Do you want to make your outdoor environments unique without limiting yourself to the standard laying of tiles? Would you like to have an original and artistic outdoor flooring, urban style, or with three-dimensional images?
Then using epoxy for outdoor floors could be the right solution for your needs!
Epoxy flooring style
Architects, designers, and interior decorators are increasingly using resins for renovations or new buildings.
In recent years there has been a real boom in the production of resin floors, and this is thanks also to the exploration of the potential, technical and aesthetic, of this material at the service of interior design and home decor. Even in outdoor environments, it is increasingly used as a coating, thanks also to the particular aesthetic effects that can be obtained.
First of all, let's try to understand what materials the outdoor resin floors are made of and understand the reason for their increasingly widespread diffusion.
When we talk about floor resins we usually refer to those floors that have a smooth and uniform surface without the presence of the classic joints that are seen when the tiles are laid. The resins are spread directly on the existing floor and leveled, creating a single block.
Resins for flooring are obtained using self-leveling casting resins - epoxy.
They were initially used at an industrial level to protect the surfaces of chemical factories and laboratories, food industries, cold rooms, and butchers, while today they are also widely used at the residential level, for their ability to create continuous floors, i.e. without joints and at the same time to give the floors a shiny and plastic effect.
Let us now focus on epoxy floors for exteriors that have become more and more trendy in recent years.
These are modern, seamless floors with a continuous effect that offer the great advantage of being customizable. With the epoxy resin floor, it is possible to obtain many combinations of colors and effects, and they are all customizable in shades and intensity. Epoxy floors for exteriors are usually of low thickness and suitably treated, they are very resistant to atmospheric agents, abrasion, and impact.These resins are also waterproof, very easy to clean, and, due to their composition, resist the use of the most common chemicals.
Epoxy floors for exteriors are particularly suitable as flooring for some specific areas outside the house such as balconies, porches or terraces, access paths to residential units, or swimming pool coverings.
The types of resin floors for outdoors
The types of resin floors for exteriors differ according to the chemical composition and the laying time of the resin used as well as their finishing.
From a chemical point of view, the main types of resins on the market are epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, methacrylate resin, and cement resin.
Epoxy resin is the most common type of resin in construction and is used for flooring but also interior design. It has a high mechanical and thermal resistance and a high water repellent capacity. Settling takes about a week.
The polyurethane resin is often used for the construction of outdoor floors as it has high mechanical strength and good resistance to exposure to UV rays, therefore its appearance remains unchanged for many years. Its technical characteristics are superior to epoxy resin and therefore the cost will also be higher.
The methacrylate resin is subjected to treatments that make it more performing than other resins and is widely used to create outdoor flooring as it is more elastic, breathable, and very resistant to heat and other atmospheric agents. Methacrylic resin is commercially available in liquid form and is applied much faster than other resins. Drying times are also very fast. Methacrylate resin is mainly used on concrete substrates or to make floors in industrial fields that require a high level of cleanliness and hygiene.
Cement resin is very resistant to both humidity and UV rays, so it is often used for terraces and balconies, outdoor floors, but also swimming pools and fountains. Compared to other types of cement it is more ecological as it uses only water as a solvent.
Epoxy floors for exteriors
A fundamental element to consider is the finishing of the resin floors for outdoor, very important for the aesthetic effect you want to obtain. Among the main types we find:
- Epoxy floors for exteriors with 3D finish
If you are a person who wants to make unique choices and is not afraid to take risks, we recommend that you try the new frontiers of resin floors in 3D. Thanks to new flooring technologies and techniques, by applying more layers of resin it is possible to create flooring on multiple levels. In each layer, it is possible to insert printed images to make a three-dimensional effect. In 3D epoxy floors, they are usually used for indoor environments but find their application also outdoors thanks to the high customization of the various graphic solutions.
- Epoxy floors for exteriors with a glossy finish
If, on the other hand, you prefer an aesthetically more sober and elegant solution, it is better to focus on epoxy floors for exteriors with a glossy finish that gives an appearance of considerable shine and brilliance.
- Epoxy floors for exteriors with a matte finish
By applying a matte finish instead you will be able to give your outdoor epoxy floors a more informal look. Usually, shades of gray are used. The matte finish is widely used for exteriors as it is made of more resistant materials. Among the latest matte finish trends, there is the urban style typology which refers to the architecture of large metropolises and the industrial environment of large factories.
- Epoxy floors for exteriors with an artistic finish
Thanks to the high degree of customization of the resin, you can make your outdoor floor unique and create a mini art project. The resin is very viscous and can be enriched with other materials such as glass, quartz, and stones of various sizes or embellished with other objects such as pearls. It is also possible to make epoxy floors for outdoor luminescent increasingly fashionable as they make the atmosphere very special and I would say a little magical. This trend is spreading widely, for example, among garden designers engaged in the planning and construction of gardens.
Which type of epoxy floors to choose? Which finish? If you are planning to lay an outdoor epoxy floor, we recommend that you contact local pros for a quote and advice aimed at the space you want to floor. In this way, you will be provided with the most suitable type of resin for the purpose you have set for yourself.
How much does it cost to make an outdoor resin floor?
As we have seen, different types of resin floors for outdoor use are available, with various customization options. For a more precise estimate of the price of an outdoor epoxy floor, please consult our price guide.
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