One of the most crucial choices is the flooring in both residential and commercial settings. Flooring is a key design element that has the power to make or break a room while also serving a functional purpose.
If you’re eager to get a certain type of flooring, the flooring choice factor gets ruled out. However, if you’ve come to the point where you have to choose between epoxy floor coating and tile flooring, this post by Carpenter Company in Dubai is going to help you a lot.
Today, we’re going to explain the merits and demerits of choosing epoxy flooring and tiles for your home.
Flooring Showdown: A Battle Between Epoxy & Tiles On Basis Of Pros & Cons Explained
The ideal choice of any product is impossible without knowing the benefits and drawbacks. Epoxy coating and tiles are both popular flooring options, however, greatly differ in characteristics and advantages. Before we move on to explain the pros and cons, let’s briefly describe both these floor covering options.
What Is Epoxy Floor Coating?
An epoxy resin is mixed with a hardener to create a chemical reaction resulting in a rigid, durable, and long-lasting material for coating surfaces. Epoxy floor coatings have become increasingly popular in commercial, industrial, and residential settings.
Commonly, these resin coatings get used in commercial settings that experience high levels of foot traffic, impact, and exposure to chemicals, such as garages, warehouses, hospitals, and laboratories.
What Is Tile Flooring?
Tiles are flat pieces of materials that may be ceramic, porcelain, vinyl, or stone and are used to cover surfaces such as floors, countertops, and walls. Flooring tiles come in various shapes and are to be installed side-by-side for a seamless floor appearance.
Generally, tiles as flooring get used in commercial and residential settings due to their durability, water resistance, and ease of maintenance. However, tiles also feature industrial applications and can be used in a variety of settings like factories, warehouses, laboratories, etc.
The Perks & Pros Of Epoxy Coating As Home Flooring
Epoxy coating is a popular choice for home flooring due to its many perks and advantages. Some of the key benefits of using epoxy Flooring for home flooring are described below:
1. Exceptional Durability
Epoxy floor coating is highly durable due to its unique chemical composition. Epoxy is a thermosetting resin that is created by mixing together two components – a resin and a hardener. Thus, epoxy is a hard, rigid, and durable material.
It is highly resistant to abrasions, impact, chemicals, and moisture, making it ideal for use in high-traffic areas such as entryways, garages, warehouses, industrial settings, and basements.
2. Easy Maintenance
Epoxy coating is easy to clean and maintain, requiring only regular sweeping and occasional mopping. It is also resistant to stains, making it a great option for homes.
3. Customizability
The ability to get your flooring design customized gives a pure feeling of personal aesthetic satisfaction and that is epoxy floor coating for you. From logos and graphics to patterns and textures, epoxy coatings offer a range of unique and personalized flooring options.
You can attain a mirror-like flooring finish with epoxy for adding a touch of glamor and sophistication to your home interior.
4. Improved Aesthetics & Safety
Epoxy resin can be coupled with anti-slip additives for improving the safety standards of your home flooring. Plus, you can choose epoxy in a wide range of colors, patterns, and textures for desirable home flooring appearances. No need to mention that you get smooth, flawless flooring surfaces with epoxy coatings.
5. Eco-Friendliness
Epoxy can be coated over concrete or any other surface and therefore, eliminates the need for existing floor removal. This leads to no additional materials or efforts required for installing epoxy floors and therefore, reduced environmental waste.
6. Cost-Effective Solution
Compared to hardwood flooring and tiles, epoxy is a cheap flooring option. For instance, it only costs around $30-$100 per sqm for epoxy installation while the same surface area covered with the best quality vinyl or ceramic tiles may cost around $90-$150 per sqm.
The Drawbacks Of Epoxy-Coated Floors In Homes
The shortcomings can cause you to rethink your choice just as much as the advantages make the product enticing.
1. Installation
A DIY epoxy installation is not an easy task and therefore, only skilled professionals are able to carry out the epoxy installation with precision. That’s because epoxy is a material coating that is to be laid on the flooring surface rather than installation like tiles or hardwood.
The DIY Flooring installation becomes utterly impossible if you’re to replicate intricate design patterns on the epoxy flooring surfaces. This means that you have to keep in mind additional payment for the installation of epoxy.
2. Limited Repair Options
Epoxy flooring is difficult to repair once it has been installed. Any damage to the surface may require a complete replacement.
The Fundamental Significance Of Tiles As Home Flooring
There is a number of good reasons for using tiles as home flooring. Below, we’ve described the eye-catching features of flooring tiles.
1. Extreme Durability
A top-quality purchase means you’ve secured your home flooring for over 20 upcoming years with regular maintenance, of course. No matter the type you choose, all flooring tiles are durable enough and can easily withstand heavy foot traffic with no wear and tear signs.
Also, they’re resistant to damage from fires, scratches, abrasions, stains, impacts, and chemicals.
2. Unmatched Versatility
First of all, you have the option to choose from various types of construction materials like natural stone, porcelain, vinyl, and ceramic. Second, you can choose from a wide range of colors, patterns, sizes, and shapes of tiles to fulfill your aesthetic concerns. From classic to traditional and modern to contemporary, tiles can complement all approaches to home decor and styling.
3. Easy To Clean
Tiles are glossy, smooth, and shiny flooring surfaces that can be cleaned easily. However, the adherent material can turn yellowish over time. Adding further, ceramic tiles are to be cleaned using a neutral pH cleaner or mild alkaline cleaner.
4. Health Benefits
Tiles are hypoallergenic and do not harbor dust, dirt, or allergens, making them a great option for people with allergies or respiratory issues.
Also Read: Is Parquet Flooring Waterproof
5. Decor Enhancement
To create a new design aesthetic or complement the existing Decor, tile flooring is one of the best home flooring choices. The versatility of choices makes it possible to match your aesthetic preferences and make the interior more stylish with flooring tiles. Thus, tile flooring is a popular and timeless flooring option that can add value to your home if you decide to sell in the future.
The Disadvantages Of Choosing Tiles For Home Flooring
While tile flooring offers a range of benefits, there are also some disadvantages to consider.
1. Cold & Hard Floor Surface
Tile flooring feels cold to the touch, especially during winter months. Plus, the floor surface is hard, and therefore, sitting or walking over for quite some time can give you a feeling of unrest.
2. High-Cost Flooring
Compared to some other flooring options, tiles are more expensive. Plus, you should keep in mind costly tile repairs or replacements for a damaged flooring patch. Although it’s nearly impossible to find the exact design flooring tiles on the market in the case of damage.
3. DIY Installation Not Possible
Tiles are to be fitted in cross sections and therefore, require special skills and tools for installation. Hence, you have to seek professional assistance to get over this project and. This adds to the overall project cost for home flooring upgrades.
The Verdict!
Epoxy floor coating can be a better option if you want a durable, easy-to-clean, and cost-effective flooring solution that can be customized for home aesthetic upgrades. On the other hand, tile flooring is an ideal choice if you’re allergic to dirt and dust particles and require flooring that’s durable, versatile, and comes with low-maintenance benefits.
