If you’re like most homeowners, you want to get the most out of your garage. Thankfully, there are several options available for optimizing your garage, protecting your home investment, and making your garage look amazing, all at the same time. Epoxy garage floor coatings from Garage Beyond can transform your garage from drab to fantastic — and we can do it without breaking the bank. Are you on the fence about installing an epoxy coating in your garage? Let Garage Beyond in Toronto walk you through the positives and negatives commonly associated with epoxy garage floor coatings.
The Pros & Cons of Epoxy Garage Floor Coating
Garage Beyond
What Is Epoxy Coating?
First things first — what exactly is an epoxy resin coating? Epoxy is a resin polymer that has been used to protect garages and other concrete floors for decades, especially in indoor areas. Once it’s been applied, it provides a chemical-resistant, slip-free surface that is ideal for garages where chemical spills and puddles can create a hazard.
A typical full epoxy coating actually consists of four layers. We’ll start your coating process with a primer layer, then your selected color base coat, followed by two surface coats of polyurethane. Epoxy coatings are easily customizable, allowing you to create the exact look for your garage that you have pictured in your mind.
On top of being able to pick your preferred color, you can also select the type of finish for your epoxy coating. You can pick a glossy, showroom finish, or are more subtle matte finish — whichever is your preference. Top it all off with several options for adding color chips to the finish, and you’ll have a garage floor that will be the envy of the neighborhood in no time.
How Epoxy Coating is Applied
Before we apply anything to your garage floor, we have to assess your concrete to ensure that it is compatible with an epoxy coating. Some concrete surfaces have excess moisture levels which make applying epoxy coatings challenging, necessitating the installation of a moisture barrier.
The actual process of applying the epoxy coatings involves manually laying down each coat with specialized equipment, including an extended roller and various brushes, all while wearing respirator equipment to mitigate the vapors involved.
Epoxy is designed to cure slowly, in part to establish a strong bond with your garage floor, and also to ensure that it doesn’t cure before the process is finished. While an entire garage can be coated in a matter of hours, the surface will take at least two days to cure in order for the process to be completed.
The Pros of Epoxy Garage Floor Coating
We believe that you’ll find there are hardly any downsides to installing a quality epoxy coating in your home’s garage. Here are some of the best positive aspects of epoxy:
Affordability: Compared to other options, epoxy provides the most budget-friendly solution without compromising quality. You can protect your home’s concrete garage floor without breaking the bank.
Resilience: Cured epoxy is extremely hard and can easily withstand the high-traffic demands of a garage.
Chemical Resistance: Spills are not a problem for epoxy. Oil spills? No big deal. Corrosive battery acid? Even that is no match for epoxy. You can essentially do your worst to epoxy and it won’t even blink.
Style Options: You can achieve the exact look you’re envisioning with a wide variety of colors, finishes, and mix-in options.
Strong Adherence: While epoxy takes several hours to properly cure, as we mentioned before it’s not without its reasons. This slow curing time ensures a strong bond between the epoxy and your concrete, drastically reducing the chances that the coating will ever lift or peel.
The Cons of Epoxy Garage Floor Coating
Any home improvement project has some inherent negative aspects. Even so, Garage Beyond firmly believes that the pros far outweigh the cons. Our customers deserve to be fully informed about their epoxy flooring, however, so here are some of the negative aspects that are commonly associated with epoxy concrete floor coatings.
Narrow Application Window: Epoxy is very sensitive to the temperature at which it is being applied. This means that in extreme hot or cold weather, applying epoxy becomes a challenge. Depending on the severity of the weather, your project could be delayed until temperatures hit the sweet spot.
Long Drying Time: Applying epoxy will take all day, and several more days for the epoxy to fully cure. If you’re in a hurry, plan your epoxy application accordingly to accommodate a long curing time.
Air Quality: Even with formulas designed to be eco-conscious, you’ll certainly know that epoxy is being applied for a short time.
Potential Yellowing: Some epoxies have the tendency to yellow over time if they are regularly exposed to ultraviolet light. Thankfully, due to the indoor nature of garage floors, this is rare.
Rigidity: While epoxy dries hard and is extremely durable, it is also rigid, making it potentially vulnerable to scratches.
Toronto’s Epoxy Coating Solution
To learn more about the benefits of epoxy coating and how it can transform your home’s garage, contact the experts at Garage Beyond! We proudly serve our communities in Toronto, Burlington, Oakville, and the surrounding areas. Contact us today!