Homeowners are using the Internet to their advantage and completing many do-it-yourself projects around the house. Internet guides and tutorials can help the average person complete many projects that they never thought about completing before. However, there are still some projects that should be left to the professionals, no matter how easy the online tutorials make them look. One of these projects is installing epoxy flooring. Here are a few of the reasons you should leave this task to the professionals.
Epoxy May Not Properly Adhere if Your Floors Are Not Properly Prepared
One of the things that many online tutorials gloss over is the preparation work that needs to be done prior to installing epoxy flooring. You have to properly prepare your concrete slab or surface prior to installing epoxy. If this is not done, the epoxy may not adhere properly. It may not cure thoroughly or it may start to peel off after a very short period of time. A professional can prepare your concrete surface for epoxy based on the type of concrete you have and the weather elements where the epoxy is being installed.
Epoxy Fumes Can Be Irritating
Another reason why you may wish to leave epoxy installation to the professionals is that you can irritate your eyes, sinuses, or throat when working around epoxy. If you do decide to install epoxy yourself, you should always take proper precautions when working around epoxy, such as wearing eye goggles and a mask and ensuring the space is ventilated to minimize these problems.
Installing Epoxy Flooring Is a Lengthy Process
Installing epoxy flooring is a lengthy and multistep process. You have to prepare your concrete surface, roll the epoxy into place, harden the epoxy using a resin layer, sand down the floor, and then coat the floor. The various layers also have to cure between steps. This is not a fast project that can be completed over the course of a weekend. It is a multistep project that may take over a week to complete. Professionals can get the work done as quickly as possible, while ensuring everything is done correctly.
Removing Epoxy Flooring Is Challenging and Time-Consuming
The final reason you should leave epoxy installation to the professionals is that if you make a mistake, the entire flooring needs to be removed and you have to start from scratch. Unfortunately, the only way to remove epoxy flooring is by scraping it all away by hand with a chisel or scraping tool. This can take a long, long time. Ensuring the floor is properly installed by a professional can help you avoid this problem.
Installing epoxy flooring may look easy on tutorials, but the process is time-consuming, tedious, and is best left to the professionals. If you are looking to coat a concrete slab or surface in epoxy, reach out to a local epoxy installer to find out if epoxy is right for your project and to obtain an estimate.