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.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a small commission. You can read our full disclaimer here.
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.
Martin says
If I used this over epoxy would I install 1 or 2 coats, and what coverage could I expect? I’m doing a 2,500 sq ft floor. How long after applying the epoxy would I wait until applying this, and what prep would be required?
Shea says
We are assuming that you want to use this as a clear coat? If you are doing low to no flake coverage, one coat works well. It’s equivalent to 2 coats of polyurethane. If you do a heavy to full flake floor, you will need a minimum of 2 coats. If you have any questions about its use or coverage, just contact Legacy Industrial. They will be happy to help you out.
Martin says
Thanks! This is a great and informative site. Mine is a low flake floor, so one coat it is.
Jon says
Hi Shea,
We were planning to have a pro install a poly system, but at $6.5/sq ft, we are now looking into DIY applications. We first saw Rust Bullet (https://allgaragefloors.com/long-lasting-floor-paint/) and polycuramine by Rocksolid (https://allgaragefloors.com/rocksolid-polycuramine-garage-floor-coat/), and now we see Nohr-S. All are exciting options, but are relatively new products. Now the hard part: which one? I can’t find many reviews from users. So, have you received much feedback? Can you recommend one over the others?
Thanks!
Jon
Shea says
Hi Jon. RockSolid is designed as a DIY system to compete with Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield and Quikrete. It is not on par with a professionally installed coating or the other two you mention.
Rust Bullet is a great system for those who don’t want to do the needed concrete prep that is required for most coating systems. It’s very tough and not that difficult to install. The biggest drawback to Rust Bullet is that the base coat color selection is not quite traditional. If you plan on doing a full color flake broadcast however, then you have a large range of color selections (flake color combos) that will look like any other traditional garage floor coating system.
Nohr-S is going to be similar to the professional system you received a quote for. It will require some concrete prep, but the actual application may be even easier than Rust Bullet and the coating is thicker. It’s a better choice if you are worried about any imperfections in the concrete.
Reviews for garage floor coatings are not always easy to find and many times are inaccurate because most failures are due to installation error or a lack of knowledge on the installers behalf in terms of the quality of the coating used. This is due to marketing tactics by the large corporations that sell DIY coating products in the home improvement centers. It’s one of the reasons we started this site. Either one of these two systems will provide a good quality coating when installed correctly.
To date, we have only heard of one failure with Rust Bullet and that was due to a conditioner that the home owner did not realize was applied to the concrete while it was machine troweled for finishing. Nohr-S is newer and to date we have not heard of any issues. We recommend calling each vendor and talk with them if you are still on the fence.
Jon says
I plan to grind, so prep should be good. I like the idea of a thicker coat. We have a few imperfections, a crack, and expansion/contraction joints that I plan to fill (https://allgaragefloors.com/can-i-fill-my-contraction-joints/), so the Nohr-S sounds a little better.
Thanks for your help!
Jon
Jim says
I’m planning on coating a new garage floor. It was poured about 7 months ago. Do I need to grind it or will an acid etch do in preparation for Nohr-s?
Shea says
Hello Jim. As long as a sealer was not applied to help with the curing process an acid etch will work just fine. Just be sure to give the concrete enough time to dry thoroughly so that you don’t have excess moisture vapor still escaping from within the concrete when you apply it.
Chris Johnson says
Hi Shea,
Is there a way to tell if the sealer was applied to aid with the curing process?
If it is applied to aid in the curing process, how would you prep the surface? Grind?
Thanks,
Chris
Shea says
There really isn’t a way to check exactly what type of sealer was used Chris. It doesn’t really matter though. If water beads or will not penetrate the surface, then acid etching will not work and the concrete will need to be profiled via mechanical means.
Evan says
Excellent review!
So given the thickness, would one coat of Nohr-S be sufficient for a typical residential garage?
Shea says
Thank you Evan. We try to be as objective as possible so that readers like yourself can make the best decision based on your own objectives.
Nohr-S requires a minimum of 2 coats. The first acts as the primer coat and the second adds build thickness and color uniformity.
David Daugherty says
My detached garage is 90 years old, the concrete floor is over an open, unheated basement but in good condition. I have sealed the entire 625 sq ft twice in the past, probably ten and five years ago, probably with acrylic. The cars regularly bring snow and salty slouch into the garage throughout the winter. I am seeing evidence of water seepage through the slab to the basement below.
