If you’re planning to invest money into your garage floor, you need to understand the types of coatings on the market. Not all garage coatings are created equal, and each type possesses its own set of benefits.
Types of Garage Floor Coatings
Epoxy, polyurea, and polyaspartic are all popular choices for protecting concrete from common wear and tear and adding aesthetic value. Your selection ultimately depends on your desired level of durability, your timeline, and the floor’s appearance.
Epoxy Floor Coating
Epoxy, the most widely known type of floor coating, is a multilayer resinous coating. It is a synthetic polymer applied on top of existing concrete. Epoxy becomes a rigid surface when it cures, helping to prevent scratches, cracking, and chipping in your concrete. While epoxy is favored for its durability, it also comes in a wide range of customizable finishes and adds great aesthetic value to your space.
Polyurea Floor Coating
Polyurea floor coatings are praised for their superior durability and fast drying time. Polyurea is a specific type of polymer called an elastomer, which makes it a more flexible compound than epoxy. The increased flexibility makes it even more resilient to abrasion and impact. However, its speedy cure time makes it difficult to work with because the installers must move very quickly. Polyurea is great for high-traffic areas, as it resists chemicals, scratches, and general abrasion.
Polyaspartic Floor Coating
Polyurea and polyaspartic are closely related. Polyaspartic also has fast drying times and remarkable durability. However, polyaspartic is a version of polyurea modified to overcome specific challenges, like UV exposure. Polyaspartic coatings do not yellow over time in the sunlight like their counterparts. Many professionals favor polyaspartic flooring solutions due to their high-performing attributes, but it’s a more expensive option.
Epoxy vs. Polyurea vs. Polyaspartic
Durability
All three options significantly increase the protection of your floors. They all provide scratch and chemical resistance, and they seal the concrete from moisture damage. Due to their more flexible nature, though, polyurea and polyaspartic solutions outperform epoxy regarding lifespan and abrasion prevention.
UV-Resistance
Polyaspartic is uniquely formulated to be UV-resistant. If the coating is consistently exposed to sunlight, polyaspartic is the only option that isn’t going to yellow over time with sun exposure.
Timeline
If you need to minimize the time away from using your garage, polyurea, and polyaspartic are the way to go. They cure in just one day. If you have a week to spare, epoxy cures in 5 to 7 days. Weather also impacts the type of coating you can install. Epoxy should only be applied at warmer temperatures, whereas polyurea and polyaspartic coatings can be applied at any time of the year.
Cost
Epoxy is the most budget-friendly option, as polyurea and polyaspartic flooring solutions are a bit pricier. Of the three options, polyaspartic is the highest quality coating, so it tends to cost the most per square foot. However, polyaspartic coatings may save you money over time because they typically last the longest.
How to Know Which Floor Is Right for Your Garage
You’ll need to consider how much UV exposure your garage floor will face and how much money you’re willing to spend to protect your floor from yellowing over time. Polyaspartic is the only solution that won’t deteriorate in the sunlight.
Additionally, the type of floor coating depends on when and how fast you want your project completed. Polyurea and polyaspartic can be installed at lower air temperatures, whereas epoxy requires warm weather to install. Polyurea and polyaspartic have very fast curing times, under 24 hours. Epoxy needs about 5 days to dry before driving a car on it.
To what extent is your garage subjected to wear and tear? If you only lightly use your garage, epoxy might be just fine! However, if you have a lot of heavy machinery, abrasive materials, and heavy traffic, you may want to consider more durable solutions, like polyurea and polyaspartic.
Get Expert Help from Coating Designs
If you have questions about which garage coating is right for you, call Coating Designs at (888) 837-6998. We’ll give our professional advice and provide a free estimate with no obligation!
More About Coating Designs, Your Go-To Coating Team
Our team of professionals at Coating Designs provides top-notch garage floor coating services in Orlando and the surrounding areas. We offer 100% solid epoxy and polyaspartic urethane flooring solutions. We’ll collaborate with you to find the most suitable, cost-effective solution for your project’s specifications. Because of our commitment to our customers, we offer a 25-year warranty for standard flooring, so you can rest assured that your floors are protected.