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One garage flooring option that has created quite a buzz in the industry the last few years is polyurea/polyaspartic floor coatings. This relatively new coating has become the latest favorite for installers as an alternative to epoxy. It has created some confusion for home owners as well. The fast curing ability of this system is being billed as the “Holy Grail” of floor coatings and is advertised as the best of everything that a coating can do.
So if it’s not an epoxy, what is it exactly and why would you want it on your garage floor? Let’s unravel the confusion about polyurea and polyaspartic floor coatings and see why many garage flooring companies are pushing this new product.
What are Polyurea and Polyaspartic Coatings
Without getting too technical, Polyurea is a subgroup of polyurethane. It is formed when isocyanates react with water or polyetheramines to create a urea linkage. Like epoxy, it is a 2-part component that mixes resin with a catalyst to cause the curing reaction that makes the material hard.
It has low to no VOC’s and has an elongation rate that exceeds 300%, making it much more flexible than epoxy. It is commonly used for spray-on bed liners, interior pipe coating, liquid containment lining and many other industrial applications such as tunnel coatings and fillers for joints. Because of its extremely fast cure rate (less than 5 seconds and fully hard in less than 5 minutes), most polyureas require specialized equipment for application.
Polyaspartic is a type of aliphatic polyurea. To quote Bayer Material Science:
“By definition, a polyaspartic is an aliphatic polyurea because it is the reaction of an aliphatic polyisocyanate with a polyaspartic ester – which is an aliphatic diamine”.
What polyaspartics do is conquer the difficulties of the extremely fast cure rate of polyurea in order to apply the coating in a more traditional manner, with a longer pot life of 5 to 120 minutes depending on the formulation.
So in essence, all polyaspartics are a polyurea, but not all polyureas are a polyaspartic. So to lessen the confusion, this means that when you see a garage floor coating or kit being advertised as a polyurea, or a polyurea polyaspartic, it is really some formulation of a polyaspartic coating.
Benefits of Polyaspartic Coatings
Now that we’ve covered these eye numbing explanations, what does it mean for you? The two biggest advantages of a polyaspartic or polyurea garage floor coating are temperature and time.
Unlike epoxy, a polyaspartic coating can be applied in temperatures as low as -30F to as high as 140F depending on the formulation. That means you don’t have to wait till spring or summer to coat your garage floor if you live in a colder climate.
Typical polyurea and polyaspartic floor coatings are applied in just two coats; the first being both the primer and color coat and the second being the clear coat. Because of their fast cure rates, a complete flooring system can be installed in one day and returned to service the next. This means that you won’t have to do without your garage for 3-4 days like you would for a full epoxy system.
There are many other benefits to a polyurea/polyaspartic floor coating as well. These include:
- 100% U.V. stability – they will never yellow.
- Crystal clear finish that won’t blush from moisture in the concrete.
- Similar high abrasion and scratch resistance to polyurethane.
- High tolerance to heat, meaning hot tire pick up is a non-issue.
- High film build-up that can be controlled by the applicator.
- High gloss finish
- High solids content with little to no VOC’s in most applications.
- High stain and chemical resistance. This includes salts for winter climates.
- Good flexibility for higher impact resistance.
- Excellent wetting characteristics allowing for good penetration into the concrete for a strong bond.
- Decreased chance of bubbles from outgassing due to the faster cure rate.
Costs and Installation Factors
Though a polyaspartic or polyurea flooring system does have some great benefits, there are some other factors to consider before you decide if this is the best system for you.
The first is cost. To have it professionally installed will cost an average of $2 to $3 more per square foot than an equivalent epoxy and polyurethane system.
It is also not the most user friendly “do it yourself” installation and requires a minimum of two people to apply. Depending on the formulation of the polyaspartic, the average pot life is only 20 to 25 minutes. This can be very intimidating if you haven’t done a floor coating before. Also, the materials alone can cost almost twice as much as epoxy.
A good example by Advacoat on how a polyaspartic floor coating is installed
One thing to keep in mind is that like epoxy, not all polyaspartics are created equal. Some of the DIY kits that are being offered are not of the same quality as the more professional versions. So shop around and compare if you want to install a garage floor coating yourself. The formulations are different and come with a lower solids content in order to lengthen the pot life. Grinding the concrete is also the recommended floor prep.
While polyurea / polyaspartic coatings are not affected by water or humidity when fully cured, humidity during installation can cause the coating to cure much more rapidly and should be monitored before installation.
***Update***
There are now newer single-part polyurea garage floor coatings available that are extremely easy to apply. They have and unlimited pot life and excellent protection. Learn about single-part polyurea here.
