If you’re looking for an attractive garage floor that stands up to just about anything, an epoxy coating may be just what the doctor ordered. Epoxy coatings come in a variety of finishes, including clear, solid colors, speckled, and marbled. But don’t let all that beauty fool you. Industrial facilities wouldn’t have been using epoxy all these years if the material wasn’t tough as nails. This post describes the benefits of epoxy garage floor coatings.

What Is Epoxy Coating?

Epoxy coating is a type of resin that sets permanently with the application of heat, known as thermosetting. It’s made of equal parts epoxide resin and polyamine hardener. Mixing those two parts creates an exothermic reaction that starts the curing process. This is what causes the epoxy coating to form a strong, durable bond with the garage floor.

People often ask us if epoxy is a type of paint. It is not. You can find paints with epoxy in them, usually around 1 percent. However, they don’t have anywhere near the strength or durability of an epoxy coating.

An Epoxy Garage Floor Coating Is Strong and Durable

When you’re looking for a garage floor coating, your main goal is probably something that holds up against a lot of abuse. After all, it has to stand up against heavy vehicles and the caustic chemicals that drip, leak, and ooze out of them.

Epoxy garage floor coatings stand up against leaking oil, antifreeze, and more. Even if the fluids sit for a while, you can still just wipe them away. (But you probably want to get your vehicle to a mechanic.) Epoxy flooring also stands up to dropped tools, heavy rolling toolboxes, and car jacks. In other words, there’s a reason that industrial facilities use epoxy floor coatings.

Cartoon Drawing of Red Car Leaking Fluid

Is there anything that will damage epoxy coatings? Of course; nothing’s perfect. If you weld in your garage, the epoxy may show scorch marks from hot slag. Battery acid and brake fluid may also stain the coating or steal pigment.

The coating may also delaminate (i.e. lift from the concrete floor) if the underlying concrete transmits a lot of moisture. Moisture vapor is rarely a problem here in Phoenix. But, if you have a below grade slab, plumbing leak, or drainage issues, keep an eye out for the white, powdery residue that’s a sure sign of moisture.

Known as efflorescence, this white powder never goes away, even after you clean. And the moisture that causes it may also cause issues with coatings. But again, this level of moisture is rarely an issue here in the valley.

Epoxy Garage Floor Coatings Look Great

We’ve talked before about the amazing design options with epoxy coatings. But seriously, you can make an epoxy floor look just about any way you want it to (just check out our gallery). We’ve created epoxy floors that look like marble, abstract designs, and more. But for garage floors, the medium chip and granite chip finishes are probably the most popular.

We’ve created epoxy floors in just about every color combination imaginable, including your favorite team’s colors. Epoxy coatings also add a lot of shine, which brightens your garage considerably. And if you’re worried that the floor will be too slippery, we can create a non-skid surface by adding a slip-resistant aggregate to the topcoat.

Black epoxy floor with white speckles

Epoxy Garage Floor Coatings Are Easy to Maintain

You’ll have a hard time finding a flooring option that’s easier to maintain than epoxy. Just sweep away dust and dry debris with a dust mop or soft broom. A bit of mild soap or ammonia mixed with warm water takes care of wet spills and leaks. And, since the epoxy surface isn’t porous, you don’t have to worry about staining, even if you want to put off cleaning that garage floor.

The Importance of Professional Installation

The main reason epoxy coatings are so strong and durable is the way the sealant bonds with the concrete. However, to achieve this bond, you must prepare the surface properly before applying the epoxy.

When Sledge Concrete installs epoxy coating on garage floors, we start by preparing the surface and repairing all cracks. This ensures proper adhesion of the epoxy.

Depending on which coating you choose, you will get two to five coats of our professional product. This creates a stronger, thicker coating that stands up against nearly any kind of abuse.

Sledge Concrete Coatings LLC also uses a water-based primer coat that bonds to the concrete, forming a strong foundation for the base or color coats. To top it all off, we use a polyurethane topcoat that guards against yellowing.

Are you ready to learn more about our epoxy garage floor coatings? Call 602.308.8656 to get your free estimate. Or, complete our contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.