53% of Americans use their garage as in-home workshops. If you’re one of the millions of people who use their garages for DIY projects, you want to ensure the space is durable enough to withstand your work and heavy-duty tools. You also deserve to work in an aesthetically-pleasing space.
Are you a homeowner looking to transform the look of your floors with minimum effort and cost? Concrete floor coating could be the perfect option for you. Not only is concrete floor coating easy to install, but it also provides several benefits, like increased durability.
Whether you have an existing concrete floor or are considering adding one soon, let’s explore how this floor covering can help improve your space. This guide will cover everything related to installing concrete floor coating in your home.
From discussing different materials used to proper installation steps, we’ll provide an overview of the many benefits of investing in concrete floor coating.
What Is Concrete Floor Coating?
Concrete floor coating is a type of floor finish that protects from wear and tear. It also helps achieve the following (among many other benefits):
- Reduce dust
- Reduce moisture
- Prevent staining
You typically apply it with a paintbrush or roller, but you can also spray it on for greater coverage.
Once you’ve coated your floors (and let them dry properly), you should notice a surface more resistant to damage caused by heavy traffic and stains. In addition, concrete floor coatings can enhance the look of concrete and increase its durability over time.
Overall, concrete floor coating helps seal concrete floors. In high-traffic areas like garages and patios, this is a great way to improve your space’s look while reducing wasted time and energy spent maintaining your floors due to spills or damage.
The coating comes in various colors and textures, allowing for a customizable look to fit any style preference. Furthermore, concrete floor coatings are generally easy to maintain. All you need is a simple dust mop or vacuum cleaner.
Type of Concrete Floor Coating
Different types of concrete floor coating offer varying levels of protection and decorative appeal. Epoxy is popular because it creates a strong bond with the floor and provides a glossy finish.
If you’re looking for more durability, polyurea coatings are ideal, as they offer superior resistance to abrasions and can withstand heavy foot traffic. They provide extreme strength and are waterproof. This makes them ideal for basements, warehouses, or even garages exposed to moisture and humidity.
With so many options out there, we want to help you make sense of the differences. Here’s a quick breakdown of your two main options regarding concrete coating.
Epoxy Floor Coating
Epoxy concrete floor coating combines resin and hardener to create a rigid, plastic-like layer. This means it forms an extremely durable bond with the substrate, sealing the material underneath and creating a protective layer.
As with other types of garage floor coating, epoxy floor coating protects against spills and helps reduce wear and tear on floors, making them easier to clean and maintain. Other benefits include the fact that it can:
- Endure heavy foot traffic
- Resist dirt and other contaminants
- Retain its shine
- Provide an attractive finish
This is why most professional garages use it to protect their floors. However, garage epoxy might not withstand the wear and tear of heavy-duty trucks, harsh chemicals, and lots of foot traffic over time.
Polyurea Floor Coating
Polyurea coating is an excellent choice for protecting surfaces from water damage. It creates a waterproof barrier that quickly cures without harsh chemicals or additional steps.
How quickly are we talking about here? Polyurea coating cures in about 24 hours. Epoxy coating can take up to three to four days to install.
Plus, polyurea is flexible. You can use it as a garage floor coating. However, you can use it on roofs, foundations, decks, and other surfaces. The durability of polyurea makes it ideal for withstanding environmental wear and tear, and its ease of application keeps costs low.
How does it stack up to epoxy? Polyurea floor coating is a much better choice than epoxy. Unlike epoxy coatings, polyurea floor coatings (at least those offered by Garage Force) are up to 20 times stronger. This ensures long-term durability.
Additionally, polyurea coatings are known for their impressive temperature resistance capabilities in extreme climates. They offer exceptional protection against cracking, abrasion, and chemical spills. Similar to polyaspartic floor coating, they’re also UV resistant. This means they won’t get yellow over time.
In summary, polyurea is the superior choice for protecting your garage floor.
Concrete Floor Coating Uses
Concrete floor coatings serve many valuable functions as either a garage floor coating or even a patio floor coating. They act as a protective barrier against damage from impacts, chemicals, and abrasion, allowing floors to last much longer and providing peace of mind.
Here are three ideas if you’re unsure where to use polyurea coating in your home.
Garages
Concrete floor coatings are a great way to protect and improve the look of your garage. They protect from wear, grease, and stains and can be customized to fit any desired look. They provide a smooth finish that creates an easy-to-clean environment and makes a space more visually appealing.
You’ll also benefit from increased durability with concrete floor coatings for garages. This is because the coating helps reduce cracking and peeling and removes deteriorating particles due to age. Furthermore, it will last longer than traditional paints or sealers while keeping costs low compared to epoxy floors.
Patios
Polyurea concrete floor coating is quickly becoming a popular choice for outdoor patios. This type of coating is more durable, attractive, and easy to maintain than traditional patio materials. It’s also much easier to install to finish your patio quickly and effortlessly.
Concrete floor coating also provides extra protection against the elements. Seeing as it’s waterproof, it’s great in spaces where you need a lot of resistance to rain, snow, and humidity.
