You're considering a professional coating for your concrete and want to learn more about each of your options. In your research, you've discovered a type of coating called a "one day floor" that can be installed in only a day. You aren't in a time crunch yet, but you'd like to know if the faster, more affordable coating is worth it.
Elite Floor Coatings has coated over 1,000 floors with epoxy coatings. In some circumstances, we have installed one day coatings. However, we vastly prefer to take our time with traditional epoxy coatings.
When you've finished reading, you'll understand why we recommend epoxy and you'll know how you'd like to proceed with your concrete.
There is a common misconception that polyaspartic coatings are more moisture tolerant than epoxy coatings. If you were to search online for information comparing polyaspartic and epoxy, the majority of sources would claim this.
Unfortunately, the claim is untrue. Epoxy coatings are more moisture tolerant than polyaspartic after they’ve been installed. Polyaspartics may be more moisture tolerant during installation, but not after.
Now that we understand the differences between polyaspartic and epoxy, let's take a look at how one day floors are installed.
Due to the nature of a one day floor, the polyaspartic coating does not absorb as deeply into the concrete. These polyaspartic coatings are usually firm after approximately 40 minutes. Because the floor cures so quickly, the coating doesn't soak, or absorb, for even an hour.
The polyaspartic material has a higher viscosity than epoxy, which means the material is thicker. A runny epoxy has more time and opportunity to absorb, but one day floors are meant to be ready as soon as possible.
When you opt for an epoxy floor, your installer will spend extensive time preparing the concrete for a coating. Some epoxies take the exact shape of the floor below them, so the concrete must be flat before installation.
One day floor installers don't have the time to carefully prepare the concrete for a coating. The goal is a usable floor in as little time as a day, so some sacrifices are made in concrete prep and coating layers.
Elite Floor Coatings uses polyaspartic as a top coat for most all paint chip epoxy floors. In these cases, the concrete has been:
A layer of polyaspartic that only needs to adhere to the coating beneath it can be an ideal top coat in many applications, including garage floors, commercial kitchens and restrooms, office spaces, and more.
We hope our description of one day floors doesn't sound entirely negative. While epoxy floors are often the better choice, some situations necessitate polyaspartic floor systems.
If you are genuinely crunched for time, a one day floor may be the solution you need. Elite Floor Coatings does occasionally install a polyaspartic floor.
A simple example is a grocery store. If the store doesn't want to close and lose out on income for a day or two, one day floors are ideal. The work can be done overnight and be ready to walk on when the store opens.
However, not all situations have time restrictions. In most cases, there is enough time for an epoxy coating to be installed without greatly disrupting business or life.
Let's take a look at what features epoxy floors offer compared to polyaspartic coatings.
All products have parameters for ideal installation. Concrete coatings are no different. As discussed earlier, many sources say polyaspartics are more moisture tolerant. This is misleading.
Technical data sheets for polyaspartic coatings often have special instructions about moisture content, specifying a limit or elimination of moisture for days before and after installation.
In comparison, technical data sheets for epoxy we use are more likely to specify that the coating is less sensitive to moisture by comparison. However, epoxy still should not be applied on a wet floor.
Should moisture concerns arise with the concrete after install, epoxy will be more forgiving than a one day floor.
Epoxy and polyaspartic coatings bond to concrete. Concrete has to be properly prepared before installing one of these coatings to allow these bonds to form. Prepping the concrete is an important step for either choice.
While polyaspartic is more viscous and cures in a brief window, many epoxies take hours to fully cure. Epoxies are runnier and get more opportunities to bond with the concrete.
When coatings are better bonded, the result is more long-lasting and effective.
One day floors have their place in the concrete coating world. Most often, one day floors are a good option due to a time crunch. However, if your project isn't limited by time, you'll likely want to choose an epoxy floor.
One day floors have less prep and cure quickly, allowing them to deliver on their one-day-readiness promise. Epoxy floors spend more time on prep and layers, and they take longer to cure. While an epoxy floor won't be ready in a day, it will ultimately last longer and be more effective than a one day floor.
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