Garage Flooring
ALLIANCE MEMBER
There has been a lot of discussion lately regarding Polyurea, polyaspartics, and garage floor epoxy. The question that keeps coming up is which product is the 'best' We have an older article on our site that discussed that issue in depth.
garageflooringllc.com/2019/05/07/garage-floor-epoxy-vs-polyurea/
The truth is that different products have different advantages in different situations. I continue to believe that Polyaspartics should not be installed by the DIY consumer where Polyurea and Polyurea / Polyaspartic Hybrids are in fact a good fit.
Professional Polyaspartics has become a very good option. If you are hiring a professional contractor that has an office, location and is certified by a manufacturer to install and warranty a Polyaspartic system, it may be a very good option. Many of these products don't have great adhesion direct to concrete, and they are installed as a top coat. This is a very good application for a full broadcast floor, but I would question the benefits of doing it over a random or partial broadcast. My concern would be that unless there is a tinted layer of Poly between the base coat and the top coat, the epoxy can still yellow, fade etc.
There is NOTHING wrong with garage floor epoxy. Companies like ours (Garage Flooring LLC) , Legacy, Armorpoxy, and Alpha Garage offer high-quality garage floor coatings and the expertise to help you DIY them. In some parts of the country, 100% solids epoxy, and clear, despite the drawbacks (of clear epoxy), are more prominent because of the VOC laws in areas such as Southern California.
There are situations where epoxy is preferable to products like Polyurea. Interior home or commercial applications, especially with limited ventilation. Floors that are damaged and a less than perfect repair is being done or floors that have been repaired properly but did not come out as perfect as you would have wanted. Those who are sensitive to odors should only go with 100% solids coatings and check the SDS sheet first.
Epoxy tends to be a lower odor and is thicker than Polyurea products - per coat. Industrial epoxy for forklift applications, although not the prettiest, is also a good option. If you are doing epoxy 'just because' we find the DIY high solids kits are easier to work with for the typical consumer. You can use a roller throughout.
So what is up with Hybrid Polyurea, and why are people turning to it for their DIY garage floors?
(I am speaking based on our product, but much if not all of this holds true for the others mentioned above)
It becomes a little bit of a marketing trick. Let's say I sell you a can of AWF Polyurea. Roughly speaking, its 70% solids. Now let's say Brand Y sells you their brand of Polyurea. Let's say it's also 70% solids. Now we tell you that the ideal coverage is 200 Sq. Ft. per gallon. Brand Y tells you 300 Sq. Ft is ideal. Which coating is going to be thicker on the floor? IT'S THE SAME AMOUNT OF MATERIAL.
The same holds true in a kit. We might send 5 gallons of Polyurea for 500 Square feet whereas another manufacturer might send four. All of our kits are based off of 200 Sq. Ft. per gallon.
So where does that number come from? The guys in marketing or the people in charge of sales want to inflate that number as high as possible. The Bean counters at the plants want to make that number as low as possible - so they can sell more products. We bypassed both. We went straight to our technical services liaison and did some calculations. The numbers were based on a point of diminishing return on increased thickness per coat. We factored into that number several things like the amount that stays on the inside of a paint tray or can and the fact that everyone wants to stretch things just a little.
We looked at these numbers from multiple brands/plants and determined that, hands down the best number for a Polyurea averaging 70% solids (ish) is 200 Sq. Ft. Per gallon.
While this example is based on Polyurea, these numbers are equally true for Epoxy. You are not getting more coverage you are getting a thinner floor. Big home centers will mess with these numbers even more. While our coatings may be ~90% solids they might sell you one that is 50% solids for 25% less -- or quote a system that leaves you with your garage half done because you did not get enough material.
Epoxy products SHOULD have a primer. Polyurea products don't need one -- with a few exceptions we see in Florida that have crazy porous floors.
[End rant] I'm sure there are more than one typos. Just wanted to clear the air on some of this
garageflooringllc.com/2019/05/07/garage-floor-epoxy-vs-polyurea/
The truth is that different products have different advantages in different situations. I continue to believe that Polyaspartics should not be installed by the DIY consumer where Polyurea and Polyurea / Polyaspartic Hybrids are in fact a good fit.
