How to choose an epoxy floor for an apartment

04/06/2018 Anastasia Prozheva

Self-leveling floors are an excellent way to decorate your interior in a stylish and original way. Self-leveling (or poured) floors in an apartment are a way of laying flooring, a high-quality, high-tech material. The composition of this floor includes polymers, mineral mixtures, as well as synthetic modifying additives. These flooring components are sold separately and must be mixed. Mix them before use to form a mass that spreads in a thin layer and hardens quickly.

Pros and cons of self-leveling floors

After reading about this technology, it may seem that there cannot be a better floor than this. Good composition, excellent decorative properties, simple installation method. And, indeed, such flooring has a lot of advantages.

The advantages of self-leveling flooring are that it is waterproof and resistant to fungi and mold

Advantages of self-leveling floor:

• Using this technology, it is possible to fill the floor of fairly large rooms;
• Self-leveling floors are completely waterproof and have excellent waterproofing;
• This flooring is resistant to mold and mildew and is not afraid of temperature influences;
• This is a chemically inert floor; it does not emit fumes that are hazardous to health (which cannot be said about low-quality linoleum);
• This floor is resistant to vibration and mechanical loads;
• Self-leveling floor is an excellent dielectric.

But polymer flooring also has disadvantages; you can’t argue with the truth. Including the fact that before pouring you need to carefully prepare the surface. And this is an energy-consuming and labor-intensive process. The surface is cleaned of dust and debris, the surface is primed and puttied.

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Another point is that in liquid form the composition is dangerous, moreover, it is a fire hazard. Yes, and this is not the case when everything is “do it yourself”; in most cases, the help of craftsmen is required.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SELECTING PATTERNS FOR FILLED FLOORS

If you are going to choose pictures for 3D floors yourself, read the reviews of people who have already had a similar experience or use our recommendations:

• Select 10-15 pictures that match your taste and the general style of the room;
• First of all, delete images whose resolution and quality are low. Choose only high-resolution 3D photos for the floors in your home;
• Select from them those that correspond to the geometry of space. If the room is small in size, it is better to use monochromatic coverings or with the least number of elements. Glossy coating is a tool for visually increasing the size of a room due to the mirror effect. A voluminous pattern or dark shades will visually reduce the space;
• Select your final 3 options and try to mentally visualize them in the room. To be convincing, print these options on a regular printer. This will make it easier for you to imagine them in a plane;
• Find out where in your city you can get large-format printing for 3D floors. Consider all possible printing houses, design studios, advertising agencies and construction companies. Take advantage of professional advice;
• Decide whether you need additional photo processing (whether you need to create a collage, adjust contrast, brightness, pass the picture through a filter). You can also work on your own in graphic editors with drawings at home before preliminary printing on a regular printer, or use the services of specialists;
• Decide on a background for the drawing. This can be a vinyl self-adhesive diaper or banner fabric;
• Print out the drawing and start pouring the floors.

Three-dimensional drawing can be done not only on floors, but also on walls using the same technology. When the floors and wall surface continue each other, the image becomes truly three-dimensional and realistic. This option is ideal for bathrooms or walls that are not loaded with furniture. Use at least one wall together with the floor and the effect will blow your mind.

Epoxy self-leveling floor: reviews

This type of coating is in great demand today. It is easy to care for, which housewives really like. These are non-slippery floors, which is especially important in the kitchen. The surface is solid monolithic, and in terms of hygiene this is the most suitable option; dirt will not accumulate.

Epoxy self-leveling flooring is popular and in demand today.

As floor owners note, the coatings are wear-resistant. They will last a really long time. In terms of repair, this is also an excellent coating - if any scratch or dent appears, then literally one movement of a brush with an epoxy solution will eliminate the problem.

The only thing is that such a floor cannot be dismantled in its entirety. When you come up with a new finish, the epoxy layer will have to be removed. But it happens that the surface is in such a condition that a new floor can be laid on top. And over the years, a new liquid layer can be applied to a worn-out layer.

Kitchen design options with self-leveling floors + interior photos

Depending on the chosen design, self-leveling kitchen floors can look great in both classic and modern styles.

A universal option - matte or semi-matte light, without an elaborate pattern, with inclusions.

Glossy plain floors are style-forming elements of the high-tech style.

For a classic interior, it is better to choose a self-leveling floor with a design that imitates natural stone.

3D floors deserve special attention.

