As a rule, when it comes to garage floor coatings we are hesitant to call any one product the best. There are many reasons for this. The most prevalent is that coatings come in various formulations and each has its own unique properties that may provide the best choice for a particular job. However, when it comes to DIY polyurea garage floor coatings, we think we may need to break our rule.
Legacy Industrial has introduced a new polyurea coating called Nohr-S that we feel is going to set the DIY floor coating industry on its ear.
Nohr-S was the original DIY commercial-grade polyurea garage floor coating introduced in 2015. This article has been updated to reflect the most recent product information for Nohr-S floor coating systems.
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Why choose a polyurea coating?
Polyurea garage floor coatings can have a few benefits over their epoxy counterparts. Fast return to service, excellent impact resistance, suitability for cold weather applications, and U.V. stability quickly come to mind.
The big problem with applying polyurea floor coatings, however, is the fact that they are not very DIY friendly. Because of their very short pot life, they need to go down fast and with an expert hand.
Back in 2010, the only manufacturer to offer a DIY polyurea product had been RockSolid. Even then, it was not considered a commercial-quality coating. In 2014, they changed their formula to a proprietary Polycuramine blend that is easier to apply, but it’s still a residential-quality coating that loses many of the benefits of a true polyurea product.
Nohr-S has conquered both of these issues to deliver a commercial-grade polyurea coating that can be applied by the average DIY enthusiast.
What is Nohr-S?
Nohr-S is a commercial quality, single-component polyurea concrete floor coating and sealer. It is used primarily for garage floors, warehouses, automotive service centers, laboratories, food processing plants, high-traffic areas, and firehouses.
The cutting-edge formula is derived from a Scandinavian coatings manufacturer. It is used for coating marine vessels and oil drilling platforms in the North Sea.
This is some serious stuff that is a bit different from your typical polyurea coatings.
Single component means that there is no mixing together of A and B components like most other floor coatings.
Proper mixing of Part-A and Part-B components has been the bugaboo of more than one DIY project that has run afoul. This eliminates those worries and checks off one of the primary factors that lead to floor coating mistakes.
Nohr-S does require the addition of pigment packs for color. However, there is no measuring of separate A and B components. Just add 1 pigment pack for each gallon of Nohr-S and mix with a paint stick.
One huge feature of Nohr-S is that it has an unlimited pot life. This means that you don’t have to rush fast to get it down. This reduces cosmetic application errors as well as the anxiety about applying high-performance garage floor coatings.
As long as you keep a wet edge going on the floor, you can slow the process down where you are comfortable. This is a tremendous help for DIY applications to ensure a great-looking outcome.
Now that you know what Nohr-S is and why it’s different from your typical polyurea floor coatings, let’s discuss more of the benefits and what makes Nohr-S so durable and tough.
Benefits of Nohr-S polyurea coatings
A Nohr-S garage floor coating system provides similar characteristics to a premium epoxy and polyurethane garage floor coating in terms of durability, chemical resistance, abrasion, and stain resistance. It also has other added benefits that make it unique.
Benefits include:
- Unlimited pot life
- No mixing of A and B components
- No primer required
- Fast recoat times (1 – 2 hours)
- Can be applied in temperatures down to 35 degrees
- Self-leveling gloss finish
- No hot tire lift
- Excellent chemical resistance (no damage from fuel and solvent spills)
- Excellent abrasion resistance (long wear life)
- 100% protection against road salts and deicing fluids
- 100% U.V. stable (no yellowing)
- Excellent clear sealer and coating for bare or stained concrete
- 100% more flexible than epoxy (better impact resistance)
- Can be used for outdoor decks, balconies, and patios
Here is a link to Nohr-S Facts and Usage information.
Our Testing and Review of Nohr-S
Legacy Industrial sent us a quart can of Nohr-S Clear in order to test it for ourselves. We applied the first coat to a concrete paver for the test sample. We sealed the can and waited an hour before opening it up and applying a second coat. You can’t do that with epoxy. It was very similar to applying paint.
After it was fully cured, we tested it against some typical automotive chemicals that a floor will encounter. We applied motor oil, transmission fluid, and brake fluid. Brake fluid is hard to detect in images, but it’s in the top right corner.
We left the fluids on the sample for a few days and then wiped them up with a rag and cleaned the surface with carburetor cleaner. We advise against using carburetor cleaner for cleaning up spills on floor coatings. We just wanted to illustrate how well this quality coating can withstand chemicals.
