The Risks of One-Day Systems
The faster the better, right? The faster we get our food, the faster we get our deliveries — everyone wants everything right now these days. When it comes to medical care, sure, that’s a good thing. However, when it comes to plumbing or roofing? Not so much.
Similarly, rushing the installation of your garage floor and trying to squeeze a proper installation in a single day simply won’t cut it. You’ll likely be shelling out even more money for repairs less than a year after the first installation! We see it all the time.
The Disadvantages of One-Day Systems
Rapid one-day installations use polyurea-polyaspartic coatings as both the primer coat (direct-to-concrete) and clear top coat to get the installation complete in the promised “1 day”. Although polyurea-polyaspartics are great topcoats, providing excellent UV, stain, and chemical resistance, they have one major Achilles heel when used as direct-to-concrete primers.
Polyurea-polyaspartics are fast-cure coatings. But they cure faster still in the presence of moisture (be it moisture in the air or concrete itself). So fast, in fact (< 1 hour), that they fail to properly penetrate and bond with the concrete slab in medium to high moisture conditions. In addition, polyurea-polyaspartics can’t be applied thickly. As a result, when moisture wicks up through the concrete slab, creating hydrostatic pressures that push up on the coating, the wafer thin, poorly penetrating polyurea-polyaspartic primer can fail. It simply isn’t spec’d to mitigate moisture. This is why no architect will recommend its use as a direct-to-concrete coat. The result? Delamination and coating failure, compromising the floor’s longevity and performance. This leads to frequent repairs, making the initial convenience of a one-day installation far less appealing. That’s why we believe we always tell our customers to opt for 2-day garage floor installations.
The Benefits of 2-Day Garage Floor Installations
However, opting for 2-day garage floor installations ensures quality and safety. With a two-day system, the first day involves the application of a slower-curing, moisture-mitigating, 100%-solids epoxy primer as a moisture vapor barrier. This “high-build” primer slowly and deeply infiltrates the concrete, creating a strong bond that effectively mitigates moisture. In doing so, it creates a really solid foundation (“The entire coating system is only as strong as its primer coat!”). Hence, it prevents future moisture-related issues like blistering and peeling caused by trapped moisture, ensuring a strong base for subsequent clear top coats.
On the second day of a two-day system, dual 100%-solids polyurea-polyaspartic top coats are applied. These top coats provide all the benefits that polyurea-polyaspartics are built to provide: UV, stain, chemical and impact resistance. In addition, quality 100%-solids polyaspartics even provide resistance to staining from hot-tire transfer.
The most durable coating systems use the right coating type for the job. A moisture-mitigating epoxy for the primer coat, followed by a clear polyurea-polyaspartic as the top coat(s).
Quality Or Convenience… Your Choice
While a one-day installation may offer quick results, the advantages of a two-day process are undeniable. A carefully executed, professional installation ensures that your floors are not only visually stunning but also durable and safe, and able to mitigate moisture properly.
Prioritizing thoroughness over speed means homeowners and businesses can avoid frequent repairs and enjoy a long-lasting, reliable flooring solution (thereby saving serious money long term). In conclusion, the quickest option isn’t always the best one, nor the cheapest. Find some professionals who will give you a two-day installation option.
About Garage Floor Coatings of Maryland
At Garage Floor Coatings of Maryland, we offer the highest-end, commercial-grade epoxy, polyurethane and polyurea-polyaspartic concrete floor coating systems on the market. Offered in a variety of colors, styles and pricing options, our proprietary coating systems can be installed on garage floors, patios, walkways and driveways, basements and warehouses…and in any retail or commercial space.
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