Polyaspartic vs Epoxy Floor

Polyaspartic Vs Epoxy

Garage Floor Coating:

What is the difference?

We are asked this question all of the time in our daily epoxy floor estimates, on the phone, by new technicians and it is a great one, so let's dive into epoxy coatings and get some of the mystery answered.

Both options offer a durable and cosmetically pleasing result and you will hear different opinions on each from almost everyone. let's weigh the pro's and con's of each.

Durability

   A polyapartic coating is a hard, flexible finish that is durable, wont chip or 

scratch.

 Epoxy is a hard finish but it is rigid and vulnerable to abrasion

Polyaspartic is the clear winner here

Cost

Polyaspartic is certainly more expensive and requires increased installation costs due to the short cure time in the bucket, it needs more people to apply it

Epoxy is the more affordable coating here. 

Dry Time

Polyaspartic, One layer can dry in an hour or less

Epoxy can take up to 16 hours to dry so polyaspartic is the better choice here

Diy Installation

Polyaspartic is not for the new painter, even an experienced applicator can have issues with it

Epoxy can be done with some experience , the proper tools and help but when things don't go as planned is when you need an experienced contractor

Non Slip

Both can be made to be non slip with additives, we do not or recommend not adding non slip additives to any floor.

Uv Stability

This is the big one, polyasaprtic coatings won't fade or yellow while epoxy can lose its sheen and color very quickly when exposed to the uv.

With our floors we like to use an epoxy undercoat and a polyaspartic top coat for the ultimate benefit from both

You can choose almost any color flake to make your floor your own creation and something to wow your neighbors.

Proper Prep

It goes without saying the proper prep of your floor is the most important thing you can do.

Without the proper knowledge, equipment and products your floor will be doomed to a coating failure. 

We have seen many floors fail, even ones that we were told we grinded by other companies.

The proper concrete surface profile (CSP) is key to a good coating.

All epoxy and polyaspartic coatings will come with specifications needed to apply them and there will be listed the minimum csp needed.

We like to have our floors feel like sandpaper before we coat them, this usually cannot be done properly without a diamond grinder. As you can see you need more and more specialized equipment to do your epoxy floor correctly.

By the time yiu would rent all of this, buy the materials and risk applying them and mixing them correctly, you could of hired someone to do the floor professionally in most cases.

Pro's and Cons Of Each Floor

Pro's of an epoxy floor

Affordable: if your working on a budget, this may be the way to go.

Longer pot life: A longer pot life makes it a bit easier to use

Chemical Resistant: Can withstand almost anything

Durability: Dries very hard and can withstand traffic

Cons of an epoxy floor

Not Uv Stable: Epoxy will change color and lose it's shine 

Dry Time: Takes longer to dry, takes a few days to complete installation

Rigid: Will not expand or contract along with the concrete, can chip, less durable

Pro's Of A Polyapsartic floor

Versatile: Can be applied in may conditions and temperatures, even exterior

Durability: Dries hard but remains flexible which increases it's durability

Quick dry time: Cures within 30 minutes, making jobs go fast

Colorfast: Will not fade or yellow

Cons of a polyaspartic floor

Expensive: This will be your most expensive floor, extra skilled labor is needed due to the quick cure times

Hard To apply: The hardest to apply even for a skilled crew

Possible failure: If your concrete gives off moisture, polyaspartic may lose its bond and peel

SO what's your pick? For us it is a combination, an epoxy undercoat with a polyaspartic top coat

                                         

It's Exterior Painting Season

It is that time of the year again, the flowers are coming up, trees blooming, allergies are back but the best time of the year is exterior painting season is upon us.

There are a few things to deal with this time of the year, weather is the biggest concern as temperatures will greatly fluctuate as well as the humidity and rain. Managing all of these things takes patience and experience on your part and your contractors. 
You will need to understand some days it may be impossible to put a paint coating on due to humidity or rain on the way. Your contractor will (should ) have vast knowledge and experience dealing with these issues and have his or her tricks of the trade ready to go when things arise.

Weather

Weather plays a very important part of every exterior project, we do not want it to rain on the paint coating we are putting on for a few reasons. One we "may" have to do it again, rain can cause marking on an uncured paint coating , that is the moisture being mixed into the coating, not the end of the world just added time and expense.
Number two is we certainly do not want our surfaces taking on even more moisture then it needs to. Moisture is a big cause of paint failures, have your contractor do some moisture testing around your home if you have bare wood or decks your about to paint or stain. However be prepared for the bad news you may not be able to have your project done right now.

The Schedule

It never fails, we all wait until the last minute to plan our projects around the home and then expect contractors are standing by to tackle these and have no other work to do or an unlimited amount of painters to do these projects.

You snooze you lose

You snooze you lose is never more true when you need something done, you haven't planned ahead and all the good contractors are booked solid. Repeat A GOOD CONTRACTOR SHOULD BE BOOKED

I would tread lightly when someone is available right away unless they perhaps had a cancellation or surprise opening, it should not be out the question that a qualified contractor is booked out 4,8,12 weeks or more. It is not worth it to me to get someone to do it now who may not be the most qualified of contractors.

Plan Ahead In The Winter

The winter months are the best times to plan and schedule your exterior work, contractors are usually more than happy to get you competitive pricing and know the schedule a bit better at this time before the chaos of the busy Spring and Summer months hit. It is not uncommon to see specials, discounts and deals at this time.

If you need exterior painting please reach out to us at 484-821-7112 or email bidrequests@ryanamatopaintingllc.com

Top Mistakes To Avoid With Epoxy Floors

When Having an epoxy floor done in your garage, home or business there are many things that can go wrong.

Top mistakes with epoxy floor install

A few issues are untrained technicians, this is not a job for the normal painter as epoxy has all different curing times, application methods and must be done correctly and as per the manufacturers specifications.

Lack of knowledge on the preparation of the surface is another huge issue and where we usually see failures such as peeling, blistering and more. Not knowing what the proper csp (concrete surface profile) should be for the product and surface your are applying the epoxy to can be a recipe for disaster.

I have seen countless times contractors grinding floors or after inspecting failures facilities and businesses tell me “I saw them grinding” that are not even close to being correctly prepared, in actuality they polished the floors and made it worse through improperly grinding the floor.

Just because you see or hear someone say they are grinding does not mean they are doing it correctly, ask them what csp profile they are achieving and see if they know the answer.

What products are being used? Again if you go out to dinner and order a steak, you know there are many different grades, suppliers and they way it is cooked, this all affects the taste and price of that steak dinner. The same goes with epoxy, when you hear buzz words like polyaspartic, 100%solids that can mean anything and any grade, you can certainly buy a cheap and worthless 100% solid epoxy that just is not the same quality as another.

A typical homeowner will not be able to tell or see a difference until they have to re do their floor much, much sooner than expected. Heck you may not see any difference at all. It is hard to tell one floor from the next and the internet doesn’t help much with the proper information of real world epoxy floor installation.

The kits from the big box stores are just not the same high grade epoxy used by professional contractors, they are made to be easier to apply for the normal homeowner, with some professional epoxies and urethane’s, once mixed we may only have 15 minutes to get it on the floor. So when purchasing those kits remember cost vs value, yes it will be much less expensive to do it yourself now, but the time it takes you to do it you could of spent doing other things and the matter of having it last will certainly cost you more in the long run

If you are looking for an experienced Northampton & Lehigh County painter then please call 484-821-7112