Polyurethane Vs Epoxy Kitchen Floor

Polyurethanes exhibit excellent impact and abrasion resistance providing up to four times longer life than uncoated epoxy floors.

Polyurethane vs epoxy kitchen floor. Epoxy resins are also sensitive to moisture but the damage done by humidity will be far more limited. Polyurethane is also a better medium than epoxy to mix in anti slip aggregate if you truly want an anti slip surface or want a solid colored floor without paint chips. Like epoxy polyurethane also has its own share of limitations. Overall the qualities of the polyurethane system outweigh those of a roller applied epoxy coating.

Optional wear and safety additives can be incorporated into the topcoat texture. Generally a polyurethane floor coating is highly flexible and elastic while epoxy flooring is harder and more brittle. You can get polyurethane coatings in a wider variety of finishes ranging from satin to highly glossy. However polyurethane is better able to resist scratches.

If you are thinking between oil and water based polyurethane varnish take into consideration that oil finishes usually soak into the grain and yellow. To add to that pu is more durable compared to epoxy flooring. The difference between epoxy resin and phenolic resin is the manufacturing process and construction materials. This makes polyurethane coatings more resistant to scratches and similar damage and is why you ll often find urethane resin floors in heavy traffic areas such as multi storey car parks.

Once it has hardened polyurethane can t be reconstituted. Epoxy should be used as the base coating to bond to concrete and the polyurethane can be used as a topcoat flexible scratch resistant uv stable. It can also handle humidity far better than epoxy does. Polyurethane finishes can range from satin to semi gloss to high gloss.

This all depends on the floor application and what the desired end result. Polyurethane floors are generally softer and more elastic compared to the epoxy giving them better resistance to scratching ideal for spaces like multi deck car parks which experience high levels of foot traffic. Polyurethane flooring is known to be highly resistant to corrosion abrasion wear and tear solvents and organic alkalis such as methylene chloride. Epoxy central sells both epoxies and polyurethanes as well as epoxy and polyurethane coating kit.

Which one to choose. On an average polyurethane flooring can last upto 10 years whereas an epoxy flooring can survive for 5 years. If an uncured pu floor is attacked by water or condensation you may get this catastrophic results like in the picture below. Increased impact and abrasion resistance.