From a design point of view, this is the most difficult option: it is problematic to choose the appropriate style and color of furniture and decor. Despite all their unusualness and creativity, most of them are not worth the effort - they quickly become boring, and dismantling is difficult and expensive.

It is better to refuse such a design. Drawings often look tasteless and do not fit with the main style

White glossy floor in the apartment

Self-leveling polyurethane flooring can be matte or glossy. It can also be a glossy epoxy floor, which in some respects is better than polyurethane. Is a white glossy self-leveling floor convenient in everyday life? Convenient, no need to worry that it is very difficult to clean. A regular soap and soda solution will do the job just fine.

Many people prefer to choose a white glossy self-leveling floor because it is beautiful and easy to care for.

Advantages of a white glossy floor:

• Easy to care for;
• Bacteria do not live on the floor surface;
• It is completely waterproof;
• The service life of such a floor is more than 20 years;
• The floor is resistant to aggressive substances;
• Application of the coating is quick, as is the drying of the floor.

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One of the disadvantages can be noted - the floor is always mirrored, so any speck is visible on it. If you walk barefoot on such a floor, footprints will be visible. The surface will be cold all the time, so a universal “warm floor” device will not be superfluous. And, unfortunately, according to reviews from the owners, after some time the floor may turn noticeably yellow.

Important reviews about self-leveling floors in apartments

The description of the floors is attractive; many people want to make such a floor once, and not think about arranging the floors for many years. But there are nuances that also affect the choice of gender. And they are worth knowing.

Most experts recommend choosing self-leveling floors, since they can be installed in the apartment yourself without the additional help of professionals

Advice from self-leveling floor owners:

• The optimal thickness of the self-leveling floor is 3 mm;
• The finishing layer is responsible for the color of the floor;
• Seams along walls and seams in doors are usually filled with sealant;
• You need to work with the floor in a ventilated area, wearing full protective clothing;
• The polyurethane layer immediately after application has a pungent odor, which cannot be said about the epoxy coating.

As mentioned above, pouring the floor yourself is troublesome. Even when buying high-quality building mixtures such as Litox, doing it yourself requires certain skills and knowledge. This is a responsible event, especially if you decide to pour an epoxy floor that already has a two-component coating. Then the base composition must be mixed very well with the hardener, otherwise a delamination process is possible. Then the composition is quickly applied to the floor; you should go over it with a regular needle roller, which will remove all air bubbles.

How much does self-leveling floor cost?

The total cost will depend on several factors:

• Cost of materials. Here the price of dry mixtures starts from 70 rubles. Decorative liquid floors are more expensive.

Leroy Merlin store assortment and approximate prices

• degree of complexity and amount of work (leveling, putty, rough screed, etc.);
• the presence of additional decorative elements. For example, in order to make a self-leveling 3D floor, you need to order a banner with the corresponding three-dimensional image. And this already significantly increases the budget.

See the table below for approximate prices.

*

Prices are average for Moscow and the Moscow region. If necessary, additional services can be provided, for example, waterproofing for 50-200 rubles/sq.m.

You can fill the self-leveling floor yourself. This way you will save a lot. Watch video instructions:

A self-leveling floor for a kitchen can act as:

• an ideal, even base
  for further finishing with tiles, parquet, laminate or linoleum;

For these purposes, mixtures based on gypsum or cement are purchased.

• self-coating
  provided that a decorative finish is applied. In this case, its main feature, which can be immediately noted externally, is a monolithic surface without joints or cracks.

These are also called liquid decorative floors.

Popular 3D floors: reviews from owners

Many modern owners of houses and apartments say that the best self-leveling floors are 3D floors. They are attractive in appearance; literally any design solution can be implemented with their help. Easy to use, easy to maintain, floors are hygienic. In a word, all the advantages of self-leveling floors are present, and they also have outstanding aesthetic characteristics.

By the way, the technology for constructing such floors allows the use of other materials - wood, metal, stone. They will fit very harmoniously into the transparent polymer mass, resulting in unique shapes, effects, and the coating will be even more original.

No less popular are 3D floors, which make the interior of the room unusual and modern.

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What else do owners note? This is, first of all, the ease of caring for such a floor. You can remove it in literally five minutes. It's a pleasure to walk on it. It does not absorb dirt - and this is its great advantage. Previously, everyone was afraid that the floor was too fragile and could be easily injured. In everyday life, as the owners assure, this happens extremely rarely. The floor is durable and ready for a cup or decanter to fall on it.