Overall, if you want to spruce up your patio but don’t want to undertake a full remodel, concrete floor coating is an excellent solution that won’t break the bank. Plus, it allows you to customize the color and design to create your desired look.
Benefits of Concrete Floor Coating
Regardless of the type of concrete floor coating you choose, there are several benefits to coating your concrete floors. However, you will likely notice more benefits from polyurea floor coating.
From helping protect your garage or patio floor from damage to potentially increasing your home’s value, here are a few reasons to coat your concrete floors with polyurea.
Durable
A polyurea-coated floor is a great choice if you want extreme durability in your floor covering. Its durability and strength come from a unique combination of chemicals. By combining different molecules, polyurea coatings create an incredibly robust material far superior to epoxy.
This means you won’t have to worry about your large, heavy truck damaging your garage floors over time. You also won’t have to worry about heavy tools cracking your patio floor. It can last several decades without suffering noticeable damage like cracking or peeling when installed correctly.
Low-Maintenance
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance material to keep up the appearance of your commercial property, a high-quality concrete floor coating is the way to go.
Remember, polyurea coatings are waterproof. They’re resistant to mold and mildew. This makes them extremely easy to clean, especially in climates or settings with high humidity.
When applied, their protective layers make it so that routine cleaning over time is all you need to do to keep these floors looking great. Polyurea is a perfect choice for any homeowner looking to reduce maintenance costs and improve the longevity of flooring solutions.
UV-Resistant
One major benefit polyurea coating has over epoxy is that it is UV-resistant. This type of coating can resist the sun’s UV rays and won’t turn yellow or fade over time as epoxy coatings will.
This is great for visual appeal, sure. However, it’s also fantastic from a cost perspective. This UV resistance prevents color fading and other sun damage that would be costly to repair or replace. Without UV resistance, floors may slip into disrepair in as little as a few months after installation.
Quick Installation
Investing in concrete floor resurfacing can seem like quite a big undertaking. However, with polyurea garage floor coating, it’s quick and easy.
Polyurea floor coatings offer quick installation, which makes them a desirable option for many projects. This quick installation is because they cure extremely rapidly and leave less time for bubbles to form when setting.
As mentioned above, we’re talking about the difference between three to four days with epoxy and about 24 hours with polyurea. This means you don’t have to spend as much time waiting around. It also reduces the time you cannot use your garage or patio.
Cost-Effective
Polyurea floor coatings offer many benefits, with cost-effectiveness being one of them. Due to its quick application, the labor cost is minimized with polyurea floor coating.
Furthermore, with this type of coating, you can extend the life of your concrete surface for multiple years and eliminate the cost of frequent repairs or reapplication that comes with other types of flooring treatments.
Appearance
In general, concrete floor coatings provide a great solution for any surface in need of a refreshed look. You can customize the look with various colors and textures according to a modern or classic aesthetic that fits your style.
For extra flair, decorative chips of mica or quartz can be included for an eye-catching effect that also adds traction for safety. For example, one of our unique offerings at Garage Force is the quartz system.
It’s a multi-layered system consisting of a polyurea coating in a variety of different colors and quartz granules to add texture and exceptional levels of resilience. To seal it all together, we apply an anti-slip polyaspartic top coat which requires minimal maintenance.
Home Value
Adding a polyurea floor coating to your garage is a simple, sophisticated way to increase the value of your home. As you know, it can increase the longevity of the flooring in your garage. Furthermore, it offers an attractive look that will increase its aesthetic appeal.
Additionally, it reduces cleaning time due to its easy-to-clean surface, creating an extra layer of safety with a non-skid texture. Finally, these coatings are also environmentally friendly, making them the ideal option for homeowners looking for maximum performance with minimum ecological impact.
The bottom line? A polyurea floor coating is a sensible choice for those looking to increase their home’s value in the long run.
Concrete Floor Coating Installation
Concrete floor coating installation is a process that usually involves some version of the following:
- Cleaning
- Etching
- Grinding
- Crack repair
- Concrete sealing
You have to do all of this before you apply the concrete coating. So, it’s quite a bit of work. That’s why we always recommend you work with a professional. They have the expertise and experience to ensure your concrete floor is properly treated.
Professionals understand the proper technique and materials to use so that your concrete floor will receive the maximum benefit from the concrete coating. They also have access to specialized tools and equipment, greatly reducing the time necessary to install concrete floor coating.
Despite being slightly cheaper, a DIY approach may not yield the results you’re looking for. If you miss even one step of concrete floor preparation or do it incorrectly, it can lead to costly repairs and expensive damage down the line.
That’s why it’s best to save time and money and hire a pro. They’ll guarantee long-lasting results with minimal risk.
Work with Garage Force
Garage Force is the perfect solution for concrete floor coating needs. With top-quality concrete coating products and professionals available across the United States, you can transform your garage, business space, or concrete surface into something special.
Our product creates an aesthetically pleasing finish while protecting and adding an extra layer of safety to concrete floors. And with dedicated locations throughout the country, there’s sure to be a Garage Force near you. Find a location near you now.