There are many reasons to choose a floor coatings professional rather than go the DIY route. Many DIYers attempt to epoxy their garage floor with a kit, which is often inferior in quality compared to professional-grade materials. Plus, DIYers often lack the proper knowledge, equipment, and materials to install an epoxy floor correctly.
A Professional Epoxy Garage Floor Installer Knows How To Correctly Prepare The Concrete Surface
An epoxy paint kit from a big box store usually has instructions that oversimplify this process. For example, a DIYer may think they only need to clean the floor or mark it with muriatic acid, but this is incomplete. Acid etching, while a valid preparation method, will only work if the concrete’s pores are open enough to allow the acid to react and remove the laitance (the thin cement paste on the very top). Acid etching will also not suffice for areas of the concrete which are sealed, oil stained, painted or contaminated (with wax, tire shine, or other chemicals).
A professional epoxy floor installer will properly prepare the concrete surface using heavy-duty grinders and sometimes shot blasts.
An Epoxy Floor Installer Knows How To Properly Decontaminate A Concrete Surface
This is where shot blasting, and sometimes cutting and replacing, usually needs to be done. Contaminants can still soak deep into the concrete even after correctly preparing the surface, and contaminants like silicone, siloxane, and acrylics, can obstruct coating adhesion.
A Professional Floor Installer Will Have Industrial Grade Coatings
DIY epoxy paints sold in big box stores fail in this area. We use superior performance coatings that have an adhesive strength that exceeds the concrete pull strength. Unfortunately, most kits fail here, as they are often just epoxy-fortified latex paint or have too many fillers (which make the epoxy easier to roll out and cheaper but significantly decrease its bond strength).
Industrial Grade Coatings Properly Soak Into The Prepared Concrete
Our superior coatings soak into all the open pores and surface imperfections created by professionally preparing the concrete surface. Unfortunately, coatings sold for retail often set up too quickly, spread too thick to penetrate the pores, or shrink too much during curing. A professional installer will know the limits of the coatings under certain weather conditions to ensure surface penetration.
A Professional Floor Coatings Installer Can Diagnose Poor Construction
Sometimes, a garage floor may have moisture issues due to poor construction. Moisture adversely affects coatings from adhering correctly. Moisture will try to move upward through a concrete substrate, and put pressure on the coatings, eventually forcing the coatings off the concrete. A professional installer will know to evaluate the garage concrete for these issues and apply the right concrete moisture barrier primer to prevent this issue.
A Professional Coatings Installer Knows The Right Environment
Polyurethane, polyurea, and polyaspartic coatings are more sensitive to humidity than most epoxies and acrylics. Therefore, installation during high humidity can obstruct layers from adhering to one another. A professional installer will eliminate the possibility of delamination, cloudiness, and improper curing by correctly diagnosing weather conditions related to installing concrete floor coatings.
A Professional Garage Floor Installer Mixes Accurately
Time and quantity play important roles when installing floor coatings. Products need to be mixed in the correct ratios within alotted time periods. If mixing is not accurate within a certain time, coatings will not cure properly, and a project will need to be redone.
A floor coatings professional installer has the knowledge and expertise to install the custom floor you desire and make sure it lasts decades. Contact us today for your own custom floor.
