Why Epoxy Sand Floor Paint Is Replacing Tiles In Some People's Homes

You're probably used to seeing gorgeous DIY epoxy garage floors, but this high-gloss finish brings a clean, modern look and effortless maintenance to almost any room in your house. Many people are taking advantage of these features and replacing their tile floors with epoxy sand floor paint. Tile floors have a reputation for being low-maintenance, but grout can become dirty and stained, leading to tedious episodes of scrubbing. By their nature, tile floors are also somewhat uneven, with clear distinctions between tiles. Epoxy floors are completely smooth and even, so there are no cracks or crevices to collect dirt or encourage mildew growth. These are some of the reasons an epoxy kitchen floor is a good idea. Another is the price. 

Epoxy floors are significantly cheaper to install than tile floors, although this may be less of a factor if you're planning to DIY. The materials for epoxy flooring costs between $3 and $12 per square foot. The cost for tile flooring materials is much more variable, ranging from $1 per square foot for the cheapest ceramic options to $45 per square foot for high-end luxurious stone tiles. If you're paying for installation, epoxy floor installation often comes in under $1 per square foot compared to $5 to $10 per square foot for tile installation. 

If you're interested in trading out your existing tile floor for epoxy, you can either rip out the tiles completely or apply the epoxy sand paint over them. Ripping out tile can be a big job and will make your project more expensive and time-consuming. However, removing them completely will give you the best surface to apply the epoxy paint. Even if tearing out tile floors is in your budget, though, it may not be the best option. Because epoxy paint leaves a much thinner surface than tile, you may be left with a height difference between your new floor and the rest of the floors in your house. You can make up for this by putting down plywood after you remove the tile and preparing the wood before applying the epoxy paint.

Your other option is to paint the epoxy over your existing tile floors. This is easier than tearing out tile floors, but you'll still have to do a lot of prep work. Most tiles have a glazed finish that will prevent epoxy from sticking to them. To counter this, you'll need to sand and grind the tiles to remove the finish. Next, you'll need to prime it. Priming your floor is necessary when using epoxy no matter what type of floor you have. Finally, you need to fill in the grout lines, or they'll show through after you paint. Do this by applying an epoxy filler coat with a flat squeegee. Once your floors are prepared, you can follow the instructions on your epoxy sand paint product to finish them.