrete. It should be remembered that high-quality preparatory work is required before the main work. Their complexity depends on the degree of damage to the concrete base.

1. Smooth concrete with a small number of microcracks. Before the main work, it is vacuumed, degreased and primed.
2. Concrete with large cracks and chips is puttied, dusted and a primer is applied.
3. If the concrete is severely damaged, screeding and priming must be done before installing the epoxy coating.

Remember, the better the work done to prepare the base, the more durable and strong the final result will be.

Where to start installing a self-leveling floor?

The basis for self-leveling floors is not only monolithic concrete, but also any solid Smooth surface with differences of no more than 2 mm per 1 m. If the floors are laid with ceramic tiles, feel free to proceed with putty and primer, this good basis For durable coating. First of all, calculate the cost of the work. If you plan to do the pouring yourself, it is equal to the total cost of materials, tools and safety equipment. If you want to order the installation of self-leveling floors for a team of builders, multiply the resulting amount by two, this will be approximate cost all works.

Typically, home craftsmen perform the pouring themselves using the simplest technology; more complex ones require considerable costs for tools and equipment. Before starting work, provide yourself with funds personal protection: rubber gloves, goggles, respirator. If the base is prepared - it has been puttied, sanded, dusted and primed, it is time to start pouring epoxy floors.

7 stages of flooring

1. The one- or two-part epoxy mixture is thoroughly mixed with a construction mixer. Remember that the prepared solution hardens within approximately 30 minutes, during which time it must all be laid and leveled.
2. The finished mixture is applied along the wall farthest from the door, leveled towards the center of the room, topped up and leveled again until the solution is finished. The thickness of the rough layer is from 1 to 1.5 mm.
3. The solution distributed over the surface is finally leveled with a special metal spatula to achieve a straight surface of the rough coating.
4. In most cases, the base self-leveling floor is strengthened; for this purpose, 15 minutes after installation it is covered with quartz sand. After completely dry mixture, remove excess sand from its surface with a brush, or better yet, with a vacuum cleaner.
5. Prepare a second portion of the mixture for the final top layer. Its quantity is calculated based on the consumption of 400 g of mixture per 1 m2.
6. The freshly prepared solution is evenly distributed and leveled with metal spatulas. After 10 minutes, the entire surface of the mixture is rolled with a roller to remove residual air from it.
7. In a week for the final front layer Epoxy varnish is applied twice with a break a day. At all stages of work, the room must be provided with good ventilation and a constant air temperature of not lower than +12 and not higher than +25°C.

To ensure personal safety, be sure to use personal protective equipment. To ensure that your floors last as long as possible, adhere to the requirements indicated on the packaging of the materials.

The basis of any epoxy floor is a two-phase composition of epoxy resin and its hardener. Also, the composition of the components of this type of coating can be supplemented with various additives that stabilize the mixture and increase the strength of the coating to mechanical damage (latex, casein), as well as substances that promote the fluidity of the solution. Before pouring the floor, pigments are added to the mixture. This is done to give it the desired shade.

To give the mixture the desired shade, special additives are added to it.

Sometimes for decorative effect the composition is supplemented with diamond or other mineral chips, but such mixtures after hardening are very difficult to grind. This circumstance will create certain difficulties if you decide to make an epoxy floor with your own hands.

Sometimes the mixtures are supplemented with diamond chips

Distinctive advantages and disadvantages

The optimal combination of components that make up an epoxy self-leveling floor gives it a number of special positive properties.

1. High resistance to wear: such a surface will last for decades and will retain its presentable appearance for a long time.
2. Easy to care for: thanks to monolithic design floor, its surface is less susceptible to the accumulation of dirt and, as a result, the proliferation of colonies of harmful microorganisms on its surface. Smooth and smooth surface easier to handle wet cleaning and demands minimum flow cleaning agents and disinfectants.
3. Resistance to temperature changes: Epoxy liquid floors can withstand various temperature fluctuations. Therefore, they can be used even in baths. Such a coating can withstand winter in an unheated room and maintain its presentation and performance characteristics.
4. Chemical resistance: the surface can withstand exposure to even highly concentrated acids and alkalis.
5. Good waterproofing properties: this type of flooring does not require additional waterproofing in the room, since it is endowed with almost zero vapor permeability and copes with this task independently.
6. Wide prospects for design solutions.

These floors are very resistant and durable.

All the above-described advantages of epoxy self-leveling floors allow them to be used in the premises of the most for various purposes, be it industrial workshops, chemical laboratories, industrial warehouses or public institutions (kindergartens, educational organizations, clinics, shopping centers and so on.). Nowadays such floors are increasingly found in private houses and apartments.

Such floors have become more common in private houses and apartments

With all the wide range of advantages, epoxy self-leveling flooring is not without its disadvantages that should be taken into account.

1. High labor intensity of preparatory work and high final cost of work and materials costs.
2. Marking of the material: chips and scratches that appear during everyday use are clearly visible on the floor surface. When the need for repairs comes, it is almost impossible to choose the color of the composition that matches the damaged coating.
3. Removing old coatings can be a difficult process that takes a lot of effort and time.