How much prep ( pressure wash, etching, other) would be advisable in view of the presence of previous sealers, to create a good base for Nohr-S ?
Shea says
Hi David. Since you have a previously sealed floor, you will need to grind the concrete in order to remove the sealer and create the proper profile for the Nohr-S. If you repair any cracks that you have plus properly seal any contraction and expansion joints, you shouldn’t encounter anymore seepage. The Nohr-S will stand up to very well to the salty brine that cars can track in and drip onto the garage floor.
Ryan S. says
Shea,
I’ve spent the past couple days in Hell prepping my garage floor for the Nohr-S coating. I was going to do epoxy from the big box store, but thanks to your article, I’m going to go with the Nohr-S polyurea.
I am about to place my order and I want to flake the floor after the 2nd coat. I was going to go with the smaller flakes (1/8″). I don’t want a full flake finish, but I don’t want a very light application of flakes either. The first picture you have in this article looks like the perfect amount of flakes for my application. My question is how many pounds do you think I need for a 380sqft. garage to achieve that same look. Legacy says 1lb per per 100sqft. is the most common application, but I don’t know how much coverage that provides.
Shea says
Yes, the prep is the most time consuming part Ryan. As far as color flakes go, 1lb per 100 sqft. is the industry standard for a light to medium flake floor. The color flakes in the picture is 1/4″ done at that rate.
Our recommendation when not doing a heavy or full coverage flake floor is to buy a pound or two more than what you need since color flake isn’t expensive. For a floor your size, divide the flakes up into 4 equal amounts. When the time comes to apply them, divide your floor up into 4 semi equal sections using the contraction joints in the floor or references along the wall. Start applying the flake in the first section until you like the way it looks. By having the flakes divided up, it will prevent you from applying more than what you need at the start. It’s much better to have extra left over than find out you are running short for the last 50 ft.
Tip – grab a pinch of flake from your bucket or bag and toss them up high. This will allow them to float down in a nice dispersal pattern. If you toss them towards the floor, you will end up with heavy spots and lines of flake that will stand out.
Marc says
I installed an epoxy floor (2 coats from Epoxy Masters) in my previous garage and was happy with the result. In my current garage, the electric water heater is also located in the garage, so installing a 2 coat epoxy system means several days without hot water. The Nohr-S system seems like a great alternative.
In order to get the same durability as 2 coats of epoxy, how thick should the completed coating be and is it better to apply multiple thinner coats (3 or 4) or to apply fewer thicker coasts (2 or 3)?
Shea says
Hello Marc. Nohr-S can be applied much thicker if necessary, but you would need a gauge rake to do it. Unless you have experience using one, it’s not the most user friendly way to apply. Your best bet is to apply it the traditional way with a roller, taking care not to stretch the coverage. Remember that more thickness does not always mean more durable. Nohr-S actually has better abrasion resistance than epoxy, so from a durability standpoint, it’s going to stand up better to wear. If you are going to apply color flakes, Legacy recommends a minimum of 3 coats of Nohr-S. A 4th coat is optional and will provide better protection in the long run if you are looking for optimum durability.
Ryan S. says
So I just completed my garage floor with the Nohr-S and wanted to leave a few thoughts of my experience which will hopefully help you guys out in the future.
First off, STAY AWAY from Legacy Industrial. I had an awful experience with the company. I placed my order with them on a Sunday night and hoped to get the products by the middle of the week and complete the floor then too because I work on the weekends. Since the company is only a couple hours away from my home, I didn’t think it would take more than a couple days to received my order, but man was I wrong. It ended up taking over two weeks to finally get my full order which set my project back three weeks and has pushed my garage makeover back over a month. This is a big deal because all of the contents of my garage are currently in my living room. So I received four packages on four different days over two weeks of time before I had everything. And in one of the packages, the product they sent was not what I ordered so I had to wait for them to resend the correct product.
Now for the product. What you see online is not what you get in the mail. The packaging is all different and poorly labeled. Example: you have to mix pigment color with the clear Nohr-S for your base coats. Online it says you need 1.5 quarts per gallon then it says you need 1.5lbs per gallon and the pigment is supplied in a 2lb can. The pigment is actually supplied in a 1 quart can, but even that isn’t list on the can, I had to measure it out myself. So mixing everything is really just guesswork. They also don’t package the pigment in a useable size per gallon ratio. Example: If you need 1.5quarts per gallon, why don’t you sell it in a 1.5 quart can.