Another consideration is that if you are a regular garage mechanic, polyaspartics don’t stand up as well to battery acids like epoxy and polyurethane does. They also can be very slippery when wet. If you are not applying full paint chips to add texture, it is advisable to add a slip resistant aggregate into the top coat to increase the anti-slip properties of the coating.
One of the biggest reasons that professional installers are offering polyaspartic floor coatings is to sell the benefit of being without your garage for only a day. A good installer can prep your concrete and install your coating in as little as 6 – 8 hours. You can be moving your belongings back into the garage before the day is done and park your car in it the next. This can be a huge advantage for people who can’t be without their garage for 3 or 4 days.
If you need to have a garage floor coating installed in less than ideal temperatures or need the advantage of being without your garage for only a day, then a professionally installed polyurea or polyaspartic floor coating may be just what you need. It is a great garage flooring option if the cost is in the budget.
We just got our floor done and the fumes are quite strong after 6 hours. Are the fumes dangerous and how long before the strong smell dies down. Should we be concerned? Today the temp was 60s and gray. We opened the garage door a little more hoping to rid the smell.
Hi Karen. The fumes will linger for about 24 hours, but they should be mostly gone by then with just a faint smell. It takes about 48 to 76 hours for them to be completely gone. It helps quite a bit to vent the garage though. Keep the door open part way and any other man doors, windows, vents, etc. If the fumes are still strong after 24 hours, I would suggest giving the installation company a call.
Hi
We did our garage on Saturday diamond grind then epoxy and flakes. Then on Sunday we applied the polyaspartic from versatile building products. We applied polyaspartic Sunday. Monday and today Tuesday the smell is really bad. Sunday was the worst smell … today Tuesday and still there Is smell but Not as bad as Sunday. The gentlemen who did the flooring told us may take 4-5 days for the smell and fumes to stop. The weather in Dallas, TX has been cold night 40 and during the day 60. Is this normal and should I wait 5 full days for the smell to recede or should I raise the alarm 🚨 that is something not right ???
Hi Moe. The polyaspartic will take longer to cure when the weather gets colder, particularly with the 40 degree nights. That is why you have the smell. 4-5 days is most likely accurate, but I would definitely contact the contractor if it’s not gone by the 5th day.
Moe stated that the floor was diamond ground, then epoxy was put down. Then I am guessing a polyaspartic top coat over the flakes in the epoxy. I am wondering if epoxy was the first layer, was there time enough to cure before the poly topcoat. Moe would have to advise on the actual process.
Is this good for pool decks if non skid material is added?
Hi Doug. Yes, there are versions of this type of coating that are made exclusively for use outdoors and on pool decks. ArmorPoxy is an example of a company that sells such product.
Hi Shea,
Very informative article and thanks for sharing so much details about Polyaspartic.
After reading pretty much every article in your website I decided to do a
“GRIND-PRIMER-EPOXY-ADD METALLIC Pigment/solvent – CLEAR PAP(or maybe PU)” process myself.
Hope to get some suggestions for PAP installation
1. Should I wait till the metallic coat fully cured? Is there anything in particular I should be aware of when installing PAP over metallic coating?
2. PU vs. PAP, your articles all said high solid contend PAP has less VOC, but the comment section have quite some viewers report their VOC issues. I’m expecting to work in garage (basement) for long period of time, so which you recommend has overall (not the first 5day) less VOC?
3. For roof water-proof, I read about the 5-second fast curing Polyurea options, the roof is flat concrete and summer is coming so I wonder if single layer of fast curing is sufficient or 2 layer PAP were as good (so same equipment of garage flooring can be used).
4. I just wanna say thank you for all the wonderful articles that this website has, I really learnt a lot from you and other writers. Thank you for all the time and effort behind it. I wish you and company a thriving business and many success in the future.
Nick Nanjing, China
Hi Nick and thanks for the kind words. You can apply a clear PAP or PU over the 100% solids epoxy metallic within the recoat window. However, one trick many of the professional installers do is to let the epoxy cure for a full 24 hours or more. They then go over the surface with 100-120 grit sandpaper (a floor maintainer with a 100 grit sanding screen is much faster) to smooth out the finish and remove any possible blemishes. They then wipe the surface down with denatured alcohol on a microfiber pad and apply the clear. This process provides for a deeper looking finish with no flaws.