In addition to all the advantages, such floors also have disadvantages.

Tips for choosing a self-leveling epoxy floor and calculating consumption

Depending on the purpose of the room prepared for installation of a self-leveling epoxy floor, a mixture with suitable characteristics is selected. Materials are classified according to the thickness of the applied coating.

It is advisable to use coatings for applying a thick layer if it is necessary to level a base with a large difference in height. Depending on the manufacturer’s recommendations, the thickness can range from 80 to 100 mm. Material consumption in in this case very tall. Such mixtures are not intended for pouring a thin layer.

Compounds for forming a thin layer are used exclusively for work on finishing fill floor. The thickness can even start from 1 mm. The consumption of materials will accordingly be the least.

Depending on the manufacturer’s recommendations, thickness can range from 80 to 100 mm

Prices for mixtures for thin-layer epoxy self-leveling floors are an order of magnitude higher than those for thick layers. However, given that the consumption of such a mixture is very low, the final price becomes quite acceptable.

You can calculate the cost of covering a room by multiplying the product of the height and area of ​​the coating by the density of the solution. For example, for 1 m² of floor with a thickness of 1 mm, one liter of mixture will be required. Multiplying the volume by the density of the composition 1.3 kg/l, we get 1.3 kg of finished mass. Some manufacturers, in order to reduce the cost of mixtures for self-leveling floors, introduce heavy additives into their composition, for example barite or quartz and river sand, as a result, the density of the mixture increases to 1.65-1.75 kg/l. Consumption will increase accordingly. As a result, at the same price per kilogram, material consumption will increase by almost 30%!

Mixture consumption may vary depending on the purpose

Required tools and materials

To achieve the best possible result, you will need the following list of tools and special protective equipment:

1. Grinder;
2. vacuum cleaner;
3. container for mixing the solution;
4. drill with screw attachment;
5. high pile roller;
6. squeegee;
7. needle roller;
8. gloves;
9. paint shoes;
10. respirator;
11. putty knife.

Needle roller for self-leveling floor

Materials that will be needed at all stages of work:

1. seam sealant;
2. primer;
3. potting mixture;
4. polyurethane varnish;
5. polymer composition.

Before starting work, you should prepare thoroughly

Epoxy self-leveling floor - pouring technology

The ready-made epoxy compositions that exist today allow you to fill the floor with your own hands, without having any special skills in this matter or special expensive tools.

Before you begin the process of installing an epoxy floor, you will have to take time to prepare the room in which the work will be carried out. The main requirements for the surface on which the future floor will be applied will be its strict horizontal orientation and minimal humidity. The permissible slope in the horizontal plane is 2 mm per two meters of surface length. Maximum surface humidity is 4%. This requirement is due to the close to zero vapor permeability of epoxy resin.

Now there are mixtures that do not require special preparation skills

Excess moisture from the base will quickly begin to destroy the base layer. If the mixture will be applied in place of the previous coating, traces of paint, grease stains and other contaminants should be removed, then all chips, seams and cracks should be repaired. The seams are primed and filled with sealant. The base can be secured by applying epoxy paint to it.

Before you start priming the floor, you need to remove any dust that has settled on it using a vacuum cleaner. After this, you can begin applying the primer layer. If the surface texture is rough, then two coats will be sufficient, but if the surface is smooth, 3-4 coats should be applied. Each successive layer is applied only on top of the completely dried previous one. Priming helps to increase the adhesion of the base to the material applied to it.

Before starting work, you should remove all debris with a vacuum cleaner.

You can start pouring the base layer when upper layer the primer is completely dry. The mixture with an epoxy resin base is applied in wide stripes. To evenly roll out the initial layer, it is better to use a squeegee. It is more convenient to work in the corners of the room with a spatula. To avoid leaving marks on an already filled surface, you should wear paint shoes. Once the solution has completely filled the floor area, it is important to roll the entire surface with a needle roller to remove air bubbles.

It is important to know that in the prepared solution the polymerization processes will take effect within 30 minutes, so you should prepare and apply the epoxy mixture in portions so that it does not have time to harden before pouring and leveling. Work is carried out at a temperature not lower than 10C. There should be no drafts or sudden changes in temperature in the room until the solution completely hardens.

It takes 2 days for the floor to dry completely.

Epoxy floors dry in about 7 hours, but are fully cured in about two days. Only after complete polymerization can you proceed to pouring the finishing layer.

Before applying the final layer of self-leveling epoxy flooring, apply decorative coating. It could just be a layer of decorating chips. The most original options There will be surface painting with acrylic paints or a banner network with any digital image. Modern three-dimensional printing of the image you like will add special chic to the flooring.

Floors painted or digitally patterned will look very nice.

After pouring the finishing layer, wait until the surface has completely hardened and secure the result with a layer polyurethane varnish. After the varnish has dried, which will happen in two days, you can use the room for its intended purpose.

If you strictly follow the pouring technology and sequence of work, epoxy floors will serve you for decades. No other type of flooring offers such durability coupled with aesthetic appeal.