Once I got everything mixed up, the product went on pretty easily and covered well. I did 2 top clear coat layers (because I had an extra gallon) which looks great too. FYI if you’re flaking the floor, you don’t need a non-skid because the flakes provide enough texture even through two layers of top coat over them. I didn’t know this would be the case so I wasted money on the non skid.
The product drys super fast. In an hour the floor is dry and ready for another coat. After letting the product sit for a day, I returned and noticed several bumps in the floor in one section. The bumps were actually air bubbles that rose to the surface an burst. They left hard mini volcano looking craters where they rose. This was in an area where I put the base layer on a little too thick so that was probably my mistake that caused it, but now I’m not sure how to fix that. If anyone (Shea) has any suggestions, I’m all ears.
So anyways that was my experience with Nohr-S. I can’t testify to the durability yet, but it looks great and was relatively easy to apply once you figured out the mixing. The worst part is dealing with Legacy Industrial. If you’re planning on using their products, you better order a month in advance to make sure you have your product before you need it.
Final thoughts: If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t. I would hire someone. A provider in my area charges $1,500 to epoxy a 2 car garage. I have a small 2 car garage and it cost me $750 (including tax) just for the Nohr-S, pigment, flakes, and non-skid. Then it cost me $120 at Home Depot to rent a floor buffer with diamabrush bit just to spend 8 hours in Hell prepping the floor. Then another $100 or so in rollers, roller pads, extension handles, paint trays, etc. So all in, I probably spent $1,000 to kill myself completing my floor which took a month. If I could do it again, I’d spend the $1,500 in a heartbeat and not deal with the pain, aggravation, and time.
Shea says
Wow Ryan, sorry to hear about your experience. It sounds like you did a good job getting the Nohr-S applied however. We’ve had good feedback about Legacy Industrial’s customer service so we’re not sure what happened with that. Regarding the packaging, I know that Nohr-S is still a fairly new product that is selling fast, so maybe Legacy needs to work on their packaging. We will certainly let them know.
When it comes to non-skid, the nice texture from a heavy to full flake floor can provide some anti-slip protection. However, it doesn’t get the job done for things like oil or coolant spills and slippery stuff like snow. So it’s a personal decision for each application when it comes to using it or not.
As far as the air bubbles go, if they were in the base coat there is not much you can do at this point since they would be coated over with the clear. You can introduce air into the coat if trying to put it on too thick with a roller, so you may be right there. If you could have caught that before applying the clear, a light sanding application and more base color would have fixed it.
Again, we are happy you liked the way it turned out (barring your experience getting it) after everything was done. We really like Nohr-S and have started receiving good feedback about it. Hopefully you should be able to enjoy many years with your nice floor.
Scotty -Legacy Industrial says
First I want to say thanks to all the people who have ordered this product and have made it an overnight success. We are sending more Nohr-S out the door than epoxy! Secondly, this success has taxed us a bit. The batching and testing (qc) for Nohr-S is a lenghthy process and the constant stream of orders has eaten much of our stock. We are ramping up production to meet the demand. Lastly, I will personally look into the comment regarding the pigment packaging.
In regards to the cost the OP paid 1000. for a floor we would charge 3-4000 to install!! So bully for you OP and I am glad you like your floor. Enjoy it.
BRyan says
I recently ordered 4 one-gallon buckets of Nohr-S and 3 units of pigment pack ($19 per unit and I think each “unit” is 2 quarts). My understanding is this is the correct “ratio” and I’ll use 3/4 of each $19 pigment pack per gallon of Nohr-S. I just want to make absolutely sure I’m understanding correctly =)
Legacy’s website, on the Nohr pigment pack page, references “quarts” under the tips heading but references “pounds” under the discription heading. I’m not sure if this is intended but for some reason it left me confused. Also I noticed that the photo image on that page displays a “1 quart” bottle, but shouldn’t it be 2 quarts?
Thank you Shea and Scotty for your postings.
Shea says
Hi Bryan. I hadn’t noticed the “quart and pounds” reference either. Scotty from Legacy Industrial answered the question a few comments down. I added it here as well.
Phil says
Hi Shea, great site!
I’m looking at the Rust Bullet and the Nohr-S options. I want a gray finish with no chips. My garage is just a few months old garage and the concrete is still quite clean.
I have not done this before and I’m not too sure about my ability to apply the coats uniformly and I’d rather go with the one with the lowest risk of failure. I’m ok with doing the etching (not muriatic, hard to mess up?) if the coating application is easier.
