Epoxy Vs. Polyurethane: Which is the Best Resin for Your Driveway?

Even if some of the other more expensive materials can be compared with resin in terms of longevity and quality, the cost-effectiveness, as well as its water-permeable nature, simply makes resin the more practical choice.

That being said, there might be a few dilemmas and confusions while choosing the resin itself, but by the time you are done reading this, you will know exactly what you need to build your driveway with.

Is One Better Than the Other?

Unlike the answer to a majority of such questions related to building materials, this one actually has a definite conclusion, which is the fact that polyurethane resin is indeed better than epoxy resin in general. This applies for both flooring and driveway materials because epoxy is comparatively and significantly more brittle than its polyurethane counterpart.

Epoxy is Actually Harder Than Polyurethane

It’s true that in terms of hardness, epoxy scores a higher rating than polyurethane, but that is also why it’s an inferior choice. Polyurethane is more flexible and therefore, it is more durable as a driveway material as well. The elasticity also means that when under direct heat during the summer, polyurethane driveways are not going to crack, but simply expand and contract with the temperature.

The Extended Elasticity of Polyurethane Resin Makes a Big Difference for Driveways

In the case of floors, the expected load will most likely not be significant enough to put this difference into effect. However, when it comes to driveways, the weight of running vehicles with people inside will make polyurethane a lot more dependable as a choice for driveway resin, as compared to epoxy. As a matter of fact, epoxy will most likely not be used by reputed manufacturers and suppliers for building driveways with nowadays.

Polyurethane is Superior to Epoxy in Other Ways As Well

Aside from the elastic durability factor which makes polyurethane the number one choice by default, the resin is also more scratch-resistant, crack-resistant, temperature resistant and chemical resistant than epoxy.

It is to be noted that resin in general shares a lot of resistance to wear and tear than most other driveway materials, but to put it simply, there is absolutely no way to beat polyurethane resin permeable driveways, as long as it’s of good quality. Both types of resins are permeable of course, but the flexible nature of polyurethane makes it a winner in this regard as well.

As you should know by now, the right choice is always going to be polyurethane resin, especially if you are building a driveway. However, choosing a good supplier and a contractor for the job is often more important than choosing in between the two types of resin. The simple reason behind this would have to be the fact that most manufacturers don’t even produce epoxy resin for driveways anymore. That doesn’t however, mean that all polyurethane resin manufacturers provide their customers with the same quality, just because they are using polyurethane.

Sharing is caring!