Most of the complaints about the VOC’s is from PAP installations in cooler weather. Though PAP cures fast, it’s important to give it more time to cure in cold weather before recoating. The cooler weather slow down the cure time and recoating too soon will trap the vapors between coatings. They then slowly release for days and weeks before finally dissipating. Regarding the roof, 5-second cure polyurea is applied via a special sprayer. It cannot be applied with a roller.
We have rubber stain from the two back tires in out guardian floor. How do we get it off
Hello Marilyn. We are assuming that Guardian is a company name for a garage floor coating system of some kind? If so, we have an article here about tire marks.
the installers smeared some tint on the garage door frame. Is there any way to remove it after it has dried?
Hello Max. That can be very difficult to remove. You can try using some acetone on rag.
Will rustoleum water base epoxyshield paint over mapei planiseal rapid joint 15?
Hi Mike. It will adhere as you sand or grind the surface of the joint after it is filled.
Thank you. The guys made a mess tryin* to apply the planiseal. After applying the polyurea for about a foot, the polyurea in the nozzle hardened as they were unable to squuze the gun. They then proceeeded to cut off the nozzle and applied to the cracks. But of course it wouldnt cure/react as the compounds in each tube did not mix.
I intend on using and applying the epoxyshield repair kit now myself.
Any cautions/tips. Can i continue from the initial foot of polyurea that hardened/set in properly.
Thanks
Make sure the other product has cured properly before you begin. The EpoxyShield Concrete Patch is easy to work with, however, we recommend that you mix a small batch first to get a feel for it and how long you have to work with it. Do not mix it all at once as most people cannot use it up in time when they do this. As with the other product, once it cures, you will need to sand the surface or grind it flush before applying the coating.
Thanks for the tips. Do I also need to grind whatever remnants from the the crack itself. I removed as much polyuria as possible with a scraper. Will the epoxy bond sufficiently in the chased crack or do I need to grind the crack to remove the remnants.
Thanks
The epoxy repair will adhere well to chased cracks, Mike. Regarding the polyurea, just make sure that the remnants that you could not remove have cured hard. If it has been scratched and scuffed up from trying to remove, the epoxy will adhere well to it.
I finally got to put down the rustoleum water based EpoxyShield coating. I put it down and finished by 1:30 pm when temperatures were 26 degrees C. It has been 6 hours since and I would like to put down a second coat as i see my repairs are showing over the first coat.
BTW, I was able to paint the 350 square feet garage floor with 1 can of paint. So, was it applied too thin? Do I need a second coat or will one be sufficient?
Rustoleum says I can apply a second coat up to 4 days without having to scuff the first coat. Is applying one this evening when temperature is 21c but expected to drop overnight to 13c advisable?
Hi Mike. You should never exceed the stated coverage rates by the manufacturer when applying coatings. This is one of the top mistakes made by DIY applications. You definitely need to apply a second coat if you want the full color uniformity and performance that the coating was designed to provide. Don’t apply it if the temps are going to drop to 13c aor you will develop curing issues. Wait until the next day when it warms back up.
Mike, I am building a new house. I have been reviewing the various floor coatings on the market today. As a former AF pilot, I became familiar with the coatings that were put on our hangar floors and became a fan of coating raw cement.
I will have approx 1110 sq ft of garage to coat (oversize 2 care garage and 1 small carriage garage.
I am trying to find out if there is a difference between the Polyaspartic coating s used by two franchise companies. Guardian Garage Floors and Granite Garage Flooring. Both offer a Polyaspartic coating. But Guardian calls their Polyaspartic polyurea. IS there a difference here or is it just a word game used for marketing purposes.
Thanks
Hello Mike. In order for a coating to be a polyaspartic, it must also be a form of an aliphatic polyurea as well. However, not all polyureas can be a polyaspartic. So, if a company is stating the product they use is a polyaspartic, then technically what they are using is a two component polyaspartic aliphatic polyurea or P.A.P. for short in the industry. Both companies are using the same type of product. If you want to compare the coating, then what you need to do is request the full technical data sheets on the coatings being used. If any one of the companies will not comply, then don’t hire them. We have an article here on how to read data sheets and what information you want to obtain from them.
We have a polyaspartic covering with flakes, professionally installed 7 years ago. About 2 years ago, using a swiffer sort of mop, I washed it with a solution of water and vinegar (we use that solution to clean other tings) and then later I saw that the glossy covering was wearing away and the flakes were turning white, coarse. and crumbly – looked almost like the roads when they salted them. I presume the acid in the vinegar ate away at the covering thru the flakes. I called the installer and he had not seen this before. He sanded the surface (but not down to the concrete) and we let it air out for a few days. He re-applied the polyaspartic covering with flakes again. And now 3 months later I am seeing the glossy coat disintegrating and the coars whit showing again. Is there anything I can do to counteract this or will I be needing a whole new floor?
