All Epoxies Are Not Created Equal!
Find Out What Makes a Good Epoxy Great!
There are many things that we buy where ingredients make a world of difference. Nutritional supplements for example: the labels may have the same mg’s, but there can be a vast difference in the basic ingredients (whether natural or synthetic), potency, purity and bio-availability (absorption rates) to mention a few. Mattresses are another virtually unknown product. Purchase preference is usually based on the advertising claims and price. How about jewelry? Do you know how to determine the quality of one diamond from another or one sapphire from another?
Which Epoxy is right for you?
With so many to choose from, which one is best?
Epoxies are a similar breed … an ‘unknown’ quantity that mystifies many of us. Just like vitamins, mattresses and jewelry, all epoxies are not the same. Why do some sell for $30 a gallon, others for $130? “It’s what goes into an epoxy that makes a difference in performance and price. This report will give you a better understanding of how and why epoxies differ.”
Understanding Epoxies…
How many epoxies are cheapened.
Most epoxies used as a protective coating are two-part liquid epoxies consisting of a base resin and a curing agent.
To make epoxies less expensive, many epoxy manufacturers load the base resins with a solvent. That’s like adding water to whiskey. While it drives down the cost, it adds nothing of value.
For example, if an epoxy is 60% solids and sells for only $60 a gallon, the real price for the epoxy is $100 a gallon. That’s because in a 60% solids formulation, 40% is made up of solvents. You should always compare prices as if the epoxy were 100% solids and 100% epoxy.
An epoxy that has a large percentage of inexpensive solvent presents problems from the start. The solvent has to work it’s way out of the coating. In doing so, it may affect the properties of the ‘60%’ epoxy and if some of the solvent is trapped, the life of the coating is in jeopardy. Adhesion, abrasion and impact resistance can all be affected. Thus it can fail in a relatively short period of time.
The price of an epoxy is not a cost, it’s an investment in proven performance
That’s why you want your epoxy to be 100% or as close to 100% as possible, when you pay the higher price, you’re paying for just that: the epoxy–not for a large amount of inexpensive solvent or polyurethane additive.
Cheap extenders also drive down cost
Cost is further reduced by adding extenders or fillers, such as calcium carbonate (chalk). These cheap extenders give the epoxy more body but have no meaningful properties and may even do harm to the effectiveness or performance of an epoxy.
Good epoxies with a high percentage of solids, have natural properties that are excellent for typical use such as good adhesion, no moisture permeation, good resistance to chemicals and abrasion and withstand impact.
You now have a good basis to validate using epoxy coating on your next project.
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