Professional Polyaspartics has become a very good option. If you are hiring a professional contractor that has an office, location and is certified by a manufacturer to install and warranty a Polyaspartic system, it may be a very good option. Many of these products don't have great adhesion direct to concrete, and they are installed as a top coat. This is a very good application for a full broadcast floor, but I would question the benefits of doing it over a random or partial broadcast. My concern would be that unless there is a tinted layer of Poly between the base coat and the top coat, the epoxy can still yellow, fade etc.
There is NOTHING wrong with garage floor epoxy. Companies like ours (Garage Flooring LLC) , Legacy, Armorpoxy, and Alpha Garage offer high-quality garage floor coatings and the expertise to help you DIY them. In some parts of the country, 100% solids epoxy, and clear, despite the drawbacks (of clear epoxy), are more prominent because of the VOC laws in areas such as Southern California.
There are situations where epoxy is preferable to products like Polyurea. Interior home or commercial applications, especially with limited ventilation. Floors that are damaged and a less than perfect repair is being done or floors that have been repaired properly but did not come out as perfect as you would have wanted. Those who are sensitive to odors should only go with 100% solids coatings and check the SDS sheet first.
Epoxy tends to be a lower odor and is thicker than Polyurea products - per coat. Industrial epoxy for forklift applications, although not the prettiest, is also a good option. If you are doing epoxy 'just because' we find the DIY high solids kits are easier to work with for the typical consumer. You can use a roller throughout.
So what is up with Hybrid Polyurea, and why are people turning to it for their DIY garage floors?
(I am speaking based on our product, but much if not all of this holds true for the others mentioned above)
- Polyurea does not typically have a part A and a Part B. So what? You would be amazed at how many jobs show up in forums like this where the floor did not cure because it was not mixed in the right ratio.
- Polyurea will not cure in the bucket or pan. I suppose if you left it open long enough, you would have an issue, but assuming you are installing a garage floor over the course of a long weekend, there is no pot life. Over extended periods of time, solvents start to evaporate and the product starts to mux with the air.
- The solvents in Polyurea make it more forgiving. Prep is still important but say CSP1 - CSP2 is going to be just fine.
- Polyurea rolls on easier.
- Polyurea is more UV resistant than epoxy. We all love to use words like 'Cycloaliphatic ' and claim that epoxy is UV stable. And it is to a point. But while we have some of the best UV rated epoxy on the market (so do others here, not trying to sell you) it still will not compare long-term to a Polyurea when exposed to sunlight -- from an open door or window.
- Polyurea can be more durable in typical applications. Always check the chemical resistance charts if you have a specific need. Polyurea is not as hard as epoxy. At the same time, that might sound like a negative. Imagine dropping a hammer on a piece of glass. Now imagine dropping it on a trampoline.
It becomes a little bit of a marketing trick. Let's say I sell you a can of AWF Polyurea. Roughly speaking, its 70% solids. Now let's say Brand Y sells you their brand of Polyurea. Let's say it's also 70% solids. Now we tell you that the ideal coverage is 200 Sq. Ft. per gallon. Brand Y tells you 300 Sq. Ft is ideal. Which coating is going to be thicker on the floor? IT'S THE SAME AMOUNT OF MATERIAL.
The same holds true in a kit. We might send 5 gallons of Polyurea for 500 Square feet whereas another manufacturer might send four. All of our kits are based off of 200 Sq. Ft. per gallon.
So where does that number come from? The guys in marketing or the people in charge of sales want to inflate that number as high as possible. The Bean counters at the plants want to make that number as low as possible - so they can sell more products. We bypassed both. We went straight to our technical services liaison and did some calculations. The numbers were based on a point of diminishing return on increased thickness per coat. We factored into that number several things like the amount that stays on the inside of a paint tray or can and the fact that everyone wants to stretch things just a little.
We looked at these numbers from multiple brands/plants and determined that, hands down the best number for a Polyurea averaging 70% solids (ish) is 200 Sq. Ft. Per gallon.
While this example is based on Polyurea, these numbers are equally true for Epoxy. You are not getting more coverage you are getting a thinner floor. Big home centers will mess with these numbers even more. While our coatings may be ~90% solids they might sell you one that is 50% solids for 25% less -- or quote a system that leaves you with your garage half done because you did not get enough material.
Epoxy products SHOULD have a primer. Polyurea products don't need one -- with a few exceptions we see in Florida that have crazy porous floors.
[End rant] I'm sure there are more than one typos. Just wanted to clear the air on some of this