The world of garage floor paints can be a little confusing. Allow this article to clear up any confusion as to what paint will work best for your garage floor needs.
High Solids Epoxy
High solids epoxy has the best resistance to chemicals, stains, and abrasion. They have 100% solids epoxy, which is the best type to use. The single coat system is a lot thicker and will cure at around ten mils or more. In fact, a single coat of 100% solids epoxy is actually stronger than two coats of water based products on your garage floor. High solids epoxy is available in numerous different colors, which allows you to choose a design that fits your décor.
This type of epoxy still comes at an affordable price and can be installed by a professional. High solids epoxies are not only durable, but they last much longer than water based epoxies.
Polyurethane Top Coat
To improve on the single coat of 100% solids epoxy, the following step is to apply a coat of clear epoxy. This is known as a top coat. This top coat adds durability and thickness, as well as gives your floor a deep, glossy shine that makes it look fresh and clean.
If you are adding a top coat, you have the option of adding some additional paint chips to the base coat. You can choose to sprinkle on just a few to give it an extra boost, or you can choose to sprinkle it on until chips are no longer sticking to the floor.
There are two reasons as to why you might want to do a full refusal or sprinkle on the chips until they no longer stick. The first reason is that giving the floor texture and increasing the thickness helps to create an anti-slip surface. The second reason is that you might decide it looks much better that way. You get to decide when you want the contractor to stop adding the chips to the floor.
Best Coasting System
The best coating system is a multi-coat epoxy system. This consists of a primer coat, 100% solids coat, colored paint chips to add texture and décor, as well as a top coat of clear epoxy. It’s not uncommon for a floor made with this system to be more than forty millimeters thick. These floors can last more than twenty years!
Any premium service is going to involve using a primer. Most of them will be anywhere from 50-70% solids, which makes for a thinner coat and a nice consistency. There are many reasons you want to use a primer on your garage floor. The thinner consistency lets the epoxy seep deep into the pores of your garage floor’s concrete, making a better bond. This makes better adhesion for the base coat, too.
It’s worth it to use a high solids epoxy on your garage floor. It lasts much longer than any other application and it resists hot tire marks, road dirt and grime, as well as chemicals.
