Epoxy Garage Floor vs. Polyaspartic Floor Coating

Hello Garage is your one-stop-shop for garage remodeling — and we're committed to providing the best garage floor coating available. After a ton of research to determine which garage floor coating is the best looking, most durable and longest-lasting, we settled on polyaspartic floor coating technology.

Considering garage floor refinishing? Let's explore the pros and cons of today's most popular floor coatings together.

What is polyaspartic garage floor coating?

While many other companies claim to use polyaspartic technology, they commonly use a blend that is not totally UV-stable. But the Hello Garage Polyaspartic Floor Coating has a 100% polyaspartic active ingredient combined with a small, environmentally-friendly solvent that creates a water-like consistency. With a watery texture, the system fills and evenly coats all cracks, crevices and pores within the concrete floor, delivering unmatched durability and a beautiful granite-like appearance.

Polyaspartic garage floor coating is quick-curing, lasts 4-5 times longer than epoxy and was the trusted floor coating in commercial and industrial applications for decades. Ours even comes with an industry-leading warranty!*

Is polyaspartic garage floor coating better than epoxy?

Epoxy floor coating is hard but takes nearly a week to cure and cracks easily, breaking the adhesion to the concrete below and making it a less durable option down the road. Throughout our research, we found many reasons to choose polyaspartic floor coatings over epoxy or other garage floor paints and coatings. We think these are the most important:

• Higher quality — The polyaspartic floor coating material is very fluid, applied in an almost water-like state. This means it fills every crack, crevice and pore of the concrete beneath. For this reason, it doesn't just adhere to the concrete; it actually bonds with it, becoming one with your garage floor.
• Durability — Because of its superior bonding, polyaspartic floor coatings are not susceptible to hot-tire pickup. You can park in the same place over and over, even in the hottest climates.
• UV resistant — The polyaspartic material Hello Garage uses is UV resistant. It won't yellow or fade like epoxy floor coating. Go ahead and watch your kids play basketball in the driveway.
• Quick-curing — It takes just 24 hours for the polyaspartic floor coating system to cure. That means no waiting for a week to be able to use your garage. It'll likely be ready the very next day!
• Non-peeling — When epoxy coating fails in laboratory testing, it is because it peels away from the concrete surface below. But when polyaspartic floor coating finally fails in lab testing, it's actually the surface layer of concrete that peels away. So the polyaspartic floor coating itself never really fails — the underlying concrete does. It's that strong of a bond.
• Greater bond to concrete — While polyaspartic floor coating 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 garage floor. Plus, think about how easy truck bed liners are to spray out and clean up!

Problems With Garage Floor Epoxy

Epoxy flooring is so hard and stiff, that if you drop something heavy on it — a wrench or a can of soup, for instance — it can create microscopic cracks that will allow water in and break its adhesion with the concrete below. Hard, yes. Durable, not so much.

There are other downsides to epoxy garage floor coatings, including:

• 

  Adhesion problems

  Epoxy flooring is very viscous when applied, which means it's thick, like molasses in January. Epoxy is so viscous, it won't get into every crack, crevics and pore of the concrete below — this can cause adhesion problems later. Polyaspartic floor coating has a water-like texture, so it gets into every nook and cranny for a long-lasting bond.

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  Hot-tire pickup

  Garage floor epoxy is susceptible to hot-tire pickup. When you park your car in the same place consistently during a hot summer, the temperatures under your tires can exceed 130º. This heat can start to break the bond between the epoxy coating and the concrete underneath, resulting in delamination and peeling over time. Polyaspartic floor coating is more durable and will be unaltered by hot-tire pickup.

• 

  Damage from UV Rays

  Epoxy is not UV resistant. If you leave your garage door open for any length of time while mowing the lawn or letting the kids play in the driveway, sunlight can cause it to yellow over time. This looks awful and decreases your curb appeal. Polyaspartic floor coating is beautiful, durable and UV resistant — so it won't fade or yellow.

• 

  Week-Long Cure Time

  The cure time for an epoxy floor coating can be up to a week. That means it can be a week before you can use your garage again. Polyaspartic floor coating cures in as little as 24 hours, so your routine can resume as usual.

A More Affordable Garage Floor Coating

While high-quality, 100% polyaspartic floor coating costs more than epoxy floor coating, over time, it will end up providing more savings. This is because polyaspartic floor coating lasts up to 4 or 5 times longer when professionally installed.

An epoxy floor coating may start to delaminate in just a few years. When it does, it needs to be ground down and removed before the new coating is installed. And you're going to want that new coating because when epoxy goes bad it looks really terrible. That's an extra expense you didn't have the first time around.

Polyaspartic — The Superior Garage Floor Coating

Polyaspartic floor coating is a better solution for your garage that you won't have to worry about fixing or reapplying. Not only is this approach better for the planet, reducing what ends up in our landfills and our atmosphere, but in most cases, it ends up costing less in the long run.

After many months of exhaustive research into the various alternatives, that philosophy is how our garage nerds (that's what we affectionately call our engineers) settled on polyaspartic garage floor coating technology. At the end of the day, it simply lasts longer and looks better over time. Talk about a win-win.

So, we encourage you to do more research. Talk to people who've had their garage floors coated. Go ahead, Google "hot tire pick-up". And, of course, we welcome any and all questions you may have on this or just about any garage-related subject! Call your local Garage Guru to schedule a free estimate today!

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