After remodeling much of your home – the kitchen, the bedrooms, the bathroom, and the living room – you’re eyeing renovating the garage next. You’ve prepared paint for the walls and new fixtures to add some modern touch, but what about the floor? The concrete could use some work, and applying a nice coating should do the trick.
There is a myriad of concrete floor coatings offered by contractors, though every single one is meant to add a layer of protection for your floors and decoration. This article will discuss the most common concrete coatings and their pros and cons.
Epoxy Coatings
Made with epoxy resin and polyamine hardener, epoxy floor coating systems are versatile and rigid coatings that can bond to most layers such as basements, workshops, countertops, and garage floors. Their characteristics make them the most common and ideal choice for industrial and automotive settings.
Advantages
- Hard, durable, and impact resistant
- Ideal for heavy-duty applications
- Chemical resistant
Disadvantages
- Difficult and tedious application process
- Takes too long to cure
Polyurethane Coatings
As the name suggests, this particular coating is made with polyurethane – a thermosetting polymer that does not melt when heated. Their appearance is similar to that of epoxy coatings, except their characteristics are very different. Polyurethane concrete coatings are softer and more elastic, making them better suited in areas with moderate to heavy pedestrian volume.
Advantages
- Elastic property makes them more resistant to abrasion
- Suited to areas with freezing temperatures
- Overnight, fast curing time
Disadvantages
- Sensitive to moisture
- Limited pot life requiring professional handling
Polyaspartic Coatings
This type of flooring is similar to polyurethane as it is a subset of polyurea. It has several shortcomings, but modern innovation has made polyaspartic coatings a versatile alternative to the abovementioned.
Advantages
- Can be used as both complete flooring and topcoat
- Cost-effective
- Customizable with controllable drying time and pot life
Disadvantages
- Prone to coating failure
- Most are solvent-based, which can be dangerous when inhaled
Acrylic Coatings
Another type of common coating, the acrylic floor coating, is made with several monomers, including ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, or methyl acetate. Acrylic coatings are processed with solvents like water and are the middle ground regarding expenses and performance.
Advantages
- Speedy drying times
- UV protection, slip and water resistance
- Very cost-effective
Disadvantages
- Lacks durability
- Better suited as decorative concrete coatings
Can’t decide which coating is the best option for your concrete floors? Custom Care By Caleb is an Orlando-based painting company offering high-quality concrete coating solutions. Visit their website https://customcarebycaleb.com/ for more information.