The surface was cleaned up without any visible signs of staining. You can see our attempt to clean the untreated surface where the brake fluid and transmission fluid eventually ran over the side. One note to make is that brake fluid can discolor most colored coatings if left on too long. It’s harder to detect on clear coatings.
Next, we set the sample out in the direct sun for 10 weeks to see how it would do. We could not detect any visible difference. There were no signs of U.V. damage such as yellowing or degradation.
This is a big advantage over epoxy floor coatings. If you are someone that likes to leave your garage door open for long periods, you don’t have to worry about the coating turning a yellow hue from sun exposure.
Additional advantages over epoxy
One of the primary benefits of a polyurea floor coating over epoxy is a fast return to service. Nohr-S is no different. Once applied, Nohr-S becomes tack-free within 1-2 hours and is ready for another coat. This means that you can apply a complete polyurea floor coating system in less than a day, not including floor prep.
Most epoxy and polyurethane coatings require that you wait a minimum of 10 to 12 hours between coats. This can make a big difference if you are trying to get your floor completed in a weekend.
Epoxy also limits your minimum application temperature to an average of 55 – 60 degrees. This means that an epoxy garage floor coating is a warmer weather project. Nohr-S can be applied in temperatures as low as 35 degrees. This creates a much larger window for application if you live in a colder climate.
Another benefit of Nohr-S over epoxy is the 100% U.V. stability. This means that the coating will never amber (turn yellow) when exposed for periods of time to direct sunlight.
This can be a big advantage for those with southern exposures who like to leave their garage doors open. It can also eliminate the dilemma of where to terminate the coating if you have a garage floor apron that extends out past the garage door 6 to 12 inches.
Because Nohr-S is a single-component product with unlimited pot life, you have the potential to save money as well by not wasting any product. A great example is to compare it to the traditional garage floor epoxy kits.
Since the square footage of garage floors varies, it can be frustrating with epoxy kits when you figure out that the coverage rate of a product falls 50 ft² or so short and will require you to purchase an additional kit to cover the extra square footage.
Depending on the size of your garage floor, it’s not uncommon to end up with a 1/2 gallon or more of unused coating material that costs you over $100 a gallon. Because Nohr-S is sold in quart cans as well as gallons, it’s much easier to control costs by purchasing only what you estimate is needed.
Nohr-S is a Better Alternative to polyurethane
Polyurethane is an excellent clear topcoat that provides better gloss, chemical resistance, and abrasion resistance over epoxy. It’s also U.V. stable. However, it requires thin applications.
With an average dry film thickness (DFT) of 2 mils, a minimum of two coats of polyurethane should be applied over color flakes. More coats are required if you are applying it over a full flake floor.
Nohr-S provides similar protection, gloss, and U.V. stability as polyurethane, but the DFT of Nohr-S is twice as thick. This means that you can apply half the amount of coats required with Nohr-S as you would need for polyurethane.
It also makes for a great clear coat over stained concrete as well as an excellent choice for those that like the look of sealed, raw concrete garage floor coatings. It will slightly darken the look of the concrete once applied.
Nohr-S Colors
Due to the popularity and high success of Nohr-S, Legacy Industrial is now offering 8 different colors, not including clear.
Purchase Nohr-S Garage Floor Coating Kits
Legacy Industrial now offers Nohr-S Polyurea in two different DIY garage floor coating kits that you can choose from. The first is the Nohr-S® Polyurea Aegis Coating Kit.
The Aegis kit includes 1 coat of Nohr-S Polyurea with the color-pigment additive, optional 1/4″ vinyl color flakes, and 1 coat of Nohr-S Clear Coat.
In addition, you have the option to purchase additional color flakes, anti-slip media for the final coat (recommended), Nohr-S primer, and premium application tools.
The second is the Nohr-S® Polyurea Full Flake KiT. This kit comes with enough 1/4″ vinyl color flake to cover the entire floor for that popular granite look.
Each kit comes with 1 base coat of Nohr-S to receive the color flakes, enough vinyl color flakes for a full broadcast, 2 Coats of Nohr-S Clear Coat, and anti-skid media for the final clear coat. We do recommend purchasing the Spike Shoes. These are needed for walking over the coating while broadcasting all the color flakes.
