Polyurea as a material was first invented in the 1980s. Ever since then, it has been used in a variety of different applications. In recent years, it has become extremely popular as a type of garage floor coating.
But why? Polyurea coatings, as it turns out, have a variety of benefits that many people are unaware of. They are especially beneficial when compared to epoxy coatings which may look nice but come with a variety of problems.
Keep reading and learn more about why polyurea spray coating is such a better option compared to epoxy coatings.
Polyurea Coatings Don’t Get Discolored
In general, polyurea coatings are much more durable compared to most other types of garage floor coatings. You can easily see this in the way that polyurea coatings don’t change color over time. This is more than what can be said about epoxy coatings.
If you’ve ever coated your garage floor (or any floor, for that matter) with epoxy, you likely have noticed that the floor will turn an ugly shade of yellow or brown over time. This is because epoxy is extremely sensitive to the sun’s UV rays. The sun’s UV rays are known to be quite harmful and they can do everything from stripping off the clear coat on your car to giving your skin a sunburn.
Another thing that these rays can do is break down the molecules in an epoxy coating. Once this happens, the coating will soon turn a shade of yellow. This is known as ambering and it is completely irreversible.
The Details
Using cleaning products on the epoxy coating or even bleaching products won’t fix the problem. The only real way to prevent it is to keep your coating out of the sun at all times. But this, of course, is often not possible or not desired.
This is not to mention that once epoxy gets discolored, it will also become weaker. This is due to how the sun breaks down the molecules inside the epoxy. In particular, it will become flaky and brittle and it won’t provide your floor with the protection it needs.
The perfect solution is to get a polyurea floor coating instead. Such a coating is resistant to the sun’s UV rays, so you won’t have to worry about it turning an ugly shade of brown or yellow. And you won’t need to worry about your floor getting brittle or flaky either.
Polyurea Is Very Flexible
When you are dealing with a concrete garage floor, that floor is bound to shift eventually. This is because the ground underneath the concrete will slowly shift over the years. Without any kind of protection, this may cause the concrete to crack.
Once that happens, water can seep into the concrete and ruin it as well as the foundation of your house. This, of course, could cost a lot of money to repair. Even if you put an epoxy coating over your concrete floor, you’ll find that the coating won’t help much as the ground shifts.
This is because epoxy is a very brittle material. If your concrete floor shifts even slightly, the epoxy layer will crack. This, of course, will allow moisture to travel through that crack where it can reach the concrete and ruin it.
What You Need to Know
Fortunately, you won’t have to deal with that problem as long as you choose a polyurea garage floor coating over an epoxy one. This is because polyurea, as a material, is naturally very flexible. For that reason, if your garage floor ever happens to shift, that polyurea coating will remain intact.
Instead of cracking or breaking, it will instead bend and flex to accommodate the shifting floor. That way, the concrete underneath the floor will remain completely sealed and protected. This is important because even if there is the tiniest crack in the coating covering the concrete, moisture will be able to enter.
From that single crack, moisture can seep into the pores in the concrete and cause all sorts of problems, and expensive ones at that. So, if you want to make sure that your floor remains protected (and make sure that you don’t pay for a bunch of expensive repairs), make sure you choose polyurea coatings.
Polyurea Is Stronger Than Epoxy
If you want to make sure your garage floor coating lasts a while, you’ll want to choose polyurea over epoxy. This is because polyurea is known to be several times stronger than epoxy. This is not only factoring in its flexibility but also its sheer durability and strength.
When you have an epoxy floor coating, you will find that it will start to sustain damage relatively quickly. For example, scratches, streaks, and cracks are all common occurrences with epoxy floors. These scratches may occur from the simplest things such as dragging something across the floor or dropping something.
But you won’t have to deal with any of that damage when you opt for polyurea. This is because the sheer strength of this material will ensure that your floor coating remains intact for as long as possible.
The Benefits of Polyurea Coatings
Polyurea coatings are beneficial for a variety of reasons. For one, polyurea does not get discolored in the sun like epoxy. More than that, polyurea is also known to be very flexible as well as very durable, so you won’t have to worry about any cracks or scratches forming.
To learn more about polyurea coatings, contact us here.
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