We demand a lot from our garage floors but few materials can satisfy our expectations. Many have tried different coatings over the years without seeing the results they want. Most crack, chip, peel, discolor, or stain heavily after a while. Paint is cheap but it gets damaged too easily. Epoxy is better but it has its own share of problems. Perhaps it’s time to look into newer and better alternatives. So what is the best epoxy floor coating for garage? It can be argued that polyurea polyaspartic coating beats them all. Use this for your next concrete resurfacing to get the following benefits:
Ease of installation
By using additives, polyurea provides ample time for users to apply the coat across the floor. They won’t feel time pressure to get it done right away. Once done, owners must let it cure for at least 4 hours. It will then be ready for bear foot traffic. You can walk around the surface right away to make inspections. After 24 hours, the floor will be ready to bear the weight of a car. Drive your vehicle in and resume business as usual. In contrast, epoxy floors may take as much as a week to fully cure.
Remarkable Durability
One of the worst things about most epoxy floor coatings is that they tend to look good only at the start. Give it a few years and they’ll start showing wear and tear. The pleasant coat will fade, turn yellow, and develop cracks. Polyurea is more flexible so it can adapt to pressures such that cracking is prevented. It will stay pristine for a long time and require almost no maintenance work.
Abrasion Resistance
This is an importance characteristic of polyurea since garages are work areas where a lot of tools and machines get pushed around. Thanks to its abrasion resistance, the surface will stay clean and blemish-free despite constant friction. This is one of the biggest reasons why polyurea looks great even after many years. Busy area including kitchens and garages benefit immensely from the abrasion resistance. The high gloss will be maintained such that it will seem brand new years after installation.
Chemical Resistance
When working in a garage, it is not uncommon to spill oil, grease, lubricants, and other chemicals on the floor. They can leave unsightly permanent stains on the surface. They might also react with the coating and cause different types of reactions. Another good thing about polyurea is its resistance to chemicals. It can shrug them off better than any epoxy coat. The surface will be protected against deicing fluids and road salts. You can just work in the garage without having to worry about the mess too much.
UV Stability
Prolonged exposure to sunlight inflicts damage on a lot of materials. Fabrics fade, chemicals are altered, and plastics age. Epoxy resins are vulnerable to UV light so they should not be exposed to the elements outdoors. However, it is not possible to completely avoid sunlight in a garage given the size of the door and the frequency of its opening. With polyurea, this will not be an issue. It is more stable in the face of UV exposure. Keep the garage door up for as long as you need to.
Coating Thickness
The typical epoxy floor kit will form a dry film that is only 2 mils thick at standard rates. This is quite thin. Color may seem blotchy as the concrete underneath absorbs the coat at various rates. Polyurea film is about twice as thick once dry. This helps make the color seem consistent throughout while enhancing durability. The coat will appear nicer for longer.
Garage floors suffer heavy abuse day in and day out. You need to find a coating that is up to the challenge. Generic epoxy coats simply won’t cut it. You’ll end up replacing this within a short period. Use polyurea instead to reap the benefits mentioned above and experience the big difference.
