How tough are glossy topcoats?

[red.leader]

Hey guys,

I'm almost finished with my garage.
I had the floor done with a thick gloss metallic epoxy, with a clear poly topcoat.
Looks great.
But it's so easy to scratch! I'm afraid to use the garage because it scratches so easily.
Anything heavy scratches it, even wood or plastic.
My motorcycle kickstand destroys the topcoat.
Not ideal.

Any ideas? I don't know what brand of poly was used, but shouldn't I be able to drag a sheet of plywood across my floor without scratching it? Or is that too much to ask.

I haven't used it too much yet, so it still looks good. Can I just add another thick coating of something?

Thanks guys!!

 

[red.leader]

RE

Here's a pic of the garage:

 

[BRIANBB]

So that is the showroom garage, where is the working in garage? Sorry, I dont have an answer for you.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

One option is to apply a sacrificial coat of wax.

Super glossy topcoats are awesome to look at but will show blemishes with ease, especially with a clear-coat over a dark stain like you have.

 

[thegarageguy]

BRIANB has a bit of a point but your floor should not scratch that easily. A kick stand should not destroy the top coat but you would be wise to use a plate regardless. A good high traffic polyurethane should resist scratching and maintain the floor looking good for years. With that said, if you want to drag plywood across the floor you should of chose a quartz floor instead of a metallic. You wouldn't drag plywood over marble, so why do it over a decorative floor?

We always ask our client's what they will be using their garage for and if it's an everyday garage, a chip-flake floor works great. For a showroom garage we would recommend a designer system but if we run into a gear head, we would only recommend a quartz floor.

I closing, I would not recommend waxing your floor. Once you start, it will be a maintenance nightmare with stripping and re-waxing all the time. Not to mention slippery as hell. What you need is for the contractor you hired to apply a better or higher end polyurethane top coat. And don't drag plywood across your floor

 

[red.leader]

Thanks man.

That's what I was thinking, a higher end topcoat.
Great to hear it should be tough enough for a kickstand, that's what I thought.
Any suggestions for a nice, tough topcoat?

Does thickness matter?

 

[red.leader]

So I know it's hard to tell, but I punched out the back wall, and there is another room on the other side of the bench which will be the workshop!