Hello Ron. As you unfortunately learned, you should never clean a floor coating with a vinegar solution. It will degloss the coating, but it should not cause it to deteriorate like that. It’s hard for us to determine exactly what is going on without inspecting it ourselves. What you describe though actually sounds like moisture that is coming up through the concrete at that spot. The moisture would cause the clear coat to turn hazy or white and in some cases, the coating will lift or turn chalky. Our suggestion would be to lightly drill 5 or 6 very shallow holes with a 3/8″ drill bit to puncture the clear coating and expose the color flakes. Do it within a 12″ square in the center of the affected area. After that, cover the area with a 16″ square plastic sheet and completely seal off the edges with good tape. Give it a few days and then pull the plastic. If the underside is damp at all, then you have a moisture issue that will need to be investigated before repairs are made.
Thanks for that info. This is happening to the entire floor and it is getting white and chalky. It does not seem to be lifting at all. We have seen some moisture on the underside of items that are sitting on the floor, so it would seem that we have a moisture problem under the entire floor.
Does this mean we probably have to sand / grind to the concrete and start all over?
More than likely, yes. Assuming your concrete did not have a moisture issue in the past, the first thing you want to do is figure out why it does now. Is there adequate drainage away from the foundation? Do you have a broken downspout that is dumping water up against it? Is there a leaky water pipe or drain pipe under the slab? Or, was a moisture assessment never done and there is a chance it has been there all along due to below grade slab or some other geographical factor?
Once that is determined and/or fixed, you will need to remove the coating via grinding and do a moisture test with a few calcium chloride kits. This will tell you how much moisture you have. This will allow you to choose the proper moisture vapor blocking epoxy primer to apply before the the rest of the coating system is installed.
So I understand that in general, polyurea is better than epoxy, but when it comes to a base coat, what are the benefits of polyurea over epoxy? The contractors I’ve reached out to offered the following:
1. Epoxy base, flake middle layer, polyaspartic top coat: $3.50/sqft & 3 year warranty
2. Epoxy base, flake middle layer, polyaspartic top coat: $4.00/sqft & lifetime warranty
3. Polyurea base, flake middle layer, polyurea top coat: $4.75/sqft & lifetime warranty
4. Epoxy base, flake middle layer, polyaspartic top coat: $4.95/sqft & lifetime warranty
Not sure if I should just go with one of the contractors who do an epoxy base, or go for the polyurea base coat. I live in Houston, Texas if that matters.
Hi KN. We actually prefer epoxy as a base coat over most polyureas. The reason is that a 100% solids epoxy base coat is going to be on average 4-5 mils thicker than a polyurea base coat. The added thickness provides for more durability, it tends to cover imperfections in the concrete better, and it provides for a thicker wet coat for the all the flakes to sink into and adhere if doing a full color flake floor. In addition, when compared to the 1 day floor systems, the epoxy has a longer time to seep into the concrete pores in order to get the best mechanical bond. The disadvantage to epoxy is if you are not going with a full color flake application and the floor will see direct sunlight for long periods of time. This can cause the epoxy color coat that is exposed to the sun to eventually get a yellow tint (amber).
Floor systems 1,2, and 4 are all an epoxy base with a polyaspartic top coat, but the price difference is as high as $1.45 per square foot. Why? Someone is either not telling you something, cutting corners, or using inferior product. What you need to do is ask to see the data sheets on the coating materials. This article here is an important read about data sheets and this one here is important in selecting a floor coating contractor. Is contractor #1 using an inferior product compared to #4? Does each contractor include grinding the floor? If any only acid etch, then stay away from them. We are assuming that #3 is 1 day system which we discuss in the article above.
Hi Shea – thanks for the reply and for the information! Based on your reply, I will likely be going with 1 or 2.
#1 actually said that he is able to offer low prices because he only offers a 3 year warranty. He knows that the others offer lifetime warranties and is confident in his material lasting for many years, but again, he offers the 3 year in order to keep his price low and competitive. He actually had the most reviews on Google and Yelp of all 4 companies. I’ll still get him to confirm his data sheet.
All companies diamond grind the floors. #1 is a local company and #2 is actually a national franchisee (GE) so I can probably contact their main office for data sheets.
It sounds like there is a lot competition in your area which is good for the consumer. The data sheets on product tells you how to compare materials being used, so that should help with your final decision.