Garage flooring is an important part of maintaining and managing a home. There are several options available to homeowners, but making these choices can be difficult without the right information. Homeowners or contractors need to know the difference between polyurea and polyaspartic coatings and epoxy options.
Sparks Concrete Coatings has the options that homeowners and contractors require along with the products that can help with these flooring needs. Serving Provo, Alpine, Saratoga Springs, Mapleton, and Lehi, UT, customers can reach out at any time for more information on the polyaspartic versus epoxy debate.
How Are Polyurea and Polyaspartic Floor Coatings Different from Epoxy?
These flooring options are not the same, though they are used interchangeably all the time. This misinformed take can cause difficulties for anyone who is looking for the proper garage floor coating. Knowing the difference between the three can help shed some light on how they should be used and their purposes around the garage.
Polyurea is an elastomer that can prevent corrosion and abrasion on any surface. It is not the same as polyurethane and is often found in a polymer. This means that coating a garage floor with this product can protect the flooring, but it is not the homeowner’s or contractor’s only option.
Polyaspartic is more or less a cross between polyurea and epoxy. Special ingredients are added to make the product that much stronger, and it has a variety of uses that may differ from its epoxy and polyurea alternatives.
Epoxy is a tough resin that is very easy to use, creates a thick coating, and is often more durable. However, it can be used in tandem with other products to get the best results.
Because customers often do not want to know the science behind these products, it helps to learn where they are used. Yes, they are helpful in high-traffic areas, work well on concrete floors, and look great, they are all slightly different.
The Advantages of Using Polyurea and Polyaspartic Coatings
These concrete coatings have become very popular because they are so versatile. However, they offer different advantages depending on how they are to be used. There are some important things to consider, including:
- Impact resistance
- UV stability
- Drying time
Because most people know how epoxy works and understand that it is the heaviest and most durable of all these flooring options, it makes more sense to review what polyurea and polyaspartic flooring coatings can do. Balancing the appropriate properties is often the most critical part of this process, which is why it often helps to reach out to Sparks Concrete Coatings for more information and installation.
Cure Rates Vary
Polyaspartic garage flooring can cure in as little as 30 minutes. This is a massive difference compared with most flooring options, and it makes polyaspartic floor coatings a simple job that homeowners or contractors can complete on their own.
Polyurea floors do not cure quite as fast, and that might give users more time to get the job done and move on to the next task. Choosing between polyaspartic floors and polyurea is a little more complex because it determines the timing of a project and exactly how long it takes to complete.
Remember, however, that epoxy can take up to five days to cure, and most people do not want to wait that long.
Everyone Wants Low-Odor Options
Asthmatics and anyone else who is sensitive to the fumes given off by these products will probably want to find an option that is easy to work with. Polyurea is much easier to handle than epoxy, which is very fume-heavy. This also helps when the user has pets or children to consider.
How Much Versatility Do Users Have?
Polyurea coatings are much more versatile and flexible. They do not create a rock-hard surface like epoxy. However, the user might want a rock-hard surface due to the nature of the flooring. A garage floor coating has to deal with cars that weigh several tons, and they can sit there for days at a time.
On the other hand, the floor coating system cannot be too rigid in certain high-traffic areas because it will simply start to deteriorate. Interestingly, polyurea is 98% solids and is stronger than epoxy without being so difficult to deal with. This is why it helps to speak to a professional before making a final decision.
Are Concrete Coatings Durable?
Polyaspartic ester coatings are so durable that they can handle a wide range of stresses, including:
- Heavy vehicles
- UV radiation
- Major weather changes
- The foot traffic of pets and children
- Standard office or commercial foot traffic
The Color Remains True
Polyaspartic and polyurea coatings never fade. This means that they will always look nice and will not need to be constantly renewed. The most that someone might have to do is renew the topcoat for added protection.
The Coatings Are Easy to Customize
When customers choose the system they want, they can select any color or style that they like. This means that these floors can be customized for any business or home. For example, a blue garage floor might match the decor of a house while a red concrete floor in a restaurant could fit better with the decor and theme.
Absorbing Moisture
When using these flooring systems, water is allowed to penetrate to the ground and form an even tighter bond with the ground.
Is Polyaspartic Flooring Coating the Right Choice?
With this information, it is much easier for customers to make the right choices. Weighing polyaspartic garage floor coating against epoxy is much easier when customers know all the variables. Review these variables to make an informed choice.
Budget
Epoxy is cheaper, but it will yellow, fade, and must be renewed. Unless you are working with industrial chemicals every day, you get more durability out of polyaspartic and polyurea floor coatings.
Weather
Epoxy must be applied in temperatures of at least 55 degrees while polyaspartic and polyurea floors can be installed at the freezing temperature of 30 degrees, making these flooring options much more versatile.
Scheduling
Epoxy flooring projects can take a week to complete, but polyaspartic and polyurea flooring jobs can be completed in a matter of hours.
UV Protection
Epoxy floors fade over time when they experience too much UV radiation. The resulting yellow, faded color is not attractive and must be corrected.
Industrial Uses
Epoxy is resistant to acids and industrial chemicals, but that is the only advantage it has over its more modern counterparts.
Comprehensive Polyurea and Polyaspartic Floor Coating Installation Services
Choosing between polyaspartic and polyurea versus epoxy is often made easier when customers see all these advantages. Work with our team at Sparks Concrete Coatings to make the right choice or call (435) 292-5664 in Utah and 208-497-8187 in Idaho for assistance. Customers are also welcome to email hunter@sparkscoatings.com for more information on polyaspartic vs epoxy and much more.
