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Garage Floor Coatings: Epoxies vs Polyaspartics

dannaencore
Apr 20, 2012
3 min read

I recently had a customer trying to decide between our company and a competitor. My competitor was offering her a one-day garage floor coating application using all Polyaspartic materials. He had told her that the Polyaspartics bonded to concrete better than Epoxies. Based on years of experience, I knew there was no proof to support my competitor's claims. Here is how I responded:

Polyaspartic materials have one primary benefit, that being UV Stability and therefore are most beneficial when used as the clear top coat component in a garage floor coating system. UV Stability means there will be no effect from prolonged exposure to sunlight. In comparison, when a clear UV Resistant epoxy is used for the top layer of the system it has the limitation of discoloring from prolonged exposure to sunlight. While we offer both options in our system, most of our customers choose the Epoxy because it is less expensive and delivers a more consistent surface profile. If you keep your garage door open a lot then you may want to consider the a Polyaspartic top coat, otherwise the Epoxy is a proven choice.

When it comes to the base coat component of the system (the material layer applied directly to the concrete after prep), I strongly disagree with claims made by my competitor. We recommend only Epoxies be used and this is based eight years of experience. The fact is that nothing has ever been proven to bond better with concrete than Epoxies. The reason is simple, since Epoxies cure much slower than Polyaspartics, they can penetrate much deeper into the pours of the concrete before curing and this creates a much stronger adhesion. Polyaspartic and similar materials were developed primarily for advantage of providing a UV stable in a polymer material that could be applied thick, making it a good option for covering over the decorative flakes in a typical floor system.

The quick curing nature of Polyaspartics also makes them inherently difficult to apply. In order get proper gloss consistency on a floor surface, the system needs to self level after it has been rolled out. This will avoid the appearance of roller makes and such. However, when a top coat material cures too quickly roller marks will often times be visible when the floor dries. Epoxies on the other hand cure nice and slow and level out better than any other material. If UV stability is a major concern then I would still recommend Polyaspartics, but only for the top coat.

Over the years we have had firsthand experience with Polyaspartics. Like unknowing competitors, we were enticed by material suppliers touting these all new Polyaspartic system. Their pitch, the materials cure quickly so you could compete a floor in just one day. That’s right, just one trip out – imagine how much more profit you will make and how many more bids you will win when you tell the customer they can have their garage back in one day! It all sounds great until floor start failing a few years later. Polyaspartics simply do not bond well with concrete despite what suppliers say. I can always tell a competitor that lacks experience because they are usually the ones pitching one day floors in their ads.

Another drawback of Polyaspatrtics is that they are usually 20-25% less solid than comparable Epoxies. This means they contain solvents (sometimes toxic) that evaporate out as the material cures. This means that when the floor dries it will be 20-25% thinner. Example: if the floor material is spread at a rate allowing for a 10 mil thickness, after drying it will only be 7.5 – 8 mils thick. This can effect the longevity of the flooring system. 100% Solid Epoxy materials contain almost no solvents.

In the end, my advice is to stick with the materials that have been proven over years of use in typical garage flooring applications. Do your research and do not take what someone who is trying to sell you a flooring system tells us at face value because most of it is might just marketing spin.