Polyaspartic Floor Coatings for Indoor Spaces

Before you carpet or tile that unfinished concrete floor in your basement, laundry or commercial space, read this.

First, you should consider a floor coating. Unlike a carpet that will stain or tiles that can crack or come loose, a permanent, professionally installed (more on this later) floor coating will offer long-lasting beauty and durability — if, you choose the right one.

So, there is a floor coating that offers the stunning beauty and long-term durability of granite that you may not have heard of. It's similar to an epoxy — but lasts longer. It's not a standard polyurea coating, either (not all polyurea coatings offer the benefits of this particular product).

It's the 100% polyaspartic floor coating offered by Hello Garage. And if you're finishing a basement or installing a commercial kitchen or building a gym locker room, you should know about this amazing technology and why it stands head-and-shoulders above the rest when it comes to interior floor coatings.

What is polyaspartic floor coating technology?

OK, so what are polyaspartic floor coatings, anyway? Well, these have been in use for more than three decades, mostly in industrial and commercial settings such as warehouses, factories and airplane hangars. Polyaspartic technology offers the best combination of beauty, toughness and installation speed.

The only downside with polyaspartic flooring is that it requires professional installation for optimum results. That's because, unlike epoxy and polyurethane coatings, polyaspartics need highly specialized surface preparation — including surface scarification with a walk-behind industrial grinder — to adhere properly. But when professionally installed by an experienced crew, the results are spectacular and long-lasting.

Regardless of the space you are coating, polyaspartic flooring offers multiple benefits, including:

• Visual appeal — The look resembles polished granite.
• Durability — The material bonds chemically with the concrete below for superior longevity.
• Easy clean-up — Polyaspartic flooring is nonporous, so spills can be wiped up before they stain.
• Slip resistance — The flake material that gives the flooring its granite-like look also gives it a slip-resistant texture.

Yes, but isn't it expensive?

Polyaspartic flooring can cost more per square foot than other options, such as epoxy and polyurethane coatings. But when you factor in the longevity of 100% polyaspartic floor coatings, the cost over time can actually be much lower. Not only that, but when you also factor in the cost and inconvenience of having to remove the contents of an interior space, remove the failing coating and reapply a new coating, it's evident that polyaspartic floor coatings are superior to other interior floor coating options.

Have a look at this comparison chart:

Why does it have to be 100% polyaspartic?

This is an important point. That's because the word polyaspartic is starting to creep into the public vocabulary as people find out its many benefits. This has allowed less reputable flooring companies to take advantage of this by offering their own “polyaspartic floor coating.” Of course, to cut their expense and increase their profits, they often offer a product that may have a polyaspartic base coat but with a polyurethane or epoxy top coat. This means the finished product won't be UV-resistant and could yellow over time. Besides, do you really want to deal with a company that isn't being truthful regarding their product? What else aren't they being honest about?

Why we chose polyaspartic over other options.

Over the course of our research, we found many reasons to prefer polyaspartic exterior surface coatings over epoxy or other paints and coatings. These are the most important:

• Higher quality — The polyaspartic material is very fluid and applied in an almost water-like state. This means it finds every crack, crevice and pore of the concrete beneath. Because of this, it doesn't just adhere to the concrete; it actually bonds with it, becoming one with your concrete floor.;
• UV resistant — The polyaspartic material we use is 100% UV resistant. It won't yellow or fade like epoxy coatings do over time.
• Quick-curing — It takes just 24 hours for our polyaspartic surface coating system to cure. That means you can likely use your newly coated interior space the very next day.
• Non-peeling — When an epoxy coating fails in laboratory testing, it is because it peels away from the concrete surface below. But when a polyaspartic coating finally fails in lab testing, it is actually the surface layer of concrete that peels away. So, in fact, the polyaspartic coating itself never really fails — the underlying concrete does. It's that strong a bond.
• Superior overall durability — While polyaspartic outdoor coating technology was initially developed for industrial use, it was first used commercially as spray-in truck bed liners. Just think of all the abuse something like that must endure! Plus, truck beds are made of steel, which doesn't have open pores like concrete. So, if polyaspartic can stick to that, it can definitely bond with your porous concrete. (And think about how easy truck bed liners are to spray out and clean up.)

OK, so you want a polyaspartic interior floor coating — but who should install it?

As we mentioned earlier, the only real downside to polyaspartic flooring is that installing it can be a bit finicky. Experts agree that about 80% of a successful polyaspartic coating installation is down to superior surface preparation.

But here's the thing: Proper surface preparation requires two things that most people don't have: expertise and commercial-grade heavy equipment. We're talking heavy-duty, walk-behind concrete grinders here. Not exactly something you can pick up at your local hardware store. Not to mention the experience that comes with installing hundreds of jobs a year. So, while it's great that you've decided to look into getting your interior floor coated with polyaspartic flooring, it's critical for its longevity that you choose a contractor with the equipment and experience to install it right.

The bottom line is that 100% polyaspartic interior floor coatings are simply the best choice for improving the look, durability, and cleanliness of virtually any interior concrete floor. This has been proven in countless industrial, commercial and residential installations over the decades. But most of that time, it wasn't an option that was well-known to the public. Now, as the news about polyaspartic flooring creeps out, it's essential to ensure that if you decide to improve your interior concrete floors with a polyaspartic coating, you choose an experienced contractor who offers a 100% polyaspartic coating. Anything less, and you might be redoing the whole thing in just a few years. And who wants to deal with that?

Contact your local Hello Garage to book a free consultation and estimate with a Garage Guru near you.