Over the past few years, epoxy has had a renaissance as a surfacing material, with it being used to provide versatile pavements, balcony floors and flat roof surfaces.
The resin-based polymer material is loved because it is relatively easy to learn how to work with, versatile in its application and beautiful in its results, particularly when in the hands of an expert craftsperson with an artistic eye.
The most important aspect to know about epoxy is that whilst theoretically anyone can mix it, quality comes with experience and expertise, and it is almost always better to work with experts if you want the best, most even work, and especially if the job in question has complexities to it.
This is particularly true when it comes to elevated epoxy installations such as balconies and roofs, as there are often unique characteristics to these structures that require planning and a considered approach.
Epoxy, in practice, acts like a mix between plaster and cement, in that it adheres different substances and surfaces together like plaster but also hardens like concrete.
Bearing this in mind is important because there is a sweet spot between how much epoxy should be used in order to maximise the protection of your roof and how much you can do with it, without using too much.
Checking the roofing materials, quality and age is essential to know where the sweet spot of resin content is.
Too little resin and the flooring may not provide effective water resistance during particularly wet weather, but too much resin and it may weigh down the roof, akin to fitting concrete pavers on the roof.
Some roofing structures will support this and may benefit from a higher epoxy content, but others will be weighed down by the heavier material, which can cause major structural damage.