Which of the 2 coatings would you recommend? Which will be the easiest to apply? Which gives the best results?
Shea says
Hello Phil. The actual application of each coating is quite similar, prep notwithstanding. Nohr-S is going to give slightly better performance when pushed to the limits of protection, however, Rust Bullet provides the opportunity for less applicator error due to the easier prep work involved. Nohr-S is going to provide for a more typical glossy grey while Rust Bullet is a semi-metallic, less glossy grey. We have been hearing many positive results with both coatings. The few issues that we have heard of hasn’t been due to the product itself, but due to applicator error, misunderstanding of instructions, or improper concrete prep. Rust Bullet may be your best bet if want insure the least amount of chance for error.
Phil says
Thanks Shea. I’m leaning towards Rust Bullet.
Correct me if I’m wrong but apparently it has a very strong and toxic smell. How bad is it? How does that compare to solvent based wall paints? Is it safe to spend extended time in the garage soon after application? How long does it typically take for most of the off-gassing to be done? It probably depends on a lot of things but are we talking days, weeks, months? Can that be accelerated with fans?
Shea says
It takes about 24 hours for the off-gassing to go away after application and it’s recommended to wear a NOISH approved respirator while you apply it. You can usually find them for around $20. Most of the smell is gone by the next day.
Scotty says
Regarding our pigment…
It is packaged in a one quart can. It weighs approx. 2 lbs. We recommend that 3/4 of the can’s volume be used per gallon of Nohr-S. When computing pigment multiply your total number of gallons required by .75. This will give you the amount of pigment cans needed. Lastly, the pigment is Nohr-S too.
Jose says
Hi, i am looking at my covering options as my garage floor is old (30y) and worn. I also have humidity in the floor in heavy rain season and am in New England looking to complete project during Xmas break. Given the humidity it seems I should stay away from epoxy coating.
The Nohr product seems interesting since it seems like that it could be applied thick enough to handle my worn surface.
Not sure if I should use this or epoxy paint.
Thank you for any advice you may have.
Shea says
Hello Jose. It’s not uncommon to have moisture collect on top of the floor as condensation during high humidity days. This happens when warm (relative) moist air comes in contact with the cooler concrete. If this is what’s happening then it will not affect a garage floor coating. Where the problem arises is when you have moisture coming up from under the slab due to heavy rains or some other water issue. When that happens, a floor coating is not a good choice. The hydrostatic pressure of the moisture from under the slab can lift the coating from the surface.
Nohr-S is a great coating and fairly easy to apply. As long as the floor is worn and doesn’t have a rough surface, then Nohr-S will work just fine. If the surface is rough as well, then a high solids epoxy system would be the better choice. It goes on thicker and will do a better job of self-leveling a rough floor due to the higher build per coat.
Brad G says
I have a very mild concrete moisture issue. I think I could probably coat it without treatment, but cost risk/reward isn’t with it. If going with a full Nohr-S floor, what is the best treatment for moisture? I’ve already ground the floor, so would prefer not to have to grind again.
Finally, in an alternate approach, can Nohr-S be used as a clear coat over RockSolid?
Shea says
Hello Brad. I recommend contacting Legacy Industrial and ask for Scotty. He can advise on this better than us. Most quality coatings can tolerate some moisture from the slab, but it depends on the amount. This is where a more accurate test from a calcium chloride kit is advantageous. “Very mild” can be subjective. As far as using it for a clear coat, it will work well when used over other quality epoxy systems. Legacy has warned about using it over the inexpensive water based epoxy coatings however as it can cause them to break down and soften up.
T says
I have a gas water heater in my garage. Can I use either the Nor-S or rustbullet paints with the gas water heater on?
Shea says
Hello T. No, it’s not recommended. Both are solvent based and you will run the risk of the fumes igniting. An hour or so after it’s down you turn the pilot light back on.
Michael O'Neil says
This is total hell, trying to figure out a decent coating that looks good, is fairly inexpensive and easy to do. I’m not parking a half million dollars worth of cars in my garage. All I want is something that will last a few years, resists tire pick up, can be recoated if need be in a few years, inexpensive and has a gloss. I don’t want epoxy because it exceeds my budget. Anyone?
Shea says
Hi Michael. You just made the million dollar statement. If you don’t mind a clear coating you may want to look at an MMA acrylic sealer. We did an article about one such product which you can read here. It just may meet your requirements. You can tint the sealer for color, but it will be translucent in nature.
