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So you've decided to ditch the old, gray concrete floors in your home or business and upgrade with a fresh coating. You probably thought a quick Google search would be a simple place to start until you got bombarded with all the ads and videos telling you this is better or that is better, so now you're more confused than before.
Well you're in luck ,we're here to break it all down for you so you can make the best decision for your floors.
Epoxy
Epoxy is a resinous coating system that comes in a variety of patterns and colors, most notably the "swirly" or "marble" effect
Epoxy became a popular choice for concrete coatings in the 1950s due to its relatively low cost and ease of installation by homeowners.
Typical Install Time: 3Days
Typical Lifespan: 3-5 Years
Cost of Install: $5-$10 a square foot
However, epoxy is also a form of plastic that most people aren't aware of. So while epoxy can be durable and prevent liquids from absorbing into the concrete, it's also very brittle, sits on top of the concrete, and doesn't do well when exposed to heat directly. So if you put epoxy on a garage floor or outside where it's exposed to sunlight it'll begin to "yellow", crack and leave tire marks. To prevent this, epoxy installers must offer some type of topcoat for an additional charge.
Polyurea and Polyaspartics
Polyurea and polyaspartic concrete coatings are both chemicals from the polyurethane family that have been around for quite a while in industrial settings. These elastic chemicals have an extremely long lifespan and have been gaining in popularity over the last decade, increasing the value of a property by an average of $8 a square foot!
Typical Install Time: 1-2 Days
Typical Lifespan: 20-30 Years
Cost of Install: $5-$15 a square foot
Polyurea is our basecoat for all of our projects and is applied with simple paint brushes and rollers. Polyurea absorbs into the concrete and strengthens the floor, which is how it helps prevent cracks. These types of coatings can come in just a plain solid color or be decorated with our hybrid paint chips after the base layer is applied.
Polyaspartic is our topcoat that prevents any fading of the chips or basecoat while protecting the floor even more. Polyaspartic can withstand heat up to 300 degrees, is UV stable, and is anti-microbial so no nasty fungus or bacteria will grow on your floor. Polyaspartic can also get a metallic additive to it which also gives it that "swirly" effect of epoxy without compromising strength.
Be mindful, however, that some companies that do polyaspartic floors do not use a basecoat to try and cut costs. Polyaspartic on bare concrete will eventually fail as it eats away at the concrete over the years. Polyurea will bond with the polyaspartic and prevent this corrosion
Acrylic Sealants
One of the cheapest and most widely used concrete coatings is just good old-fashioned acrylic paint. This is by far the cheapest option for your floors and has an incredibly fast curing time.
Typical Install Time: A few hours
Typical Lifespan: 1-3 Years
Cost to Install: $1-$3 a square foot
Acrylic sealers are a water-based solution that protects concrete floors from water and general wear and tear. These floors usually come in solid colors but special 'stamps' can be used to create patterns. These coatings are typically sprayed onto the floor and are dry to the touch in a few hours