What an Epoxy Floor Coating Is
An epoxy floor coating is a resin system bonded to a concrete slab to give it a continuous, chemical-resistant, hard-wearing surface that bare concrete cannot provide. It is not paint. Paint sits on top and wears off; an epoxy system is engineered into the floor as a build — primer, body coat, and topcoat — chosen for the traffic, chemicals, and conditions the floor faces.
Coralex Painters has specified and installed floor systems across warehouses, factories, showrooms, clinics, and homes in Accra, Tema, Takoradi, and Lomé since 1984. This guide explains what these systems do, where each belongs, and why the concrete underneath — not the resin — usually decides whether a floor lasts.
Where Epoxy Floors Belong
Warehouses and Logistics
High-traffic warehouse floors take forklift loads, point loads from racking, and constant abrasion. A self-levelling or high-build epoxy gives an even, dust-free, easily cleaned surface that bare concrete sheds as dust into the goods stored on it.
Factories and Industrial Floors
Production floors face chemical spillage, thermal cycling, and wash-down. The system is specified to the specific chemical exposure — a food-processing floor and a workshop floor are not the same specification.
Showrooms and Commercial Interiors
Metallic and decorative epoxy floors give a seamless, high-gloss finish for showrooms, retail, and reception spaces — durable underfoot and continuous, with no grout lines to stain.
Homes and Garages
Residential epoxy — garages, basements, utility areas — gives a sealed, cleanable, attractive surface that resists oil, tyre marks, and moisture.
The Concrete Decides the Outcome
The single most common cause of epoxy floor failure is not the resin. It is the slab it was bonded to. Two checks decide success before any resin is mixed.
Surface Profile (CSP)
Epoxy needs a mechanically prepared, open concrete surface to bond to — not a smooth, sealed, or laitance-covered slab. The International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) defines Concrete Surface Profiles (CSP) as a scale; the system’s required CSP is achieved by shot-blasting or grinding before any primer goes down. An epoxy laid on an unprepared slab will delaminate, regardless of resin quality.
Slab Moisture
Concrete holds and transmits moisture, and moisture vapour driving up through a slab will lift an epoxy system off it. Slab moisture should be tested before installation — ASTM F2170 measures in-situ relative humidity within the slab using probes. Where moisture is present, a moisture-tolerant primer or vapour-control system is specified rather than hoping the slab is dry.
The Build Matters
An epoxy floor is a system, not a single coat:
- Primer — penetrates and bonds the system to the prepared concrete.
- Body / build coat — self-levelling or high-build, gives the thickness and mechanical durability.
- Topcoat — delivers the chemical resistance, anti-slip profile, and finish.
Specifying only “epoxy paint” with no build, no primer, and no moisture check is how a floor fails inside a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an epoxy floor last?
A correctly specified system on a properly prepared and moisture-tested slab, matched to its traffic and chemical exposure, gives many years of service. Most early failures trace to skipped surface profiling or untested slab moisture, not the resin.
Can you epoxy over an existing floor?
Sometimes — it depends on what is there and its bond. The existing surface must be assessed, mechanically prepared to the required CSP, and moisture-tested. We survey before committing, because over-coating a failing or sealed surface only transfers the failure upward.
What is the difference between epoxy paint and an epoxy system?
Epoxy “paint” is a thin single coat that wears like paint. An epoxy system is a built floor — primer, body coat, topcoat — engineered to the traffic and exposure. For warehouses and industrial floors, only a system performs.
Is the slab moisture test really necessary?
Yes, in Ghana’s humidity especially. Moisture vapour driving up through a slab is a leading cause of epoxy delamination. Testing to ASTM F2170 before installation lets us specify a moisture-tolerant system rather than discover the problem after it lifts.
Specify the Right Floor
Coralex Painters surveys, specifies, and installs epoxy and resin floor systems across Greater Accra, Tema, Takoradi, Kumasi, and Lomé, Togo. For a free on-site survey including surface and moisture assessment, call +233 23 063 0014.