Garage floors deal with daily wear from vehicles, moisture, dirt, and chemical spills. Over time, bare concrete can become stained, cracked, and difficult to clean. That’s why more homeowners are choosing a hybrid epoxy and polyurea-polyaspartic garage floor coating for a stronger and more durable surface.
Unlike basic paint or lower-grade “1-day” coatings, hybrid epoxy and polyurea-polyaspartic coatings are designed to bond tightly with the concrete while resisting peeling, abrasion, hot tire pickup….and most importantly, moisture. When installed properly, they can provide long-lasting protection with minimal maintenance.
What Is a Polyurea Coating?
A polyurea is a high-performance, 2-part concrete coating that cures very quickly (they can be used to coat truck beds). These coating form a strong protective bond with various substrates, including concrete.
You may have also heard the term “polyaspartic.” A polyaspartic is simply a slower-curing version of polyurea (it’s an aliphatic polyurea) that gives installers more time to apply the coating properly. Most products advertised as “polyureas” are actually “polyaspartics”.
Whether the contractor refers to them as a polyurea or polyaspartic, the benefits of these coatings include:
- UV stability that helps prevent yellowing
- Strong stain and chemical resistance
- High scratch and abrasion resistance
- Resistance to hot tire pickup
- Low or no VOCs
As such, these coatings are superb for use as clear top coats in garage floor coating systems.
Why Preparation Is Critical for Long-Term Performance
Unfortunately, as good as polyurea-polyaspartics are as clear top coats, they fail miserably as direct-to-concrete base coats. Why? Because these coatings can only go down thinly (they are not “high-build coatings”) and cure so quickly that they fail to deeply penetrate the concrete. As moisture vapor transmits upward through the concrete pores (all concrete has moisture), the pressure pushes up on the thin, poorly-penetrating base coat causing delamination over time. That’s why “1-day” installations (that use polyurea-polyaspartics as the base coat) fail to properly mitigate moisture. And it’s why their warranties typically exclude “moisture-related issues” in the fine print!
Conversely, Garage Floor Coating of Atlanta uses mechanical grinding as part of the concrete preparation step, followed by application of a moisture-mitigating epoxy primer. (It acts as a thick moisture vapor barrier). The installation continues with a full-broadcast decorative flake layer and dual (not just one!) 100%-solids polyaspartic topcoats for added durability and protection.
Because of our use of the slower-curing, moisture-mitigating epoxy base, our systems are installed over two days. But the result is a thicker, far more durable coating system that resists all moisture-related issues.
Upgrade Your Garage with a Polyurea Garage Floor Coating
If you want a garage floor that looks better and lasts longer, proper installation matters just as much as the coating material itself. Our team installs premium hybrid epoxy and polyaspartic coating systems designed to resist peeling, wear, UV fading, impacts…and moisture-related failure.
Contact Garage Floor Coating of Atlanta today to learn more about installing a hybrid epoxy and polyurea-polyaspartic garage floor coating built for lasting durability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the best garage floor coating?
A: The best garage floor coating is a multi-layer system that includes a moisture-mitigating epoxy primer, full broadcast flakes, and polyaspartic topcoats.
Q: How long should a garage floor coating last?
A: A professionally installed system can last decades, while thin coatings may fail within a few years.
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