Polyurea garage floors and coating systems are a newer flooring option with more improvements over epoxy. They are more durable, feature a shorter curing time, and you can install them at any time of the year.
With a polyaspartic top coat, epoxy and polyurea match up pretty well. However, if your budget stretches further, we recommend the latter. Either way, our lifetime warranty for residential properties and a 10-year warranty for commercial ones give you peace of mind.
What Are Polyurea Garage Floors?
Polyurea is a type of polyurethane that looks much like epoxy but is distinctly stronger and more flexible than epoxy. It creates a chemical bond with the concrete, sinking into the pores and rendering them impermeable to water.
Why Use Polyurea?
Coatings contractors choose polyurea garage floors for several reasons:
- The substance is resistant to sunlight, meaning it doesn’t yellow, fade, or lose moisture over time.
- It repels water and most other liquid, making it easy to clean and difficult to stain. You usually only need a bucket of warm water and a mop or brush.
- It also resists several types of chemicals and outshines many other sealants in this respect.
- Polyurea outlasts the older epoxies by decades.
- Using a polyaspartic topcoat makes it even stronger and more scratch resistant.
- This material is an affordable flooring option. Many contractors pair it with a polyaspartic topcoat to reduce the overall cost for the client without impacting quality.
- Say goodbye to tedious maintenance! You won’t have to touch up or reapply the flooring annually.
How Much Does It Cost to Install Polyurea?
You’re looking at about $5 to $7 for one square foot of polyurea garage floors. The final cost depends on the topcoat and additives you select. For example, metallic elements may cost more, while achieving a marbled effect may take more time.
Give Southeast Floor Maintenance a call today to get your free estimate for a more exact price.
Other Uses for Polyurea
Most people know about polyurea concrete coatings but don’t know anything about the other uses for this compound. It’s also widely used across several industries to prevent metal from eroding and to create watertight containers.
Polyurea or Epoxy: Which Is Better?
So, should you choose epoxy or polyurea garage floors? Many contractors offer both, with epoxy falling on the lower end of the budget. Epoxy coatings are good, but polyurea is better because:
- It can handle more weight. Pressure changes in the floor, such as when a car drives over it, are easier for polyurea to handle because it’s more flexible.
- The compound’s flexibility also makes it easier to handle extremes of temperature. It can flex and contract as the concrete does without becoming brittle. Epoxy is more rigid and begins to crack over time.
- It can cure in a day rather than a couple of weeks.
- Your floor is more likely to develop bubbles with epoxy.
- It takes most contractors a day to install polyurea.
- You can install it at any time of the year, whereas you cannot install epoxy in winter.
- Lower-grade epoxy yellows in direct sunlight and will also become more brittle. While industrial grades perform better, they do not have the same longevity as polyurea. You can, however, improve their longevity with a polyaspartic top coat.
Using a polyaspartic top coat will significantly improve the longevity of epoxy coatings. The top coat protects the base layer with built-in protection against UV rays and a rock-hard finish.
Using a base of polyurea and a coat of polyaspartic is ideal. However, don’t discount epoxy if you’re on a tight budget, as the results are comparable when you have the correct installation specialists.
Decorative Capabilities
Here polyurea and epoxy are pretty similar. You can use color flakes, pigments, and a wide range of additives to create several looks. If you work with our professional team, you can recreate the look of far more expensive materials like marble.
We can lay the new floor over existing concrete, and as we hand cast each flake, no two look precisely the same. Variations in the flake pattern or pigments make each new coating a custom piece.
Get Your Free Quote Today!
Are you after a new look in your garage? Do you want something to seal the concrete and make it easy to clean? Polyurea garage floors might be the answer you’ve been looking for.
Contact Southeast Floor Maintenance at (704) 932-1122 today and learn more about how we can restore your concrete floor.
