What’s the Best Concrete Garage Floor Coating?

Duraamen Engineered Products, Inc.

For decades, homeowners have been using epoxy resin coatings to protect and upgrade the look of their concrete garage floors. It’s easy to understand why. Compared to a standard garage floor paint, an epoxy coating creates a more durable, wear-resistant surface that’s not only attractive but also highly resistant to chemicals, abrasion, and impact. But despite its stellar performance record, is there anything better than an epoxy for coating concrete garage floors?

“For a DIYer or where speed isn’t critical, a 100%-solids epoxy is great for coating garage floors, but it requires two to three days to apply,” according to Bob Harris of the Decorative Concrete Institute. “A popular alternative in today’s market are one-day garage floor coatings that cure rapidly, allowing a quick return to service.”

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Like epoxies, these new-generation coatings -- typically polyureas, polyaspartics, or hybrids of the two -- seamlessly cover the garage floor to form a protective shield that provides excellent resistance to abrasion, stains, and hot tire marks. Although all three coating types are highly durable, each has its pros and cons. Here’s a closer look at the differences between epoxy, polyurea, and polyaspartic floor coatings as well as the factors to consider before choosing the right system for your needs.

What is an epoxy garage floor coating?

Epoxy garage floor coatings are two-part systems composed of a polyamine hardener (also known as a catalyst) and an epoxy resin. Known for their durability, versatility, and affordability, they provide excellent resistance to vehicle traffic, stains, and chemicals, making them ideal for garage floors. They can also be applied thickly enough to hide minor imperfections in concrete.

A major drawback of epoxies is that they take longer to cure than polyurea and polyaspartic coatings. Although the epoxy surface can be walked on after 24 hours, vehicles must be kept off the garage floor for about a week until curing is complete. Epoxies also shouldn’t be applied at temperatures below 50 degrees F. If it's too cold, the curing process will take even longer.

What is a polyurea coating?

Like an epoxy, a polyurea coating is a two-component system that, when mixed, catalyzes and hardens very quickly, sometimes in as little as 10 minutes. This rapid cure rate allows for a quick return to service. Within a day after coating application, people can usually resume use of their garage floor versus waiting a week or longer for an epoxy coating to cure.

Because a polyurea is a polymer, it also maintains its flexibility after curing, giving it high impact resistance. Plus, it is less sensitive to temperature extremes than an epoxy coating, allowing it to be applied year-round in most climates.

Unfortunately, the incredibly fast cure rate of a polyurea also has a downside: It limits the time available for application, leaving little room for error. Another disadvantage of polyureas is that they are vulnerable to UV exposure. If the garage floor will be exposed to sunlight, the coating can discolor over time.

What is a polyaspartic coating?

A polyaspartic coating is actually a type of polyurea, so it is very similar to a polyurea coating in terms of durability and performance. But there are some key differences. First, polyaspartic coatings are UV stable, making them suitable for garage floors exposed to sunlight. They also take a little longer to cure than a polyurea coating, which means they can be applied at a slower pace while still allowing quick reopening of the floor to foot and vehicle traffic.

Despite their advantages, polyaspartics may not be the best material for all situations. When compared to epoxy garage floor coatings, they tend to be higher in cost initially (although they will often last longer). They also can’t be installed on a floor with a high moisture vapor emission rate because the moisture can cause the coating to bubble up and lift away from the surface (see Are Polyaspartics Better than Epoxies and Urethanes?)

Tip: Although all polyaspartics are polyureas, not all polyureas are polyaspartic. If you see a garage floor coating labeled as a polyurea-polyaspartic or a polyaspartic aliphatic polyurea, it is some form of polyaspartic coating.

When should you use an epoxy coating?

Epoxy garage floor systems can be a great choice if you’re looking for a cost-effective, attractive coating that will last longer than alternatives like concrete floor paints or rubber garage floor mats. They also are more DIY-friendly than polyurea and polyaspartic coatings due to their longer working times.

Just keep in mind that even though an epoxy may seem to be lower in cost initially, especially if you install the coating yourself, it can lead to higher costs over time because the coating may require more frequent touch-ups and repairs. A longer cure time also means it can take up to a week before your newly coated garage floor is ready for traffic, versus a day or two for a polyurea/polyaspartic coating.

When should you use a polyurea or polyaspartic coating?

Polyureas and polyaspartics are the best choices if a quick return to service is a priority. Using these coatings, an experienced contractor can install a two- or three-car garage floor in a day and it will be ready for vehicle traffic within 24 hours. If your garage floor is exposed to direct sunlight, be sure to use a UV-resistant polyaspartic as the topcoat of your garage floor system.

Because polyurea/polyaspartic coatings have a short pot life, they are not a good option for a DIYer. If any hiccups are encountered during the application process, the coating could begin to set before the job is completed (although polyaspartic coatings tend to be more forgiving). These coatings also should not be installed on any concrete floor with a high moisture vapor transmission rate because the moisture can get trapped under the coating, which is why professional installers will test the moisture content of the floor prior to coating application.

What is the best finish for a concrete garage floor?

Because epoxy, polyurea, and polyaspartic floor coating systems each come with their own benefits and drawbacks, it’s important to compare the pros and cons and decide which is a better solution for your situation. Some coating installers recommend combining systems to take advantage of their best qualities, using a self-leveling epoxy or 100%-solids polyurea as a tinted base coat for decorative color chips and a polyaspartic as a clear topcoat.

“Regardless of the system you use, it’s a good idea to topcoat with a clear polyaspartic aliphatic polyurea,” says Harris. “This will give you better chemical resistance, hot tire resistance, and UV stability. This topcoat also protects the decorative chips and ensures long-lasting performance and easy maintenance.”

Which concrete garage floor coating lasts the longest?

When installed properly, a polyurea or polyaspartic coating is likely to outlast an epoxy coating, offering a lifespan of 15 years or longer. Polyaspartics take advantage of concrete’s porosity by soaking into the surface and forming a strong adhesive bond. Most epoxy coatings don’t penetrate the concrete and instead cure on top of the surface, which is one of the reasons these coatings are less resilient than polyaspartics and more vulnerable to abrasion, chipping, and peeling.

How do you prepare a concrete garage floor for coatings?

Good surface preparation is essential before applying any type of resinous garage floor coating to ensure that it will create a tenacious bond with the substrate. That means filling any cracks or deep pits in the floor with a compatible crack filler or concrete patching compound (see How to Fix Cracks in Concrete Slabs), followed by a thorough cleaning. Diamond grinding of the concrete floor is also recommended for some coating systems to obtain the desired concrete surface profile.

“A high percentage of coating failures is due to improper surface prep and a contaminated surface,” says Harris. “Make sure the surface is free of dirt, dust, grease, oil, and other contaminants.”