Epoxy Floor Coating Materials

Home Depot, Lowe's, Sears and other hardware or paint outlets have paint that you can apply to your concrete garage floor for about $20-30 per gallon.

They usually also have a $69 - $99 epoxy kit a two car garage floor which may contain some tiny 1/16" decorative chips.

An inexpensive concrete paint or one of these kits applied to your garage floor will fail fairly quickly from peeling, yellowing or "Hot Tire Pickup."

It is not worth the effort since you (or a contractor) will have to grind off the failing surface and then coat it yet again frequently.

There are two categories of epoxies: A one-part product and a two-part product.

1.) One-part epoxies are little more than house paint. Not very durable at all, particularly not for high traffic areas like a garage.

2.) Two-part epoxies contain a "part A" resin and a "part B" hardener. When mixed they create a chemical reaction that results in a hard plastic-like surface. This surface is very durable and is highly resistant to household chemicals and automotive fluids (including battery acid).

3.) Two part epoxies are not like house paint or floor paint. Those materials depend on water in their makeup evaporating to leave behind remaining solids. They sit on top of the surface. The quality epoxies are nearly 100% solids. The resin and the hardener react chemically to create an aggressive bond to the concrete surface and a very tough surface.

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Further differences:

1.) Some epoxy floor coating systems require a primer coat plus two coats of the epoxy before decorative chips are applied. (Two coats are needed because the epoxy only contains 30%-40% solids. The rest is water or solvents which evaporate during application and curing). This is older technology and leads to higher labor costs for the job and a less durable surface.

2.) Modern epoxy coating systems are self-priming and contain 95%-100% solids which makes for a strong, thick coating with one layer. These coatings require an experienced installer to apply properly.

Decorative chips for epoxy floors are normally made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride plastic). They are usually a blend of 3 or more colors of chips. When applied at the proper rate, they create a rich granite-like look for your floor that helps hide floor imperfections.

Chips normally come in 1/16", 1/4" and 1" sizes. The hardware store kits supply 2-3 pounds of 1/16" chips for a 2 car garage. That small amount is difficult for anyone to spread evenly over 400 sq. ft. The chips are about 1/2" apart and it is all too easy to create splotchy areas where too many or too few chips fell.

Professional installers normally use 50 pounds of 1/4" chips on a 2 car garage. The coverage is nearly 100% and that amount provides an even, rich appearance.

This heavier coverage of the larger chips also provides traction on an epoxy coated floor that otherwise might be slippery when wet.

A 100% chip coverage is also MUCH easier to repair should something extra-ordinarily bad happen to your floor. One of our customers dropped an engine block on the floor which fractured the cement underneath. It was easy to repair seamlessly because matching a 100% chip coverage to a 100% chip coverage was easy compared to trying to match 50% (or less) coverage to 50%.

It is highly advisable that your epoxy floor be coated with a tough clear sealer.

A high quality sealer is the main component in the coating system. It will lock down the chips, protect your floor against household chemicals, automotive fluids and abrasion; make it far easier to clean, provide an attractive high gloss and drastically extend the life of your floor.

Sealers are not included in the hardware store kits. The store personnel usually cannot even recommend a compatible and appropriate sealer.

Professional installers use industrial strength urethanes and polyurea* sealers. These are usually quite thick (75-80% solids) and provide a tough, easy-to-clean coating over the epoxy and chips. These thick sealers only require one coat to protect your floor.

These professional sealers will be UV resistant to protect your floor from turning a blush white or yellowing in the sun.

As with the epoxy base coat, the sealer should be "Low VOC" (volatile organic compounds). The VOC is expressed as the number of grams per liter which escape during application and curing. Most Air Quality Management Districts around the country specify a VOC rating under 100. The closer the materials are to zero VOC the better for you, your family and pets, the installer and the environment.

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* Almost everyone is familiar with the term 'urethane'. But what the heck is a 'polyurea'? If you are curious, Click here for a technical description. Bottom line, a polyurea is a much more modern technology than a urethane, is tougher AND has far higher UV resistance from the sun.

California Concrete Restoration, Inc.
Laguna Hills, CA
calconcrete@cox.net
(949) 939-4088