Video: Epoxy self-leveling floor

Video: Self-leveling epoxy floors

“Eight children? Then you better pave the children’s room!” — the consultant recommended to a mother with many children who was desperate to find a suitable floor covering for her home. Of course, this is a joke. And in real life we have a great alternative to rough asphalt because you can make your own epoxy floors.

Epoxy self-leveling floors look great and can withstand almost any load

Advantages and disadvantages of epoxy self-leveling floor

It's hard to come up with best coverage than epoxy floors. When hardened, a mixture of epoxy resin and hardener forms a durable monolithic layer that has a number of excellent performance characteristics:

• high wear resistance;
• amazing strength;
• ability to withstand extremely high or low temperatures;
• excellent adhesion to various types of substrates;
• complete absence of seams;
• low cleaning costs;
• resistance to aggressive chemicals;
• durability;
• wide possibilities for design, etc.

These qualities make it possible to use self-leveling epoxy floors on the most various enterprises and in institutions: in production workshops, laboratories, clinics, kindergartens and schools, in garages, on trading platforms and in other similar places. IN last years Owners are increasingly choosing this type of flooring residential buildings and city apartments.

As wonderful as epoxy flooring is, it does have a number of disadvantages that should be considered:

• The process of pouring a floor requires careful preparation and high costs labor;
• the cost of work and materials can be quite high;
• If installed incorrectly, delamination of the coating may occur;
• if the need for repairs arises, it is almost impossible to select a composition that perfectly matches the color of the main coating;
• Removing damaged or outdated epoxy flooring will require a lot of time and effort.

Correct use of tools guarantees high-quality installation of self-leveling floors

How to prepare the base

The most reliable base for a self-leveling epoxy floor is concrete screed. If necessary, you can pour the composition onto another base, for example, ceramic tiles, however, this will require diligent preparation. Theoretically, it is possible to fill the composition even on wooden surface, but practice shows that the service life of such a coating will be noticeably reduced due to the deformation properties of wood.

The basic requirements for the condition of the surface are as follows: it must be fairly smooth and dry enough. Deviation from the horizontal is allowed no more than 2 mm for every 2 meters. Sometimes this result can be achieved only with the help of special self-leveling mixtures.

Permissible base humidity is no more than 4%. This requirement should not be neglected, since the epoxy self-leveling floor has practically zero vapor permeability. If moisture from the base gets onto the base layer of the floor covering, it will quickly begin to deteriorate.

Careful preparation of the base significantly affects the strength of the self-leveling floor.

Advice:
To determine the moisture content of the base, use the usual plastic film, measuring approximately 100x100 cm. It must be sealed with tape to the base and left for two days. If during this time no droplets of condensed moisture appear under the film, the base can be considered sufficiently dry.

Fresh concrete screed usually acquires a given brand strength and the required humidity for four weeks. More difficult to work with old screed. First, you need to remove the remnants of the previous floor covering, as well as stains of paint, dirt, grease and any other contaminants. Then you should repair cracks, chips and carefully level the surface. You can strengthen the base with a layer of epoxy paint.

How to make self-leveling floors correctly

The primer is applied in two layers, the second after the first has completely dried. If islands of gloss appear on the dried primer layer, there is a high probability of contamination. Such places should be cleaned and primed again. In areas that absorb primer more intensely, more compound should be used. The second layer of primer is immediately sprinkled with quartz sand.

Advice:
After applying each layer, it is recommended to soak the rollers in a solvent.

Allow 24 hours for the primed surface to dry completely. After this, it is time to apply the base coat. It is poured in wide strips and spread with a squeegee and spatula to distribute the composition evenly. You can move on the floor surface during pouring only with special paint shoes, which are worn over work shoes. You should move carefully, avoiding shuffling movements. To remove air bubbles from the composition, it is rolled with an aeration roller.

Only two days after pouring the floor can you begin to apply the final protective layer. Under this durable transparent coating is usually placed decorative layer. Sometimes an additional layer of polyurethane varnish is applied to the self-leveling floor.

Tip: Although epoxy floors practically do not shrink, it is still recommended to install shrink joints along the walls and fill them with sealant.

Design Possibilities

Epoxy self-leveling floors can be decorated in almost any way. The easiest way: pour special decorating chips onto the base layer that has not yet hardened. But there are other design possibilities.

Self-leveling epoxy floor design can create a stunning effect

After the coating has dried, you can paint the surface of the base layer using acrylic paints. Hand painted - great option exclusive design for an apartment.

At the printing house you can order a banner network on which any digital image with sufficient resolution. A graphic image created using vinyl stickers or a self-adhesive stencil can be somewhat cheaper. A special chic is modern volumetric printing. A 3D image is created using a layer of special microlenses. Such elements are ordered from advertising agencies or printing companies.

After the decorative layer is applied and firmly fixed, it is covered with a transparent finishing layer. Sometimes the glossy surface of the self-leveling floor distorts the effect of the design image. In this case, you can use a special polyurethane matting varnish.

The marine theme looks very impressive

If improperly laid parquet or laminate can be partially dismantled and replaced with new elements, then this option is not suitable with self-leveling flooring. Each stage of pouring the floor should be performed perfectly, only then will the floor covering be highest quality. That's why this work should be trusted to professional craftsmen.