Danny says
I decided to go with the tan, chips, and the topcoat. I received the product in 3 days, but the chips were shipped separately which arrived the following week, so weekend missed. This stuff has a formidable scent, so don’t think it doesn’t smell. The tint comes in a small can that is 2/3 full, and your supposed to use .75 of it for a gallon. Needless to say, I didn’t use enough for the 1st mix, so I had half of a garage that was opaque, and half was pretty well covered. Not knowing what the product was supposed to look like on the first mix really had me screwed up. Speaking to Legacy: Provide your tint in one can that makes one gallon, that way you don’t mix wrong. This caused me a lot of grief and worry. Here is a tip for the user: If you use an 18 inch roller, and you are doing this in cooler temperatures, have an extra roller pan because the product from the first coat won’t be dry for the next coat. They don’t sell liners for these big pans, and it will be real sticky in your pan. It was 85 here today, and it still didn’t dry fast enough. Didn’t want to use foil due to a reaction. It rolled well, and I had no issue with pot life. Of course, the true test is yet to come.
Kelly says
Hi,
Can Nohr-S be applied over VCT? I have a VCT in my kitchen floor that I am tired of waxing.
Shea says
Hello Kelly. Most likely it can, but we recommend contacting Legacy Industrial to talk to them about it. It would require stripping and sanding the VCT for application.
Noreen says
Would Nohr-s be a good product to use on a commercial washroom? Construction workers and mechanics would be the same traffic, the floors would be subject to colder weather in winter, snow, gravel, tar and heavy duty equipment oils & fuel.
Shea says
Hello Noreen. Yes, Nohr-S would be an excellent option for that type of environment. Just be sure to use an anti-slip additive in the final coat.
Scotty says
Gang:
We, Legacy Industrial, are having a Spring 2016 Promotion right now on this product.
Here are the discount codes, good through April 3rd 2016.
15spring2016 for orders $2000.00 and over.
10spring2016 for orders $ 500.00 and over.
5spring2016 for orders $ 100.00 and over.
Link to Nohr-S Polyurea: http://www.legacyindustrial.net/products/nohr-coatings/nohr-s-polyurea-coating.html
Thank you!!
Brian Davis says
Love the site, thanks for all the helpful information. I will be installing Nohr-S after reading this article. I want the floor to end approximately where the garage door comes down, but this is not at a contraction joint or expansion joint; the expansion joint extends about 6 inches beyond the door, into the driveway. Do you have any recommendations on how I can make a straight line while acid etching? And for application of the Nohr-S? Can some type of tape be used for each layer of Nohr-S applied? I think it would look silly to see 6 inches of finished garage floor with flakes extending onto my driveway.
Thanks a million for any ideas.
Brian
Shea says
Hello Brian. You have a few options on how to terminate the coating. The first is to tape it off with duct tape or something similar. It will require removing the tape about 20-30 minutes after each application of the Nohr-S. If it stays much longer it will become part of the floor. Another method that some pros use is to chalk a line where you want the floor coating to terminate. Then using a 4″ diamond wheel on a grinder or a diamond wheel for a skill saw (easier), you cut a small key way about 1/8″ into the concrete. Tape off the the side that is towards the driveway. The key way fills with the coating and makes a nice smooth transition to the bare concrete.
Finally, if you have a roll up garage door you can install a garage floor door seal. This will cover the termination line a make for a nice clean appearance.
MIKE says
Great site.. For the Nohr-S or Rust Bullet what is the best way to handle rollers and pans in between coats?
Just bag them and throw away, making sure you have enough extras to apply all coats, or clean them?
Mike
Shea says
Great question Mike. Always use a fresh roller for each coat that you apply. Resinous coatings and paints do not store well, even for a limited time, and can create cosmetic issues in the surface if they are reused.
Bill says
Hi, glad I found this site…how often does the Nohr-S need to be applied over time?
Shea says
Hello Bill. You might need to reapply a clear top coat in 10 or 15 years to make it look brand new again if it’s a busy garage, but that would be it.
Terry says
i like the site and got some great information, I am planning on doing my floor soon, Do you know if there will be another special soon. I need to get 5 gals and i want tan color as well as the fine stuff so it won’t get slick. This adds up to more than i can handle at this time. Any discounts could help me get it sooner please. Thanks
Shea says
Hello Terry. You will have to check with Legacy Industrial about specials or discounts. We don’t sell product on our site.
