Are all epoxy resin flooring products the same?

As innovative epoxy flooring specialists, at Tough Floors we only work with the highest quality suppliers to ensure we can deliver results to our exacting standards. Whether installing epoxy flooring in a garage, outdoor area, residential or commercial buildings, we collaborate with our epoxy suppliers to find the right product for the best finish.

We recently interviewed Jack Josephsen from Real World Epoxies, one of our specialist epoxy suppliers, to find out more about how he and his team use an inventive research and development process to produce exceptional quality solutions.  This is one of the reasons we usually prefer to use the Real World Epoxy products over others.

 

• What got you into resin manufacturing and how long have you been doing this?

I developed an interest in resin chemistry after working with rubber recycling technology for 6 years, which led to me starting my first R&D company, and then setting up National Maintenance Products (NMP) to manufacture a range of solventless epoxy coatings, flooring and adhesives.  We rebranded in 2015 to Real World Epoxies.

• Your products have various ingredients and formulas. What do you base your chosen formulas on?

We realised very early on there's no point having exceptional test results in the lab if your products can't handle the conditions on site. The name Real World Epoxies was chosen to reflect our formulating philosophy that focuses on getting high performance in the field. In a nutshell, that means we only use quality raw materials to create user-friendly, reliable products that are safer for people and the environment.

• How much are you involved with product development and testing?

All our products are formulated to solve industry problems, like amine blushing in commercial epoxy coatings or bubbles in decorative finishes. We share our knowledge through initiatives like educational blogs and online training courses to help others in our industry learn and solve problems in the field.

• How competitive is the resin manufacturing market, and how are you different to other manufacturers?

There are countless companies that supply resin products in some fashion, from global giants to one-man re-sellers. Because of that, it can be considered a rather cut-throat industry with a lot of "smoke and mirrors".

We stand out because we formulate and manufacture the products ourselves, with the same materials we've been using for 20 years. We actually understand what's in the buckets we sell.   Perhaps our biggest point of difference, however, is our commitment to getting the job done right - the first time. We don't like failures, and if our product isn't the right solution for a project, we don't sell it.

• Speaking about resins in general, what health concerns are you aware of that the general public should know about?

One of our primary philosophies to formulating has been to minimise the use of solvents. We started this over 20 years ago, well before people started to become increasingly concerned about indoor air quality and occupational risks to installers. There are also some lesser-known nasties we steer clear of, such as silica flour and heavy-metal pigments.

• There are products available which state that the floor can be completed within a day. What's your thoughts on these products and suitability?

Every product has advantages and disadvantages and there isn't one magical product that can do it all. When it comes to one-day systems, their obvious advantage is speed, however, from our own experience with these types of products, they can suffer from adhesion and other application challenges. There is always a trade-off.

For us, performance and reliability are everything. So it's important that we provide products that perform, but also meet the needs of property owners who need to be able to use the space without waiting for days, particularly commercial spaces.  So we reduce installation times in other ways, such as our high-build polyurethane topcoat, Ezypoly, which only needs one coat over flake, instead of the typical 3-4 coats.

• There is much talk on warranties and the term that is applicable. What do you consider sensible around this?

From a practical perspective, if a genuine product-related problem is going to occur it's likely to appear in the first 12 months and manufacturers' warranties are typically no longer than that. Extended warranties are common in our industry, but they normally come with some rather restrictive fine print that needs to be read and understood by the client.

• Do you sell to the public?

With performance and client satisfaction our biggest priorities, we tend to avoid DIY sales wherever possible and recommend the services of professional installers instead. This usually involves discussions with the client about the risk/reward scenario on their particular job so they can make educated decisions for themselves.

In general, we feel most DIYers aren't equipped to prepare the surface and apply the system well enough to get high quality results. While that can come across as rather blunt, we find most people appreciate the honesty.

 

As you can see, Real World Epoxies match the drive we have for pioneering new technology and formulating revolutionary solutions to provide exceptional service to our customers. Additionally, our partnership works because both businesses are selective of whom we collaborate with, as our primary goal is to deliver the highest quality as flooring specialists.

Interested in an epoxy floor at your place?

If you're interested to find out more about having us create a beautiful and durable epoxy flooring solution for you, Get in touch now for knowledgeable, friendly and prompt service.