Garage floor coatings offer property owners a quick and durable way to revamp dirty concrete surfaces. Coated floors are stronger, more resilient, and more beautiful. In this post, Global Garage Of Central Texas explains more about why you should consider installing garage floor coatings in San Antonio.
What Are Garage Floor Coatings?
Epoxy concrete coatings are a staple favorite for residential and commercial property owners. There are some distinct disadvantages to traditional epoxy, however. These include:
- Volatility when you expose it to UV radiation
- Low chemical resistance
- Slow curing times
- Only installable in a small temperature range
- High VOC count
Polyurea and polyaspartic coatings came about to address these difficulties. As a subset of polyurethane, both substances offer superior protection to traditional epoxy.
Polyaspartics vs. Polyurea
Polyurea came first in response to epoxy’s shortcomings. It is a flexible coating that cures very quickly and hardens well. It is less susceptible to UV radiation and more durable than epoxy.
The downside of using polyurea is that some formulations will fade slightly in sunlight. The quick-setting times also make it challenging to install without issues. Polyaspartic solves both issues by containing UV-protectants and slowing the curing time slightly.
Polyaspartic is, however, less flexible and more expensive. So we use a polyurea basecoat, as it will expand and contract with the concrete. We then apply a polyaspartic topcoat to provide maximum protection from sunlight and the elements.
The combination allows property owners to enjoy the best of the two at a more reasonable price point.
How Does a Polyaspartic Floor Coating Cure?
These garage floor coatings contain different mixtures of esters, and that influences the drying time. By adding polyaspartic to the polyurea mix, we are able to slow the curing time enough for a smooth application while not negatively impacting the installation time.
You can typically walk on the new floor within a few hours and start moving back into the garage within 24 to 48 hours.
Features and Benefits of These Floor Coatings
Why choose our formulation? There are several reasons, namely:
- 300% harder than standard epoxy
- 100% solids in the metallic layer
- 300% more chemically resistant than ordinary epoxy
- Anti-microbial surface approved by the FDA and USDA
- Easy to install, even in temperatures down to -30°F
- Low VOC and no BPA
- One-day application
- Slip-resistant, making it safer than other flooring
- Easy to clean
- Low maintenance
Why Coat Your Garage Floor?
Let’s take a look at why garage floor coatings could be the best investment you make.
Protection from the Elements and Moisture
Unsealed concrete is susceptible to temperature fluctuations and moisture. The concrete expands in warm temperatures and contracts in cool ones, leading to hairline fractures. With more movement, these will worsen over time.
Concrete is also susceptible to moisture because it soaks up liquids like a sponge. By using garage floor coatings, you protect the concrete from temperature extremes and prevent it from absorbing water.
This reduces the natural expansion and contraction and prevents the degradation of the concrete.
Strength and Durability
Concrete is durable but prone to chipping, flaking, and shedding. Over time, the surface becomes pitted, and the fine dust becomes an issue. You can prevent both by using high-quality coatings.
Our topcoat is stronger than traditional epoxy and seals the surface. The new flooring absorbs the impact of anything your drop, preventing chipping and scratches. It also prevents the concrete from shedding dust, keeping the area cleaner.
Finally, the surface can withstand heavy foot and vehicle traffic with ease and is also more resistant to hot tire pickup.
Chemical and Stain Resistance
A garage can become dirty very quickly. Oil and other liquids may leak from vehicles, and if you use the space as a workshop, there may be other chemical spills. A coating repels these liquids, making them far easier to wipe away.
More importantly, the barrier prevents the chemicals from soaking into the substrate and staining it. We advise clearing up spills as quickly as possible, but unlike with unsealed concrete, you do have some wiggle room.
Easy to Maintain
Maintenance is essentially cleaning the floor regularly. You should sweep, dust, or vacuum the floor daily or every second day. This process will prevent your car from grinding in grit and damaging the surface.
Generally, all you need is to wipe the surface down once a week with plain water, along with spot cleaning. For more challenging marks, you can use a pH-neutral cleaner and soft-bristled brush.
If you do scratch the surface, you can usually polish out the marks. If that doesn’t work, a patch kit should do the trick.
Better Safety
Polyaspartic coatings are naturally slip-resistant. You can also enhance surface traction by adding aggregates to the coating. You can further improve safety by choosing a light, reflective surface that brightens the space.
Modern formulations use a high-solid, non-solvent-based polyurethane base, reducing their VOC content to almost nil.
UV-Resistant
If your garage receives plenty of sunshine, the UV filters in our polyaspartic topcoat become crucial. Thanks to these compounds, your coating will not fade, blush, discolor, or become brittle due to direct exposure to sunshine.
Call Us for Garage Floor Coatings in San Antonio, TX
Contact our team at Global Garage Of Central Texas at (512) 957 6982 for your free estimate for residential or commercial garage floor coatings in San Antonio, TX.
