Concrete Floor Coatings Experts
Although most people think of "Epoxy" when someone mentions concrete floor coatings, there are several coatings that can be used, some that are much better than epoxy. Epoxy just has the history and is the most recognized term. So, which coating is best for your garage or commercial building? That's where you need someone that can advise you of the differences and just not try to sell you what they have. We have them all as options and can give you trusted information so you can decide which you prefer for your application.
Acrylic Concrete Paint
If you visit a big box DIY retail store, you might see a "concrete paint" or a "garage floor paint". Those are acrylic paints. Acrylics are great for DIY applications because acrylic will adhere to about anything and requires very minimal prep -- basically, it needs to be clean and dry. Unfortunately, acrylics scratch easily, don't do well with chemicals and don't last long in a high use application. They do look good when you first put them down though. We see it most often in a house flip or low budget application that really benefits from sprucing up the space. Most acrylics are applied as a solid color. By taping off, you can create boundary lines, sport courts or various designs. Dry time to drive on is 72 hours. For lower traffic interior applications, acrylics are a good solution that can be recoated every year or so when they get scuffed up or peel up. We typically do not recommend them for garages though.
Get a FREE Quote Now
Epoxy Floors
There are a few different options when it comes to epoxy for concrete floors. The different options are not all created equal so it's important to understand the differences. For example, consumes can buy a water-based DIY epoxy from Rustoleum that is only 55% solids. This is going to be drastically different than a commercial-grade 100% epoxy. We grind off a lot of DIY floors after about 3 years because they start peeling up. Most Rustoleum applications are single coats with a 55% solids product that just won't last. You can see an example on our Job Gallery page.
Epoxy dries in 8-12 hours and should be re-coated within 24 hours, otherwise you should sand the previous coat and remove any sanding dust. Because of this, multiple coat applications require 2-4 days to apply the coatings and another few days for it all to dry and put back into service. Epoxy is good for when the concrete slab is not subject to moisture and you want a metallic design. It can also be a budget solution as the first 2 coats in a vinyl flake with full coverage in a garage, but we don't recommend it for the top coat. Why? Epoxy can yellow in UV light and peel up from hot tires in the summer time. Polyaspartic or Polyurea will make for a harder top surface to combat the peeling issue. Epoxy is typically applied at temperatures over 55 degrees, so winter time applications can be a concern.
We would always recommend using a primer coat for epoxy, polyaspartic or polyurea. You want that first coat to be 60%-70% solids, meaning 30%-40% solvent, to reduce the viscosity to allow the material to penetrate into the pores of the concrete. The 2nd and 3rd coats can be more viscous as deemed by the material, in the case of 100% solids, which are common in some epoxies and polyurea.
Epoxy dries in 8-12 hours and should be re-coated within 24 hours, otherwise you should sand the previous coat and remove any sanding dust. Because of this, multiple coat applications require 2-4 days to apply the coatings and another few days for it all to dry and put back into service. Epoxy is good for when the concrete slab is not subject to moisture and you want a metallic design. It can also be a budget solution as the first 2 coats in a vinyl flake with full coverage in a garage, but we don't recommend it for the top coat. Why? Epoxy can yellow in UV light and peel up from hot tires in the summer time. Polyaspartic or Polyurea will make for a harder top surface to combat the peeling issue. Epoxy is typically applied at temperatures over 55 degrees, so winter time applications can be a concern.
We would always recommend using a primer coat for epoxy, polyaspartic or polyurea. You want that first coat to be 60%-70% solids, meaning 30%-40% solvent, to reduce the viscosity to allow the material to penetrate into the pores of the concrete. The 2nd and 3rd coats can be more viscous as deemed by the material, in the case of 100% solids, which are common in some epoxies and polyurea.
Polyaspartic Floor Coatings
We like polyaspartics and use them as our "preferred" floor coating. Polyaspartic is a type of polyurea that is modified for slower dry times so they can brushed or rolled on. Polyaspartic can be tinted on-site and applied in most any temperature, above -20 degrees. It does not yellow or fade from UV light and does not peel up from hot tires. So, why not use a 100% solids polyurea? Easy. Polyaspartics have the same final characteristics but are easier to work with. We can modify the solids content by adding solvent on-site to make a primer coat. We can also pigment, or tint, polyaspartic on-site to match the customer application. It dries in just a few hours and has a 24 hour recoat window. The only downside to polyaspartic is the odor of the solvents. In an open garage, or well-ventilated space, we prefer polyaspartics.
Polyurea Floor Coatings
In closed-in spaces that cannot be well-ventilated, polyurea may be better for the applicators. It should still be applied over a polyurea primer. Most our competitors do not use a primer for polyurea due to the dry times and the added costs. Beware of companies that are adding flake directly into the first coat without using a primer coat beforehand. The wear characteristics are the same as polyaspartics, but with less odor. They are slightly more expensive when a primer is used.
Vinyl Flake Additive
We can add a full 100% coverage of vinyl flake or just a partial coverage. More flake will give you more texture to reduce slipping. It will hide all the issues as well. For floors that require a lot of damage repair beforehand, we recommend full flake coverage. Some customers prefer the look of partial flake. We do recommend some coverage, even 10-20%, for visual effect. A solid color floor can be done, but it will show a lot of dirt and footprints. The flake will hide the dirt and distract your eye visually. Whether you want 10% coverage, 50% or 100%, we'll make it happen. We have standard colors in stock shown to the right or we can order custom colors to your liking.
Custom Vinyl Flake Colors
Do you want a custom flake color that matches your business logo or your favorite school? We can do it. Just let us know what you're trying to match and we'll get a custom blend just for you.
Anti-Slip Additive
Are you concerned with slipping? Polyaspartic and Polyurea can be a little slick, especially with no flake, when they become wet. We would recommend anti-slip on steps and on exterior surfaces. But for those customers that want a metallic finish or a solid color finish in their garages, we would recommend anti-slip additives as well. There are a few different types of anti-slip additives and we can advise you which is the best in your application.
Service Area
Contact us to discuss your project regardless of your location. However, we many concentrate on Vigo, Clay and Putnam Counties, including this towns and cities:
Terre Haute
West Terre Haute
North Terre Haute
Seelyville
Staunton
Brazil
Carbon
Farmersburg
Clay City
Bowling Green
Reelsville
Putnamville
Cloverdale
Greencastle
Spencer