Jose Martinez says
After much research I came across this great web resource. I spent the better part of the day using the Home Depot floor machine with the floor prep tool. WOW, what a great tool and quick. It made a lot of dust but I had a fan nearby to keep things moving away from me. Face mask is a must! I just submitted my order with Legacy for the Nohr-S and some primer. I have a 3 car garage (approx 775sq/ft). Instead of going with two coats of Nohr-S, it was suggested that I could go with one coat epoxy primer in medium gray. I will then apply the Nohr-S with gray tint as the second coat. I will at this time add in the flakes (5-lbs is all I bought). Lastly, to make things super duper, a final coat of Nohr-S to remain clear.
I will reply later on once I receive and apply all coatings.
Jose Martinez says
Hello everyone,
I want to say that this is by far the best experience I’ve had applying a garage floor coating. The folks at Legacy have been extremely helpful when answering my inquiries. Furthermore, this stuff has made my garage look amazing. I’m not sure how to add images, but the primer has done its job. NOTE: When mixing pigment, add pigment to the Nohr-S. I did it the other way around and was not able to mix the entire color in. It was still dark enough for my liking though.
Once I added in the flakes, the floor came to life. Now, I am waiting for the floor to get tacky and I’ll go in with the final coat of clear to seal in everything.
How do I add photos to show off this beautiful new garage floor coating?
Shea says
Great to hear about your experience Jose! You can’t attach images to the comments section, but it you like you can send them to us via the Contact Page and we will add them to our Gallery and/or the article here. Just be sure to leave a note about product used, color, and things like that so we can give a good description.
Jose says
Unfortunately, my phone’s images are too big (1.x MB). Would love to share….maybe I can post a link to something like photobucket….
Jose
Shea says
Hello Jose, we would love for you to share as well. You can upload images at our Contact Page. Just be sure to give us some specifics about the type of floor product, color, and etc. Any other information you want to add is great as well. As long as the images look good we will add them to this article and to our garage floor gallery.
Jose Martinez says
Here’s the link to the photo album in photobucket. The images are really large.
Shea says
Great job Jose!
Tina says
I have several questions and I’m not particularly a professional DYI, so please bear with me. I need a product to seal my sun room concrete and give me a color (preferably white or really light gray). Shea directed me to this product. My sun room is around 250 sf, and based on the product description, I would need about 2 gallons for 2 coats. However, I don’t see where to pick the color when I go to http://www.legacyindustrial.net/products/nohr-coatings/nohr-s-polyurea-coating.html to purchase. I tried searching for ‘pigment’ but didn’t see any results for the pigment packs that was mentioned. Could you direct me to where I can buy the color pack? I also would like the non-skid addictive and in reading your site, the hdgrip- soft skid media is recommended. Should I go with ultra fine, fine, or coarse? I need to be able to easily clean up my cats’ markings (urinate on flooring) with soap and water. The concrete is fairly new at the moment, less than 1 month old, so it sounds like I need acid etching and a sand blaster? Last but not least, how do I find someone in my area who I may be able to hire to do this job? I think I can do it myself with help from a friend, but one of the reviewers mentioned it was a pain for him, and hiring someone else may be worth it. Has anyone on here used this product on anything other than in your garage, a sun room for example? Thank you for your time.
Shea says
Hello Tina. You just needed to go back one product page. This link here has the pigment listed plus other supplies. Do yourself a favor before you purchase anything, however. Call Legacy Industrial and ask for Scotty. He can help you choose the proper soft skid media and answer any questions you have regarding the pigment and application. You will need to acid etch or grind your concrete before it can be applied. This is the hardest part – proper prep of the concrete surface. We do not recommend sand blasting as it can be very messy and often does not provide the proper surface profile. If your sun room is enclosed with no where for water to run out, then grinding is the only real alternative. If you can do that on your own, then you can apply the Nohr-S. Also, your cement needs to cure for a minimum of 30 days before you can apply a coating like this.
We have information on how to select garage floor coating contractors and companies, but not on finding local labor to apply the product for you.
Tina says
You’re so awesome! Thank you for the quick response Shea. I will follow your advice and will call Scotty.
PT says
Would this product go over a concrete porch already painted with oil-based paint to seal the porch and paint without having to etch the concrete again? I’ve already etch it before putting on 2 coats of oil-based paint.
Shea says
You can’t seal oil based paint PT. You would need to remove it to apply Nohr-S or any other product for that matter.