A word on white residential epoxy flooring

Ever since we started making decorative epoxy resins there has been a strong demand for plain white epoxy floors in the home. We certainly understand how the pristine finishes seen in glossy magazine spreads capture the imagination of homeowners, however we also know from experience that such a floor can be tricky to achieve in a number of ways.

Now, despite what you read below, we are by no means suggesting beautiful, white epoxy floors are impossible. They can be done. Rather, what we are trying to do is manage expectations and make sure everyone realises there are several challenges with getting, and keeping, a flawless finish.

Tips on plain white epoxy flooring

In our opinion, the following are three properties of plain white epoxy flooring you need to be 100% clear on before going ahead with this type of floor:

1. Visibility

It doesn’t matter if you’re talking furniture, cabinets or flooring, the fact is high-gloss, plain white surfaces of any kind have an unwelcome habit of showing imperfections in the finish. Added to this, epoxy flooring is a field-applied product (as opposed to factory machined), which makes it somewhat susceptible to the environment in which it is installed. While all reasonable measures will be taken to ensure the surface is well prepared, conditions are suitable, and dust/bugs don’t land on the film, there are no guarantees that some imperfections may appear, and, just to repeat, a plain white epoxy floor is very unforgiving in this regard.

2. Maintenance

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Closely linked to imperfections is a white epoxy floor's ability to show the slightest trace of dirt. Common household dust tends to be more visible and scuffing from footwear can take on an extra dimension when it has a white background to work with. While this once again has more to do with the colour than surface type, the truth is a white residential epoxy floor can make cleaning a bit of a chore.

3. Cost

Installing a white residential epoxy floor will generally require more coats and greater overall thickness in the epoxy, which naturally means a higher cost overall. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, white as a colour simply doesn't have the same “hiding power” as darker colours, so to fully block out the surface underneath – and make sure the floor looks consistently white – greater thickness is required. Secondly, to get the perfectly flat, glossy finish desired with this type of floor, extra resin is often needed to level out any minor hills or valleys.

A different approach to plain white epoxy flooring

So, if plain white epoxy floors aren’t necessarily the best option, what do we suggest as an alternative? Well, when homeowners start talking about plain white finishes for their residential epoxy flooring, we usually advise adding something to "break up" the surface and help lessen the impact of the matters raised above.

For instance, adding a subtle metallic effect can be a tremendous alternative and introduce another dimension to your floor. Also, the use of off-white or light grey shades rather than white is a good way to deliver a similar brightening effect to a space while introducing a degree of forgiveness to any potential imperfections.

Finally, reducing gloss levels through the use of specialist topcoats or polishes will also make a big difference to the maintenance demands of a white residential epoxy floor and is something we recommend for those willing to give up the idea of a mirror-like finish.