Why Are Two-Day Garage Floor Installations Superior?
The allure of one-day polyurea-polyaspartic coating systems is strong. After all, everyone wants everything as quickly as possible these days. Sometimes it’s short attention spans or an inability to spend quality time on something. Other times it’s really just full calendars and hectic routines. It’s no wonder one-day coating systems for our garage floors are attractive.
That is, until the homeowner or business owner who had them installed starts to reap the consequences that so often define these rush jobs. Finishing everything in one day compromises the quality and longevity of the coating, leading to significant issues that are often only months or years down the line.
Moisture and Adhesion Problems
We have humid, wet summers and cold winters up here in northern Ohio, and those pose some big challenges for concrete floors. One-day systems often fail to properly manage the moisture content in concrete, which is critical for the coating’s adhesion. As that moisture rises to the surface over time producing high hydrostatic pressures, you get bubbling, peeling, and cracking of the coating. This can lead to expensive repairs.
A Comprehensive Two-Day Solution
The two-day installation process is significantly more reliable and thorough. On the first day of installation, a slower-curing, moisture-mitigating, 100%-solids epoxy primer is applied direct-to-concrete. Because of the slower cure rate, this thick, “high-build” primer has time to penetrate deeply into the concrete. It effectively mitigates moisture (and the resulting high hydrostatic pressures) within the substrate. By addressing moisture on the first day, the primer creates a solid foundation that prevents future adhesion issues such as bubbling or peeling.
The second day of installation is dedicated to applying the 100%-solids polyurea-polyaspartic top coats. (One-day systems tend to use lesser solids polyurea-polyaspartics). These top coats provide the needed UV, stain, chemical and impact resistance for the top layer. The dual topcoats (one-day systems only apply a single coat) ensure the floor coating is durable and can withstand heavy use and environmental stressors.
This method not only provides a more robust and long-lasting floor but also maintains the visual appeal and structural integrity of the concrete, ensuring it can handle our variable weather conditions.
Quality Over Speed
We get it. The speed of a one-day installation is tempting, but the long-term benefits of a thorough two-day process are clear. If you want your floors to remain durable, safe, and visually appealing, capable of withstanding Toledo’s challenging weather conditions, you’re going to need to get in touch with professionals who are dedicated to spending that extra time installing these systems.
Shoot for quality over speed and you’ll get a longer life out of your garage floor, not to mention how much better it looks as well!
About Garage Floor Coatings The Great Lakes
We are your epoxy, polyurea-polyaspartic coating installation specialists, offering free estimates and the highest-grade floor coatings to our retail, commercial and residential customers. Our floor coatings are moisture resistant, extremely durable, and chemical and stain resistant, and are offered in a host of colors, styles and pricing options. From simple solid flooring to sparkling mineral-mica and glass-like metallics. Our flooring can be installed on exterior patios, walkways and driveways, and inside too, in kitchens, basements and office spaces. We coat huge warehouses, restaurants, parking garages and airplane hangars. Winter, spring, summer and fall…residential, retail and commercial! Any time, any space.