Adding to the overall design will make a beautiful set. Only if your floor itself is bright, you should not overload the ceiling and walls with prints and patterns. Still, the interior should be harmonious and not tire the eyesight and perception in general.

"Volume" floors in the interior

Many people who are at the stage of choosing a flooring ask the question: “How appropriate is it to use 3D floors in rooms other than the bathroom?” In fact, their scope is much wider than it seems at first glance. They will not only fit perfectly into the interior of the bathroom, but will also naturally decorate the living room, kitchen, nursery or bedroom. They are even used in cafes, nightclubs and office buildings, as their functionality is superior to many floor coverings.

The choice of pattern for self-leveling floors is determined by the overall style of the room, your personal tastes and preferences, as well as your goals for changing the geometry of the space. The general style of the room presupposes either a specific design idea, behind which all other components are tied, or a color direction (the use of several basic shades in the interior).

Following personal tastes and preferences is more important than following fashion trends, since a home is a place for your relaxation and comfort, its internal atmosphere should be completely in harmony with you.

Tip: If you want 3D floors to visually change the geometry of the space, select pictures that visually increase or decrease the size of the room, lighten or darken it. Naturally, if there is a need for this.

Self-leveling floors in the living room

The living room is the place where most people in the house gather, a meeting place with family and friends, and, therefore, the use of a strong accent, the key idea, is acceptable here. Such an accent can be a geometric pattern made in rich colors. Lines can be smooth or sharp, and geometric objects can be voluminous or scattered around the perimeter.

Self-leveling floors with images on the theme of flora are very popular - large flower buds, grass, landscapes of tropical forests. Compositions of patterns, as if drawn by the artist’s hand, are also found on the floors in living rooms. They add sophistication and luxury to the interior. As you can see in the photo, “three-dimensional” floors in the living room, in most cases, set the mood for the entire room rather than being an addition to the interior.

Kitchen

Drawings for 3D floors in the kitchen can be very diverse. Here, again, floral motifs and geometric patterns predominate; an urban theme with high-tech elements (night city lights, landscapes of megacities) is well suited. It is ideal if the apron and floors are made in the same style and complement each other. The similarity of themes in the kitchen and living room is due to the fact that these two rooms can perform the same functions, and often the kitchen is also a place where the whole family gathers.

Types of high-strength self-leveling floors

Children's

A children's room is at the same time a place for play and relaxation for the young inhabitants of the house, so here the choice often falls on images of cartoon characters, animals, and bright elements. The choice of pattern for the self-leveling floor is also determined by the gender of the child. So, images of cars, the theme of space, and the underwater world are suitable for boys. It is better for girls to use more delicate and warm colors, images of butterflies, flowers, animals, and beautiful heroines of fairy tales. The poured floor can serve as an excellent basis for floor (board) games and depict a playing field.

Bedroom

The bedroom is a place of complete rest and relaxation. Here it is more acceptable to use calm textures (sand, grass, flowers, stones, wood, clouds), unobtrusive patterns and ornaments. As you can see from the photographs, 3D floors in the bedroom are often an addition to the entire interior rather than an accent, although there are exceptions.

Bathroom

The bathroom is one of the most favorite platforms for designers to realize creative ideas, since there are practically no restrictions on color, pattern, contrast and themes. The most popular topic is water in all its forms.

This is the underwater world with its inhabitants (three-dimensional images of dolphins, fish, starfish), and the ocean, and the coast of the island with waves beating on the sand, and waterfalls. Often the water theme is complemented by various textures - sand, pebbles, shells, plants. No less popular is the space theme, made in the same style with the walls in such a way that a feeling of weightlessness is created. Images of flowers and exotic animals are often used.

Dry mixture for self-leveling floors

We looked at possible variations of poured floors in various rooms of a house or apartment. There are also some pretty extravagant and bold 3D floors that you can watch in the video. They present sometimes frightening pictures: a view of the city from above, an empty elevator shaft, a hole in the asphalt of a metropolis, cracks or faults in the ground.

Such images create a feeling of immediate presence in these places: as if you are floating in the air or are about to risk falling into an abyss. Although these types of poured flooring options will make you feel uneasy at first, over time it can become a matter of habit.

Important! Remember that too bold or bright designs quickly become boring, so when choosing the design of your poured floors, keep a little perspective.