In the United States alone, people and businesses spend more than $320 million every year on the concrete floor coating market. Experts predict that the floor coating industry will continue to grow at a rate of about 5% every year until 2030 at least.
In particular, many people are getting excited about polyurea floor coating options. Using polyurea for garage floor coating jobs provides many benefits that older technologies struggle to compete with.
At the same time, not everyone is familiar with polyurea floor coatings and the benefits that they provide. Read on to learn all about polyurea floor coatings and how they compare to other floor coating options!
What Is a Polyurea Floor Coating?
Polyurea is a flexible polymer. After it cures, it provides a solid surface that can protect the floor underneath. It is a more modern garage floor coating option that is created from more advanced technology than older coating options like epoxy.
What Are Epoxy Garage Floors?
In the past, most people used epoxy for garage floor coatings. A standard epoxy mix is made out of the resin itself and a hardener that helps it cure.
Polyurea vs Polyaspartic Benefits
People hear about polyaspartic coatings and mix them up with polyurea coatings because they think they are complete opposites. Polyaspartic coatings are a type of polyurea, actually. On top of that, they can provide many of the same benefits as polyurea floor coatings.
However, you do not have to choose between the benefits of polyurea and polyaspartic coatings. By combining both of these ingredients, you can enjoy a garage floor coating that provides maximum protection and durability.
Both Options Come In Many Colors
Whether you get an epoxy or a polyurea floor coating, you will have many options to choose between as far as the appearance of the coating. You can get either of these coatings in almost any color you like. On top of that, you can get versions of these coatings that are transparent and have colored shapes mixed in for a more textured appearance.
Polyurea Floors Provide Superior Durability
On the other hand, if you want your garage floor coating to be as durable as possible, you will want to go with a polyurea option. Although epoxy floor coatings provided good protection in the past, they are an older technology that cannot compete with more modern polyurea options. There are several different ways that polyurea floors are more robust.
First, they are more resistant to impacts and scratches. Polyurea coatings provide a potent combination of strength and flexibility.
This flexibility allows them to distribute the force of impacts across a larger area. Combined with the incredible strength of polyurea and polyaspartic materials, this means that your garage floor coating will be able to absorb huge impacts without allowing any damage to transfer to the floor underneath.
On top of that, polyurea coatings are resistant to chemicals and acids. You can spill chemicals on a polyurea floor coating without having to panic. As long as you clean them up within a reasonable amount of time, your polyurea coating should not take any permanent damage.
One of the main problems with epoxy coatings is that they are vulnerable to the harsh UV rays of the Sun. If the rays of the sun land on an epoxy floor coating through a window or door, it will become brittle and lose its durability.
On the other hand, polyurea coatings can resist damage from the sun. That also makes them a good choice for surfaces outdoors. Unlike epoxy coatings, you can apply a polyurea and polyaspartic coating to a sidewalk, driveway, pool deck, or another outdoor surface.
Polyurea Floors Look Better in the Long Run
Along with weakening epoxy floors, the harsh UV rays of the Sun tend to turn epoxy floors yellow. In contrast, polyurea floors can maintain both their strength and their appearance even when exposed to the sun. It is also worth noting that epoxy floors tend to turn yellow after a few years even if they do not receive much sun exposure.
Your polyurea coating will maintain its color even after many years. Its greater resistance to scratches, abrasions, and impacts also means that it will maintain a more uniform surface.
Polyurea floor coatings can also help fill in scratches and divots in the underlying floor or surface. That can help smooth out the appearance of your floor.
Polyaspartic Floor Coatings Are Economical
In the short run, most epoxy floor coating options are cheaper than more advanced polyurea coatings. However, when you account for the difference in lifespan, you will actually save money in the long run with a polyurea coating.
Your epoxy coating might last as long as 5 years, but it may also need replacement after only 3. On the other hand, even average-quality polyurea and polyaspartic coatings will last at least 15 years.
There are also other ways that polyurea floor coatings can save you money.
Polyaspartic Garage Floor Coatings Stay Clean
Polyurea and polyaspartic coatings also resist stains better than old-fashioned epoxy alternatives. That can save you money on cleaning costs. That goes double because polyurea coatings are much easier to clean than your garage floor.
It can take some serious scrubbing and elbow grease to clean up a concrete surface. On the other hand, the smooth surface of your polyaspartic garage floor coating is much easier to clean. A simple wipe across the surface will suffice to remove dust and other contaminants in many cases.
This can also save you time if you manage the cleaning process yourself.
Polyurea coatings also do a better job than epoxy coatings of sealing out moisture. That is one more way that they can provide extra protection for the underlying concrete floor.
If you get an epoxy coating and it allows moisture to seep into the concrete below, you can end up with gradual erosion of your floor. A few years later when you need to replace your epoxy coating, you may discover that you are floor is actually in worse condition than before you applied a coating that was supposed to protect it.
Enjoy Fast Installation With Polyurea Floors
Another big advantage that comes with polyurea floor coatings is that they take much less time to install. An epoxy coating might take as many as 5 days before you can walk on it.
Having to avoid using your garage floor for 5 days can be a terrible inconvenience. In some cases, it might even cost you money depending on how you use your garage. So how much faster do polyurea coatings cure?
A polyurea coating can be installed and ready for use within a single day.
If you have to find a time when you can avoid using your garage for 5 days in a row, it can also be much more difficult to schedule your installation right away. Many people who order epoxy coatings have to wait weeks before they find a good time to stop using their garage and wait out the installation process.
On the other hand, with a polyurea coating, you can probably find a good day for the installation within the next week.
Avoid Fumes With Polyurea Options
Before your garage floor coating is done curing, it may produce a smell. However, there is a significant difference between the fumes that an epoxy floor produces and the smell of a polyurea coating that is not done curing.
Epoxy coatings produce volatile organic compounds that can hang around in the area of your garage even after they are done curing. Even if the quantity of volatile organic compounds produced is not considered dangerous, you may still have to live with unpleasant odors for multiple days or even weeks in some cases. On top of that, these odors can drift into adjacent rooms of the building.
Of course, to enjoy the full benefits of a polyurea coating, you will need to find a quality installation service. Although there are many options out there to choose between, it can help to look at online reviews. The more satisfied customers a polyurea installation company has, the better the chance they will satisfy you as well.
Enjoy the Benefits of Polyurea for Garage Floor Coatings
We hope that this article has helped make it clear why using polyurea for garage floor coating needs is such a good choice. Combined with polyaspartic layers, polyurea can create a floor that lasts for many years and provides amazing protection for its entire lifespan. If you can save time and money at the same time, it is a no-brainer!
To learn more about how you can find the best garage floor coating services for your situation, reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!