Laminate flooring is fine, but often people decide they want to add some protection or color to it. If you're looking to make your laminate flooring a bit more than just plain wood, then you might find yourself wondering whether you can put epoxy resin over laminate flooring.
Well, the short answer from Trusty Tread is yes. But there's more to it than that! Here's all you need to know about epoxy-coating laminate flooring.
Why would you want to apply an epoxy coating to laminate flooring?
Has someone suggested that you look into epoxy flooring? Are you not sure what epoxy resin flooring has to offer you? There are a range of benefits of covering your laminate flooring in epoxy resin flooring that can benefit your home or business and your wallet.
Durability
Epoxy resin is often chosen for its durability. Epoxy flooring bonds completely with the existing laminate flooring, often without the need for much preparation. It forms a seamless high-quality surface that will protect the laminate floors beneath it, and once cured, is really solid.
The durable surface lasts for years and years and is resistant to most impacts. You can safely push and pull heavy machinery, vehicles, furniture, and wheels over the epoxy resin flooring and it will not dent. Unlike things like vinyl floors or ceramic tiles, you will very rarely have to worry about what you're doing to or on your flooring. Epoxy flooring takes that anxiety away, keeping the laminate surface safe and scratch-free. A scratch resistant floor is great whether you're at home or at work.
Low maintenance
Since it is incredibly durable, epoxy resin is also incredibly low maintenance. It was designed to be super easy to clean so that it could be used in commercial and residential kitchens without making anyone's life harder. It is by far one of the lowest maintenance flooring options and is definitely easier to maintain than a laminate floor or vinyl floor.
Homeowners can safely clean epoxy resin with any household cleaner, and when in industrial settings, the epoxy floor can be treated with any chemical cleaners. The material is also stain-resistant.
Since the epoxy floors are seamless, they do not have any of the pores or gaps of traditional flooring options, meaning that epoxy floors are invulnerable to dirt and bacteria. Once wiped clean, the epoxy floor is indeed clean.
Cost-Effective
Epoxy floors are by no means the cheapest flooring option to install, as the companies you hire to install will charge per square foot or meter, but they provide a very good level of value for money. This is simply because of how long epoxy floors will last. They will outlast the vast majority of other options like laminate flooring and carpet, which eventually lift and warp.
Nonslip coatings available
Epoxy floors are smooth, but they can easily be treated with additional coatings and additives to make them non-slip should you want it. This creates a smooth surface that is harder to slip on, helping to limit hazards.
Quick and easy
A lot of coatings and flooring options take a significant amount of time to install. With an epoxy floor, however, the installation time is reasonably short. There are some epoxy coating systems that can be installed and ready to walk on in only 8 hours. This is perfect for homeowners who don't want to lose a room for weeks at a time while concrete is poured in or other flooring options are used.
Customizable
When you hire someone to put epoxy resin over your laminate floors, you can pick from a range of finishes. There's a huge range of choices when it comes to color, texture, and finish, allowing you to choose from high-shine gloss to a more worn and rustic look. Epoxy floors also have the added benefit of maintaining their appearance their whole life. Unlike ceramic tiles and laminate floors, the colors will not fade and change over time.
How much does epoxy flooring cost?
For a resin floor coating, you can expect to pay between £7 and £15 per square meter. The average cost in the UK is £11. However, there are several factors that can affect how much the installation of an epoxy floor might cost, for example:
The size of the space
Since the cost of epoxy floors will directly correlate to the cost of epoxy floors, how much space you intend to apply epoxy to will impact how much you will have to spend on applying epoxy flooring to your laminate.
The colors and design you want
Just like other types of flooring, epoxy can come in a range of colors and styles, as discussed above. For particularly fancy designs or complicated colors, you might find that companies charge more to apply epoxy than for simple designs.
The state of the floor below
If your laminate flooring is in good condition, then there won't need to be any work done to it before the epoxy is put on top, maybe just a quick clean of the laminate. If, however, it is in poor condition, it may need to be shot blasted or diamond ground before the epoxy goes anywhere near it, otherwise, you risk a dodgy epoxy resin finish!
The epoxy finish you want
Just as with colors and designs, the finish that you want your epoxy to have will impact how much it costs. For non-slip coatings and aggregates, you will have to pay a bit more.
Where in the country you are
As with pretty much anything, the cost of the epoxy will depend on where in the country you are. In larger, more expensive cities like London, you will find that your multiple layers of epoxy cost more than in smaller villages and towns.
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