An important benefit to note with the full color flakes kit is that the required second clear coat and all of those color flakes add an additional 6-7 mils to the overall coating thickness. This makes the coating more impact resistant and adds durability.
Nohr-S Prime coats Available
Legacy Industrial does provide two Nohr-S primer coating options to choose from. These are recommended if you have very porous concrete or other conditions that may require the use of a primer
The first is Nohr-S ClearPrime – WB. This is a low-smell, fast-drying water-based epoxy primer that can be used with a variety of Legacy coating products besides Nohr-S.
It is also compatible as a primer for many other popular brands of garage floor coatings that do not offer primers. Examples are EpoxyMaster, UCoat It, EpoxyTech, Versatile Coating Products, Rust-Oleum, and more.
The second is Nohr-S Color Prime. This is a solvent-based, 5-hour pot life primer. It’s available in six different colors not including clear.
Solvent-based primers provide good penetration characteristics and can be a good choice for concrete that had previously been oil stained. Besides Legacy products, it’s compatible with many of the same brands as Nohr-S – WB.
Application
The application of Nohr-S is similar to other garage floor coatings. The most important part of the project is proper surface preparation. Acid etching or grinding of the concrete is required to provide the proper substrate for Nohr-S to achieve its excellent bonding characteristics.
If you have an older or more worn garage floor, Legacy Industrial says a high PSI pressure wash may be all that is required. We recommend consulting with them first before making the decision to pressure wash, however.
Before application, it’s important to make any needed floor repairs such as filling cracks and spalled areas of the concrete.
If doing a full flake floor, the flakes are tossed into the first coat to full refusal. After the flakes have been properly scraped and swept/vacuumed up, a minimum of two coats of clear is applied. The first coat fills in all the nooks and crannies within the color flakes. The second coat is the wear coat that smooths out the surface somewhat.
Because Nohr-S cures to a glossy and hard finish, adding a non-slip additive to the final coat is highly recommended.
Coverage rates
Using a 3/8” nap roller, 1 gallon of Nohr-s will cover an average of 250 ft² at approximately 5 mils DFT depending on the surface profile. Expect the first coat to cover 200-225 ft² with the second coat up to 300 ft².
The DFT of 5 mils for the first coat is one reason that Legacy Industrial recommends the use of their Nohr-S primer for porous or irregular concrete surfaces. Nohr-S can be applied up to 10 mils thick per coat at a coverage rate of 100 ft² per gallon if needed.
What to consider before choosing Nohr-S
As versatile and friendly as Nohr-S is for a commercial polyurea garage floor coating, there are some things to consider before deciding if it is right for you.
Polyurea typically does not provide as high of a dry film thickness as 100% solids or even a high solids epoxy when applied at similar coverage rates. Nohr-S is no different. 250 ft² of Nohr-S will provide 5 mils DFT while a high solids epoxy will provide 8-10 mils DFT at similar spread rates.
If you have an older garage floor with many imperfections, then the use of a Nohr-S prime coat may be needed. Another option is a high-build epoxy coating. It may be a better choice for your color base in order to fill in all the small irregularities in the concrete.
However, if you have a fairly smooth garage floor without a lot of irregularities, then Nohr-S can make for an excellent choice. Thickness does not always determine how durable and tough a floor coating can be. The video below is a great example.
VOCs can be an issue as well. Unlike most other polyurea floor coating products, Nohr-S is not a low-VOC coating. It is a single-component solvent-based coating with a 72% solids content. As a result, it does produce strong fumes when it is first applied. The smell does dissipate fairly rapidly though within 24 hours after application.
Final thoughts
We feel Legacy Industrial has filled a much-needed gap in the DIY garage floor coating industry with the advent of Nohr-S. It has become a very popular product among the DIY crowd looking for an easy-to-apply, top-quality, high-performance garage floor coating.
In fact, Nohr-S is no harder to apply than the cheap garage flooring kits that are sold in home improvement centers. The difference in quality, protection, and longevity, however, cannot be compared.
We have a few different articles in our Reader’s Projects section that feature Nohr-S as well. One was a pitted and spalled garage floor renewed with Nohr-S as a DIY project. Another features a shop floor for Street Outlaws’ own Ryan Martin. You can see his Nohr-S floor here.
We would rank Rust Bullet as its closest competitor in this niche since it is a single-component floor coating system as well. The difference is that Nohr-S is a more traditional garage floor coating system. It goes on thicker and can achieve higher build coats.
