Epoxy and polyaspartic, explained in plain English
Epoxy, polyurea and polyaspartic: what each one does, where each is strongest, and the system we put down. Read it before you compare quotes.
Published
People search for "epoxy floors," so every company calls them that. Underneath, a good floor is a base coat and a topcoat doing two different jobs, and the products in each layer matter. Here is what each one is and why it matters when you compare quotes.
Epoxy: the old standard
Epoxy is a two-part resin that cures hard and bonds well to properly ground concrete. It is thick and it fills small imperfections. Its weaknesses: it cures slowly (a day or more per coat), it yellows and chalks in sunlight, and it is rigid, so it can crack if the slab moves. It still shines in a metallic floor, where the pigment is worked through clear epoxy by hand.
Polyurea: the base coat we use
Polyurea goes straight onto the ground concrete. It bonds hard, cures fast and flexes with the slab instead of fighting it. That fast cure is a big part of why many garages can be ground, coated and finished in a single day.
Polyaspartic: the topcoat
Polyaspartic is in the same family as polyurea. It cures in hours, it is UV-stable so it stays clear outdoors, it flexes a little with the concrete, and it resists hot-tire pickup and chemicals better than epoxy. It sets fast, which means it needs a crew that knows how to lay it down.
Our system
Diamond-ground concrete, a polyurea base coat, flake or solid color for the look, and a clear polyaspartic topcoat on top. Every product is Simiron. You can walk on it after 8 hours, move heavy items back after 24, and drive on it after 48.
When a quote only says "epoxy"
Ask what the base coat and the topcoat are. If the topcoat is epoxy, ask about yellowing (if any sun hits the floor) and hot-tire pickup. If the price is noticeably lower than other quotes, that is usually where the difference is.
The short version
- Epoxy: strong bond, slow cure, yellows in sun. Best for metallic art floors.
- Polyurea: fast cure, flexible, bonds hard to ground concrete. Our base coat.
- Polyaspartic: fast cure, UV-stable, chemical resistant. Our topcoat.
- All of them fail on badly prepped concrete. Grinding is the step that decides the floor's life.
By the crew at By His Grace Epoxy Flooring, Evans, GA. Questions? (706) 373-1530.