What Causes Cracking Problems in Epoxy Flooring?

Some epoxy floors may develop cracking after a period of service. Such cracking is different from ordinary micro-cracks and surface crazing. Micro-cracks and crazing only appear on the floor surface, while overall cracking damages the entire coating layer and exposes the base substrate.

Cracking occurs when the internal stress inside the coating exceeds its bearing strength. Micro-cracks result merely from surface stress, whereas overall cracking is caused by combined stress within the whole coating and interfacial stress between the coating and the base layer.

In general, the main causes of epoxy floor cracking include coating aging, floor thermal expansion and contraction, as well as absorption and desorption of moisture vapor.

What effective solutions are available to solve cracking problems?

First, optimize material selection. Choosing suitable resin, plasticizer and raw materials is the key to preventing cracking. High-quality raw materials can enhance the stress resistance of the floor and greatly reduce the probability of cracking.

Second, strictly standardize the epoxy flooring construction process. In particular, the base surface treatment must meet construction standards. Some construction teams accept projects even with unqualified base layers in order to take orders. This inevitably leads to insufficient coating thickness in partial areas, resulting in unstable later service performance. Unqualified base treatment may also cause expansion and deformation of the substrate, which further triggers expansion and contraction of the epoxy floor coating and eventually leads to cracking.

Third, attach importance to daily maintenance during use. Proper maintenance can keep the floor in good condition for many years. Apart from avoiding hard impact and scratches on the surface, it is necessary to control ambient temperature and humidity. Higher temperature accelerates coating aging, while excessive humidity speeds up surface pulverization, both greatly increasing the risk of cracking and inducing more floor defects.