The anxiety about applying commercial-quality, high-performance garage floor coatings is understandable. It’s one of the biggest determining factors when making a decision about the various garage flooring options available today. Though many homeowners are attracted to quality coatings, they are hesitant about installing them themselves.
Nohr-S eliminates these anxieties and can provide a top-quality garage floor coating that will last 10 – 15 years or more. Due to the increase in material costs for epoxy, a single-part polyurea system is priced similarly to a quality epoxy and polyurethane system. Though such a system costs more than the store-bought DIY epoxy kits, the additional expense is worth every penny.
KJ says
I have brand new 20×25 concrete pad only 2 months old with metal building over it. Is it a must that I grind concrete down first before applying product?
Shea says
Hello KJ. Grinding or etching is required for all concrete – new or old. This article here explains why. If you opt to etch, we would recommend using an acid etch alternative. Acid etching produces fumes that can be corrosive to metal. While there is typically no harm when etching a standard garage with exposed wood studs and drywall, you could develop some surface rust issues in a metal building.
Edward Harf says
Spray on polyurea has been the gold standard for fish pond coatings. Is your product suitable for continuous underwater service?
Shea says
Hi Edward. Single-part polyurea has not been tested for continuous underwater service. It’s primary purpose is act as a wear surface for concrete and is formulated as such.
Frannie says
Are there contractors at the south Jersey shore that you can recommend who use this product? I cannot do the application by myself.
Thank you!
Shea says
Hi Frannie. We recommend that you contact Legacy Industrial and ask them. They are the company that sells Nohr-S and many of their customers are professional garage floor coating contractors.
Jean-Christophe says
May I use it to protect my new PVC-Flooring from tire softeners?
Shea says
Hi Jean. No, polyurea and other typical garage floor coatings cannot be applied to PVC flooring. We suggest contacting Garage Flooring LLC. They have a special acrylic coating that can be applied to PVC. It’s not 100% effective against tire stains from plasticizers that leach from tires, but it does reduce it quite a bit. You can find it here. Ask for Justin. He is the expert and will provide the needed information as well as the pros and cons.
Bryan says
Even they have good product in my experience, they are not good in customer service. Emailed them but no reply.
Shea says
Hi Bryan. We can’t say why you haven’t received a response. I suggest giving them a call then. We know from talking with the vendors that sometimes an email gets missed or goes into the spam file.
Bryan says
I called them too. No answer. You can try it yourself
Shea says
Hi Bryan. We contacted Scotty and passed along your email address. Apparently, they were out of the office to work with clients.
Bryan says
Now i know why i dont see negative comments about products you review. Coz you don’t publish it.
Shea says
We are sorry you feel the need to keep complaining. We are not always available to respond to comments on the ready. That is why they are moderated – that and to keep spam and other unproductive comments that do not pertain to garage flooring from being published. We already posted your first negative comment. If you read through more of our website, you would see hundreds of comments from people that have complained about particular products or contacted us to help solve a problem with a product. The many Rust-Oleum coatings is one of them.
The fact that they were not available to take your call or respond to your email in an allotted time frame determined by you, does not necessarily denote poor customer service.
Mike Kowalski says
What caulk should be used for a perimeter expansion joint 1/4 in wide for the Nohr paint?
Thanks
Shea says
Hi Mike. Once the coating is applied and cured, a self-leveling polyurethane sealant (not caulk) is the best option for filling the expansion joints. SikaFlex SL from Amazon is an example. Make sure to use a foam backing rod if the joints are deep. Place it so it’s approximately 1/2″ – 3/4″ below the surface. This will save you many $$$ in sealant.
Louis J Sbardella says
Looks like this is what I’ve been looking for.
Questions;
How will it hold up with motorcycle kick stands?
Can a decal be placed before the clear coat is applied?
Shea says
Hi Louis. If you use a kickstand pad you will be fine. If you don’t, kickstands will scratch up the toughest of coatings. Small decals (less than 10″) can be placed on the color coat and then the clear coat over that. Large decals need to be made specifically for coatings. They are perforated so that the clear coating can chemically bond with the color coat. Otherwise, the clear could peel up where the decal is since it’s the decal that is adhered (weakly) to the color coat. The clear coat is adhered to the decal, which is not a strong combination.
Louis J Sbardella says
Thank you