Can I Get My Garage Floor Installed in One Day? Why or Why Not?
Many are drawn to the convenience of one-day polyurea-polyaspartic systems due to their quick application. Who doesn’t want a large home or commercial project to be done as quickly as possible? Well, like plumbing or roofing, the rush to complete an installation often leads to significant issues.
That New York Weather
Long Island experiences humid summers and coastal moisture, which can significantly impact concrete surfaces. One-day systems use fast-curing polyurea-polyaspartics as both the primer coat and top coat. As a primer, these coatings fail to bond properly with the concrete in medium to high concrete moisture conditions. Why? Because these fast-cure coatings cure even faster in the presence of moisture (well less than an hour), providing insufficient time to properly penetrate and bond with the concrete. The result is a thin, poorly penetrating primer that separates the entire coating system from the concrete slab.
This often leads to issues like bubbling, peeling, and cracking — not ideal if you just got an expensive floor installed a few months ago. Without adequate time for concrete penetration, these coatings fail to mitigate moisture and are prone to failure, especially in a climate like Long Island’s where moisture content can be high.
Key Factors Beyond Weather
Beyond weather-related challenges, several other factors contribute to the failure of one-day installations in the area:
- High Water Table: The coastal proximity results in elevated groundwater levels, increasing moisture in the concrete substrate. This moisture compromises the bond of one-day coatings, leading to issues like bubbling and peeling.
- Coastal Salt Exposure: The salty air prevalent in coastal regions accelerates the corrosion and degradation of concrete surfaces, making proper coating adhesion critical. One-day systems often lack the comprehensive surface preparation needed to counteract this.
- Traffic Load: The heavy traffic in both residential and commercial settings places significant stress on floor coatings. One-day systems, which do not allow adequate curing time, are often unable to withstand this load, resulting in premature wear and failure.
The Superior Two-Day Approach
A more reliable solution involves a detailed two-day installation process. The first day is dedicated to applying a thick, moisture-mitigating 100%-solids epoxy primer as the moisture vapor barrier. This “high-build” coating deeply permeates the concrete, effectively managing moisture issues. The thick primer is followed by the application of dual 100%-solids polyurea-polyaspartic top coats (not one) on the second day, providing the necessary UV, stain, chemical and impact resistance. The quality 100%-solids polyurea-polyaspartic also ensures there is no hot tire transfer in areas with vehicular traffic.
This thorough process addresses all moisture-related issues like moisture vapor transmission and high hydrostatic pressures, prevents fading, and protects against staining, including hot tire transfer. Unlike “one-day” installers, our warranty reflects this.
Take it from the Professionals
By taking an extra day to ensure quality, you’re investing in a longer-lasting, higher valued floor. That applies if it’s your garage floor, a basement, a commercial interior, a patio, or concrete slab. Quality takes time! This principle applies to epoxy and polyaspartic coating systems as well as many other home installation processes.
Avoid the pitfalls of one-day systems and choose a solution that prioritizes durability and thoroughness.
About Timeless Concrete Coatings LLC
We install full-chip garage floors. We use a 100%-solids moisture-mitigating primer (so there’s no delamination), mica-infused chip blends (not just thermoplastic), and two 100% solids polyaspartic polyurea top coats (not just one) to create your forever garage flooring.
