In the United States, 65% of homes constructed in 2019 included a two-car garage.
Homeowners use garages for parking, storage, and home projects, all of which can get messy. To keep your garage floor protected, it’s essential to choose the right protective coating.
While epoxy is a popular choice, it usually doesn’t last very long and requires a lot of maintenance. Polyaspartic or polyurea coatings are an excellent epoxy alternative for sealing garage flooring.
If your concrete floor needs sealing, you’re likely wondering about the difference between polyurea and polyaspartic coatings, or if there is a difference.
In this blog, we’ve covered everything you need to know about polyurea and polyaspartic coatings. Read on to find out the perfect option to protect your garage floor.
Polyurea vs Polyaspartic: What’s the Difference?
A square is a rectangle, but not all rectangles are squares. You can think of polyurea and polyaspartic coatings in the same way. Although polyurea may refer to a polyaspartic coating, companies will generally specify if they’re talking about a polyaspartic.
Polyaspartic sealants are one type of polyurea, so they aren’t completely different products. Rather, polyaspartic coatings are made by modifying polyurea using aliphatic compounds. Typically, polyurea coatings are made using aromatic compounds.
We won’t bore you with a lecture on organic chemistry. Basically, aliphatic compounds’ molecules are more reactive and unstable than aromatic compounds. But how does that affect how it works on your garage floor?
The chemicals used to make polyaspartic coatings make them thinner than regular polyurea. They also react less to UV rays than polyurea coatings.
Choosing Between Polyurea and Polyaspartic Floors
Now that you know the basics of the chemical differences between polyurea and polyaspartic, let’s look at how they can protect your garage floor.
A polyurea coating is a great choice for use as a base coat. Polyurea has incredible surface adhesion to provide a more durable, long lasting floor.
Because polyaspartic coatings are typically resistant to UV rays it is the perfect choice for use as a top coat. This helps ensure that your floor is not only going to look great when it’s first installed, but it will stay looking for years to come!
Another important comparison between the two is pot time and cure time. Pot time is the amount of time you have to apply the coating, and cure time is how long it takes to dry.
Both compounds have a pretty quick cure time and dry in as little as a few hours. However, polyaspartic has a longer pot time, so technicians have more time to apply it and get an even finish. This is extremely important so that the top coat is free of roller marks and lines.
While including a polyaspartic coating may be more expensive than only using polyurea or epoxy, you’ll save money in the long term. A professionally applied polyaspartic coating will protect your garage floor for years without fading or yellowing.
Keep Your Garage Floor Like New
Polyaspartic coatings are more reliable to finish off your floor than ordinary polyurea or epoxy compounds. They withstand sunlight better and give a great blemish-free top coat.
Don’t waste time and money trying to DIY your garage floor. Contact us today to discover the perfect solution for protecting your garage floor!