Transform Your Garage with Superior Polyurea Floor Coatings
Your garage floor endures daily wear from vehicles, tools, chemicals, and temperature fluctuations. Choosing the right coating is essential for durability and aesthetics. While epoxy has been a traditional choice, polyurea coatings offer significant advantages that make them the superior option for garage floors.
Garages are some of our favorite projects to do! Nearly all garages are 1-day installations, allowing for minimal inconvenience to you, and typically can be done in any weather (so long as it is not raining sideways into the garage).
Garages are typically a 1-day install, where we begin grinding in the morning, and finish with the clear-coat polyaspartic layer in the midafternoon. Before the install, the floor needs to be clear of objects, we offer services to help move anything needed – or storage options for those who are in need of some temporary storage during the project. Things hanging on the walls, or on shelving, are fine to leave inside during the process – we can cover any electronics or valuables with plastic to keep them clean as well.
Some dust is created during the grinding portion of the day, we take measures to prevent as much dust from becoming airborne as possible – vacuums attached to all our grinders, plastic on surfaces that need to stay clean, and grinders that trap the dust (that does not get vacuumed immediately) to the floor.
NOTE: The floor does not need to be cleaned before our arrival, and especially DO NOT get the floor wet before we arrive. Our coating adheres to a very specific level of moisture in the concrete, excess moisture can cause the coating’s adhesion to be compromised.
Why Polyurea and Polyaspartic Outperform Epoxy for Garage Floors
Polyurea coatings are designed to expand and contract with your concrete floor, accommodating its natural movement due to temperature changes. This flexibility helps to mitigate cracking and peeling, ensuring a long-lasting finish. In contrast, epoxy coatings can become brittle over time, leading to chips and delamination, especially in environments with significant temperature variations.
One of the standout benefits of polyurea is its quick curing time. Polyurea coatings typically cure within an hour or two, which allows for the full installation to take place in the same day. Polyaspartic cures relatively quickly as well, allowing you to walk on the surface in as little as 6 hours and drive on it within 24 hours. This rapid curing minimizes disruption to your daily routine. Epoxy coatings, however, can take several days to fully cure, requiring extended downtime for your garage.
Polyurea coatings penetrate the pores of the concrete, which are opened once we grind the concrete, creating a strong bond that is less susceptible to peeling or delamination. Additionally, polyurea and polyaspartic form a moisture-resistant barrier, preventing issues like efflorescence and dark spots that can occur with epoxy coatings in damp conditions. For floors with high levels of hydrostatic pressure, we have moisture barrier products that will mitigate the risk that hydrostatic pressure poses to not only the coating, but your concrete and space itself.
Exposure to sunlight can cause epoxy coatings to yellow and fade over time. Polyurea coatings, however, are UV stable, maintaining their color and finish even under direct sunlight. This makes polyurea an excellent choice for garages with windows as well as your outdoor concrete spaces.
Polyurea coatings can be customized with slip-resistant additives, providing a safer surface, especially in areas prone to spills or moisture. This added safety feature is particularly important in garages used for car maintenance or other activities involving liquids. We add a base level of these additives to our mixture for any space that will have the chance of getting wet; garages, driveways, sidewalks, porches, etc (indoor spaces, aside from garages, we can texture upon request).
Some of the best parts of this coating show themselves as the seasons change. This coating is pressure wash safe (do not use the strongest settings on the pressure washer), allowing for easy cleaning. This coating is also salt-resistant, so come winter-time feel free to protect your spaces from ice, or pull your cars back into your garage without having to worry about pitting your concrete. This coating is also antimicrobial, preventing algae or moss from being able to grow and deteriorate your concrete.
Our Proven Polyurea Garage Floor Installation Process
Step 1: Concrete Preparation
We begin by grinding the concrete surface to open its pores, allowing the polyurea to penetrate deeply and bond effectively. Any existing cracks or pits are filled with our specialized polyurea crack filler, ensuring a smooth and even surface.
Step 2: Basecoat Application and Chip Broadcast
A polyurea basecoat is applied around the perimeter and rolled onto the main floor area. Once the basecoat is in place, we broadcast your chosen color chips across the surface. These chips cure into the basecoat, enhancing both the appearance and texture of the floor.
Step 3: Scraping, Sealing, and Final Touches
After the chips have cured, we scrape and vacuum the excess to eliminate any sharp spots. A final polyaspartic clear coat is applied, sealing in the color and creating a non-porous, durable finish. For added safety, we can incorporate silica sand into the clear coat to provide a slip-resistant surface. The floor requires 24 hours to fully cure, after which your garage is ready for use. (Please do not put rugs or mats down on the floor for the first two weeks after installation, especially those with rubber bottoms)
The Smart Investment for Your Garage
While polyurea coatings may have a higher initial cost compared to epoxy, their superior durability and longevity make them a cost-effective choice in the long run.