Yes. Novolac epoxy does cost more and is often placed at a thicker film thickness than traditional epoxies and urethanes.

Minimal thickness is often 40 MILS, but most Novolac floors are installed with sand reinforcement. Typical thicknesses are 60 to 125 MILS (1/16″ to 1/8″ thickness).

The Environmental Protection Agency has minimum requirements established in conjunction with The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.  The requirements  pertain to the containment of hazardous waste and chemicals.  When these materials are stored in primary holding tanks or containers, the persons storing the materials must take precautions to contain the materials with a secondary containment zone in case the primary tanks or containers fail.  The secondary containment area must be able to prevent migration of any chemicals or liquids from within the secondary containment  area into surface water, ground water or soil.   It must be able to control the liquids or chemicals for a minimum period of 72 hours, which is the estimated amount of time necessary for removal and cleanup of the spill or leak.

Secondary containment is protection from a leak or spill of the primary container.  Immersion service is where continual contact with a chemical or liquid is the norm – whether repeated splash spills or long term immersion.    They are different requirements, although some Novolac systems may function fine for both functions.

Novolacs are often used in troughs, spill areas, mix stations due to the need for short term or long term immersion service against acids, solvents and other chemicals.

Novolac epoxies provide varying degrees of protection against many chemicals. The following list is not all inclusive and the degrees of protection vary by the Novolac epoxy product used (we use materials from many United States manufacturers).

Acetaldehyde Acetic acid Acetic acid glacial Acetic Anhydride Acetone Acetyl Chloride Acetonitrile Acrylic acid Acrylonitrile Adipic Acid Allyl Alcohol Aluminum Bromide Aluminum Chloride Aluminum Fluoride Aluminum Hydroxide Aluminum Nitrate Aluminum Sulfate Ammonia Ammonium Chloride Ammonium Flouride Ammonium hydroxide Ammonium nitrate Ammonium oxalate Ammonium persulfate Ammonium phosphate Ammonium sulfate Ammonium sulfide Ammonium sulfite Amyl acetate Amyl alchohol Aniline Aniline hydrochloride Antimony chloride Aqua regia Arsenous Acid Barium acetate Barium bromide Barium chloride Barium hydroxide Barium sulfate Barium sulfide Benzyl chloride Benzoic acid Benzaldehyde Benzene Benzyl alcholol Black liquor Blood sugar Borax Boric acid Brine Bromine liquid Butanol Butyl acetate Butyl acrylate Butyl amine Butyl carbitol Butyl cellosolve Butyl ether Butyric acid

Calcium bisulfite Calcium bromide Calcium carbonate Calcium chlorate Calcium chloride Calcium hydroxide Calcium hypochlorite Calcium nitrate Calcium sulfate Calcium sulfite Calcium disulfide Carbon tetrachloride Castor oil Cellosolve Cellosolve acetate Chloroacetic acid Chlorobenzene Chloroform Chlorophenol Chlorosulfonic acid Chlorotoluene Chromic acid Chromic chloride Citric acid Copper acetate Copper chloride Copper cyanide Copper nitrate Copper sulfate Corn oil Corn starch slurry Corn sugar Cottonseed oil Creosote Creslic acid Cumene Cutting oil Cyclohexane Cyclohexanone Cymene Detergents organic Detergents sulfonated Dextrose Dibutyl phthalate Dichloracetic acid Dichlorobenzene Dichloroethane Diesel fuel Diethanolamine Diethyl benzene Diethyl ketone Diethylene glycol Diethyl ether Dimenthyl analine Dimethyl formamide Dimethyl sulfoxide Dinitro benzene Dinitro toluene Epichlorohydrin Ethanol

Ethanolamine Ethyl acetate Ethyl acrylate Etheylamine Ethyl benzene Ethyl bromide Ethyl chloride Ethyl dichloride Ethylene glycol Ethyl sulfate Fatty acids Ferric chloride Ferric sulfate Ferrous nitrate Ferrous chloride Ferrous sulfate Fluosilicic acid Formaldehyde Formic acid Fuel oil Furfural alcohol Gasoline aviation Gasoline diesel Gasoline jet fuel Gasoline unleaded Glucose Glycerine Glycolic acid Green liquor Heptane Hexane Hydraulic fluid Hydrazine Hydriodic acid Hydrobromic acid Hydrochloric acid Hydroflouric acid Hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen sulfide Hypochlorous acid Iodine crystals Isophorone Isopropyl acetate Isopropyl alcohol Jet fuel (JP-4) Kerosene Lactic acid Lauric acid Lead acetate Levulinic acid Linseed oil Lithium bromide Lithium chloride Lithium hydroxide Magnesium bisulfite Magnesium carbonate Magnesium chloride Magnesium hydroxide Magnesium nitrate Magnesium sulfate

Maleic acid Manganese chloride Manganese sulfate Mercuric chloride Mercurous chloride Methanol Methyl acetate Methylamyl alcohol Methyl benzoate Methyl chloride Methylene chloride Methyl ethyl ketone Methyl isobutyl ketone Milk Molassas Mineral oils Mineral spirits Motor oil M-pyrol Naphtha aliphatic Naphtha aromatic Nickel chloride Nickel nitrate Nickel sulfate Nitric acid Nitrobenzene Oil sour crude Oil sweet crude Oleic acid Oleum Oxalic acid Perchloric acid Perchloroethyle NE Phenol Phosphoric acid Picric acid Potassium acetate Potassium bromide Potassium carbonate Potassium chloride Potassium hydroxide Potassium iodide Potassium nitrate Potassium permanganate Potassium persulfate Potassium sulfate Propionic acid Propylene glycol Pyridine Salicylic acid Salt brine Silver nitrate Skydrol Sodium acetate Sodium benzoate Sodium bicarbonate Sodium bisulfate Sodium carbonate Sodium chlorate Sodium chloride

Sodium chlorite Sodium chromate Sodium dichromate Sodium ferrocyanide Sodium hydroxide Sodium hypochlorite Sodium oxalate Sodium peroxide Sodium phosphate Sodium silicate Sodium sulfate Sodium sulfide Sodium sulfite Sodium tartrate Sodium thiosulfate Stearic acid Styrene Sulfamic acid Sulfuric acid Tall oil Tartaric acid Tetrochloroethane Tetrahydrofuran Thionyl chloride Toluene Toluene sulfonic acid Toluidene Trichloroacetic acid Trichloroethane Trichloroethyle NE Tricesyl phosphate Trisodium phosphate Turpentine Urea solutions White liquor Xylene Zinc chlorate Zinc sulfate