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How Long Does an Epoxy Floor Take to Dry?

Epoxy flooring, also called epoxy paint and epoxy coatings, is a popular flooring choice for garages, basements, businesses, and beyond. Creating sleek, bright surfaces that are simple to clean, epoxy flooring works well for a wide variety of applications.

However, the application process can be variable. You might be wondering, how long does it take epoxy flooring to dry? We discuss factors that can delay the curing process and offer estimations for time spent curing.

What Is Epoxy Flooring?

Epoxy flooring is a type of resinous coating designed to bond over concrete flooring. It’s known for its versatility and strength, lasting years of high-traffic activity without staining or yellowing. Epoxy creates a seamless, non-porous flooring that doesn’t allow dirt or grime to build up over time, making it a popular choice in residential and commercial applications.

How Long Does It Take For An Epoxy Floor Coating To Dry?

Since epoxy must be poured in liquid form over concrete, the drying process can take a variable amount of time depending on the conditions in the space where the epoxy is applied. It’s typically accepted that epoxy floors will cure enough in 12-24 hours to be stable for walking across, but full curing can take from 72 hours up to a week to support heavy machinery on epoxy floors.

At Saulnier Epoxy, our professional epoxy flooring is typically cured within 24 hours of its application. We recommend users stay off their new flooring for 48 hours to give the curing process room for error and to prevent imperfections in the epoxy.

Humidity and temperature are important variables during the curing process. Excess moisture will slow it down, and colder temperatures will also delay the curing process.

What Are The Best Conditions For Curing Epoxy?

Ideally, for epoxy to cure as quickly as possible, you want a warm, dry area. It’s generally agreed that being in the range of 60-80°F is best for curing epoxy, and the temperature should remain relatively stable.

Choosing to epoxy your floors during the summer months can help speed up the curing process significantly, and you’ll want to avoid weeks with rain in the forecast to get your epoxy fully set as soon as possible. Both moisture and cold aren’t ideal for curing epoxy, and can make the process take much longer.

How Epoxy Installation Works

To understand the curing process, it’s easiest to know how epoxy flooring is actually installed.

Preparing surfaces

In order to install epoxy, first the area must be cleared and cleaned as thoroughly as possible. Humidity and moisture slow down the curing process, so your installation team will want to make sure that the area is completely dry before beginning.

Epoxy is usually installed on concrete floors after concrete grinding has created a rough surface for the epoxy to bond with, or otherwise prepared with an etching solution. Professional epoxy flooring teams will also offer concrete grinding as a service for their installations.

Applying epoxy coats

Once epoxy is mixed – a combination of its resin and hardening solution – it’s ready to apply. When applying epoxy coatings, professional teams may apply more than one coat to provide extra durability. They also may work in sections to ensure that the epoxy is applied evenly, using rollers to spread out the epoxy. Epoxy will level itself as it settles, beginning to cure into its non-porous final product.

Curing time

Once the epoxy coatings have been applied, it’s time to allow the epoxy to cure. Ideally, it will be kept warm and dry, out of direct sunlight, while it cures. As much as possible, the epoxy flooring should not be disturbed by foot traffic or items resting on its surface until the curing is complete.

Get Your Cape Cod Epoxy Flooring Consultation Today

If you live in Cape Cod and are interested in applying epoxy flooring to your residential or commercial spaces, reach out to our professional team of epoxy flooring experts today. At Cape Epoxy, we’re the premiere choice across the Cape for epoxy flooring. Customize your epoxy with endless options for colors and finishes. 

We can provide a free estimate for your residential epoxy or commercial epoxy project, along with a projected timeline for your space’s curing time before your epoxy floors are ready to go. Call us today at 508-548-5257 and get your epoxy journey started!

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