How To Choose The Best Garage Floor Epoxy Coat System
Does your garage floor look dingy and outdated’ Are you thinking about refurbishing it’ If yes, you should consider applying epoxy on your concrete garage floor. Epoxy floor coating has the power to completely revamp the look of your garage floor. The high gloss finish is just icing on the cake because epoxy floor coating offers more than just enhanced floor aesthetics. When epoxy coating is applied on your garage floor it will augment its strength and increase its lifespan two or three decades.’
Epoxy floor coating is useful in preserving and protecting your floors while giving it a sophisticated shimmer. The application of an epoxy coat on your floor will keep it looking fresh despite heavy foot traffic. Furthermore, it acts as a protective sealant against harsh chemical liquids and heavy equipment that could potentially weaken your floor and destroy its beauty.
Do you know why epoxy floors are insanely popular in residential, commercial and industrial industries It’s because epoxy transforms dirty and dingy floors into an attractive, smooth, and high-performance surface that can last a lifetime. The combination of materials used to make epoxy makes it scratch and spill-resistant. Not only that, it’ll promote safety in your garage as it brightens up the room by up to 400% – thereby increasing visibility and minimizing potential accidents.’ What type of epoxy coating is best for your garage floor?
Epoxy Floor Coating Defined
When an epoxy coat is applied on a surface it will result in epoxy flooring. Epoxy is widely known as a coating for floors. It consists of two materials epoxy resin and polyamine hardener. The combination of these components will result in epoxy known for making floors chemical, abrasion, and stain resistant.
Choosing The Best Garage Floor Epoxy Coat System
One thing is certain, choosing the best garage floor epoxy coat system is tough and not to mention challenging. Owing to its popularity, numerous brands and manufacturers have cropped up out of nowhere and it doesn’t help that they all claim to be the best. With the plethora of brands to choose from, how do you know which epoxy coat floor system is the best one’ The most helpful way to address this dilemma is to familiarize yourself with the various kinds of epoxy products and understand how they are installed.’
You may opt to follow a do-it-yourself approach when installing epoxy on your garage floor or choose to hire professional contractors to do the job for you. Regardless of what you choose it is still vital that you educate yourself about your options so you can firmly decide on the type of epoxy coat system to use on your garage floor.
The following are the different types of epoxy coating systems:
WATERBORNE EPOXY PAINT
If you are on the lookout for an epoxy coating that’s easy and convenient to apply, your best bet is waterborne epoxy paint.
This type of epoxy has a slower pot life, which can minimize your stress and worry that you’ve applied it too quickly.
It’s unique nature makes application fairly easy just like when you’re painting a wall, which is why it’s called epoxy paint. For homeowners who are keen on doing a DIY epoxy application, this would make a great choice.
You can find this epoxy in your local hardware store. However, these DIY kits rarely last as long as a professionally installed epoxy flooring system due to their lower quality.
POLYURETHANE TOP COATS OR CLEAR EPOXY
After applying a layer of high solids epoxy, it is usually followed by one or two coats of polyurethane or clear epoxy, which is known as the topcoat. Adding this clear coat system on top of your high solids epoxy will enhance its thickness and durability. Furthermore, the application of a topcoat also improves its shine.’
After the application of a topcoat you can then sprinkle or drizzle color flakes to your base coat. You can apply it to full refusal or you can just sprinkle some thinly depending on your preference. Full refusal means putting flakes until the flakes no longer stick. Most people prefer to do a full refusal because it adds texture to your flooring and it enhances its durability and thickness. It also promotes an anti-slip flooring surface. It’s also for aesthetics. Since color flakes come in many different colors you can combine the shades you want to customize the look of your garage floor.
HIGH SOLIDS EPOXY
High solids epoxy offers tremendous abrasion, chemical and stain resistant properties even more than waterborne epoxy paint. This type of epoxy has a very high solids content with the best one containing 100% solids epoxy. With 100% solids you can expect the coat system to be denser. As a matter of fact, one coat of this type of epoxy is stronger compared to a couple of coats of waterborne epoxy paint. This is great for garages, industrial warehouses, and any floor that experiences significant heat, weight, or impact.
The cost varies depending on the brand and the solids content. Although this would make a better choice for your garage floor coating compared to water based epoxy, it is slightly more expensive. High solids epoxy will last much longer than water-based epoxy coats.
What’s The Best Garage Floor Epoxy Coating System’
If you want to know what’s the best garage floor epoxy coating system it would have to be a premium multi-coat epoxy system. This type of system encompasses a layer of primer coat, a base coat of 100% solids, paint chips with colors according to your desire, and a single or double layer of topcoat using polyurethane or clear epoxy. This type of epoxy coating system is extremely durable and will last for at least one to two decades and even more. Although it’s more expensive than DIY kits, the best garage floor epoxy would have to be a professionally installed multi-coat system.
Takeaway
Before you decide on the type of epoxy you are going to use on your garage floor, make sure you know your options. It’s also helpful if you decide on the get-go if you’re going to do it yourself or if you’re going to hire a professional epoxy contractor to do it for you. The brand also matters. Our suggestion is you research and read reviews on the different epoxy products so you’ll know if it’s the best one for your garage floor.
