How hard is polyaspartic flooring?

[bl775]

I had my garage floor done 3 days ago. Polyurea base coat, full broadcast flake, and a polyaspartic topcoat. When inspecting the floor it seems like I can gouge the coating with my fingernail if I try hard enough. According to the installer (regional chain), I should be able to park my cars now... so, is that normal?

There's still a bit of a sweet chemical smell coming off the floor too, especially noticeable when the garage door has been closed for a few hours. Does that mean it hasn't fully cured yet?

The installer did admit they applied the top coat a little too thick... to me it looks normal, but I've never had a poly floor before. It does sort of look very slightly cloudy, but it's hard to tell. It's definitely not clear like glass. Am I screwed or will it eventually cure properly?

 

[jeep_n_hog]

Just curious, who did your floor? I just had the same type of floor put downby Foxy Coatings, because I hated the cracks and "repairs" that my concrete guys made to my brand new pad. I did damage mine already (the coating) when backing my car hauler with an antique 1-1/2 ton truck on it, into the garage. The bottom of the tongue jack went low and dragged on it. Just scraped it. There's enough color in it that it's not terribly noticeable, and as time goes on, I know it won't be the last scar that that floor gets. BUT, it's easily repairable. I went with the Polyaspartic, because it is harder, and thinner than epoxy, and it does not need to be cut out for car lift column installation...which I plan on doing at some point.

I had mine done June 26, and the smell is just about gone now. Mine isn't hazy, at least that I can tell, and there is a slight texture to it, but it's a smooth-ish texture. I opted to NOT get the sand added to it.

Yours SHOULD have come with a warranty, but from what I've read, even on the reviews of Foxy Coatings, is that the warranties on garage coatings is VERY difficult to make a claim for, if possible at all. The blame always seems to be put on the owner for either something the owner did, or claims that the concrete itself is what caused the issue.

For me, it's better than what the concrete guys left me, and it's harder than epoxy. Whatever happens from here, I can patch myself, if needed.

 

[benwah]

I had my garage floor done 3 days ago. Polyurea base coat, full broadcast flake, and a polyaspartic topcoat. When inspecting the floor it seems like I can gouge the coating with my fingernail if I try hard enough. According to the installer (regional chain), I should be able to park my cars now... so, is that normal?

There's still a bit of a sweet chemical smell coming off the floor too, especially noticeable when the garage door has been closed for a few hours. Does that mean it hasn't fully cured yet?

The installer did admit they applied the top coat a little too thick... to me it looks normal, but I've never had a poly floor before. It does sort of look very slightly cloudy, but it's hard to tell. It's definitely not clear like glass. Am I screwed or will it eventually cure properly?

You're typically not going to reach a "full" cure until around 7 days. The thicker the coat, the longer it takes to cure. Cloudiness can come from micro bubbling after the coating was applied past the recommended mil thickness. Also, you may experience issues if the polyurea was not mixed thoroughly or at the correct ratio.

Ensure the floor has adequate ventilation throughout the day. Leave the garage door open for a couple hours each day to allow fresh air to pass through, or at least cracked a few inches and throw a fan or 2 in there.

Can you provide photos?

 

[Shea]

Just to clear up some information... Polyaspartic coatings are not harder than epoxy. Hardness for coatings is measured using the Shore D Scale, which measures hardness and indentation resistance on a range of 0-100. 100% solids epoxy generally tests between 80D and 90D, and polyaspartic between 70D and 80D. This is not to say that epoxy is better than polyaspartic and vice versa. Polyaspartic definitely has its advantages over epoxy for a topcoat.

The problem is that one-day floor coating companies have spread all kinds of misinformation about epoxy and other coatings to push their systems on the general public. Hardness is just one example. It's just one of the reasons why people get so confused when researching floor coatings.