Floor Tiles vs Epoxy/Resin Floor

[iMCaan]

Hi

 

We are thinking of tiling the entire ground floor about 150m2 in our self build house. The ground floor has underfloor heating and is screeded.

I have recently come across an epoxy company who claim epoxy floor is has good as floor tiles. Their quote (labour + material) is just above the quote for for fitting floor tiles (labour + material).

The epoxy company mainly specialises in commercial epoxy floors but they insist that a lot of people are having epoxy floors installed in houses. They say that they can achieve any marble/tile like design. My thoughts are if it's good for commercial premises surely it's good in a house.

 

Has anyone had any experience of having a epoxy floor on top of screeded underfloor heating?

 

Any advice/suggestions are highly appreciated.

 

Thanks

[nod]

Both can look good Porcelain is more durable 

[IanR]

35 minutes ago, iMCaan said:

Has anyone had any experience of having a epoxy floor on top of screeded underfloor heating?

 

I have a resin floor on power-floated concrete with UFH, but it's a PU Resin. Are you sure the product you have been offered is epoxy? My base layer is epoxy, but all other layers are PU.

 

It's a warmer, softer feel than tiles with good wear resistance. I'm told the top coat with eventually show signs of wear, at which point it can be re-coated, which gives the option for a colour change. Still looks new after 7 years.

 

We treat it like a wooden floor, so furniture on felt pads and careful with sharp objects, ie. not as hardy as Porcelain, but then if a dropped a hammer on it there'd be no risk of it cracking.

 

Rugs can cause a colour change, a slight yellowing we have found, but remove the rug and a few weeks later the yellowing disappears.

 

No grout lines or expansion joints is a big bonus, we have 250m² of seamless floor.

 

 

Edited July 16 by IanR

[iMCaan]

Thanks nod.

 

I didn't think the longevity. There's a big difference.

Epoxy floor: 10-20 years

Longevity: Porcelain 60+ years

 

[iMCaan]

Thanks IanR

7 minutes ago, IanR said:

I have a resin floor on power-floated concrete with UFH, but it's a PU Resin. Are you sure the product you have been offered is epoxy?

I'm not sure. I'm going to see one of their installation and will confirm. 

He did say they'll be a levelling compound and then they'll be ~3mm finishing layer.

 

 

 

[nod]

50 minutes ago, IanR said:

 

I have a resin floor on power-floated concrete with UFH, but it's a PU Resin. Are you sure the product you have been offered is epoxy? My base layer is epoxy, but all other layers are PU.

 

It's a warmer, softer feel than tiles with good wear resistance. I'm told the top coat with eventually show signs of wear, at which point it can be re-coated, which gives the option for a colour change. Still looks new after 7 years.

 

We treat it like a wooden floor, so furniture on felt pads and careful with sharp objects, ie. not as hardy as Porcelain, but then if a dropped a hammer on it there'd be no risk of it cracking.

 

Rugs can cause a colour change, a slight yellowing we have found, but remove the rug and a few weeks later the yellowing disappears.

 

No grout lines or expansion joints is a big bonus, we have 250m² of seamless floor.

 

 

I’ve laid both 

and treating resin like wood is very good advise 

[iMCaan]

Does treating resin floor like wood mean you have to apply some kind of coating to the resin floor every so often?

[IanR]

46 minutes ago, iMCaan said:

Does treating resin floor like wood mean you have to apply some kind of coating to the resin floor every so often?

 

Nope, just meant being a little careful with it, if you want to keep it looking its best. We mistakingly dragged a metal cog crate across it and that left a scratch (as it would do with wood).

 

No coating required, until it needs a re-finish, which I'd judge to be around 20 years.

[Alan Ambrose]

Yeah I have two bathrooms with electric heated floor and epoxy over. I quite like them. Would have been even better if I had worn my glasses so I could have seen the tiny bubbles on one side...