What is the Best Coating for Your Garage Floor Install?

2018-05-09

Garage renovation has become big business. People are using garages for more than storage and parking – as man caves, second living rooms, and more.

Also, a residential garage often makes up a large part of a house’s curb appeal, so homeowners looking to sell are investing more money than ever on garage remodels.

The floor is a major part of those remodels. Most garage floors are made of concrete, but replacing it entirely can be costly. An affordable way to improve the floor’s appearance: a durable, attractive coating.

“Many people think epoxies for coating garage floors,” one of our regional sales managers, Brian R., observed. “But almost all epoxies are not UV-stable and will yellow over time [with exposure to light]. Even if there’s not direct sunlight, with the garage door open, UV rays can still affect the floor.”

Garage floors, though technically indoors, need to be as robust as outdoor surfaces. This is what makes them a particular good fit for Citadel’s UV-stable polyurea coatings. (You can read an extreme example here, where a garage floor had to hold up under heavy use, water, and weather).

Epoxies are a “quick and dirty” choice for many installers because they’re the cheapest option. But even with added UV-stabilizing agents, epoxy will eventually amber when exposed directly or indirectly to sunlight.

Polyurethane is one UV-stable alternative to epoxy and polyurea. But polyurethane can require multiple coats and therefore more material and more labor, raising your cost. It also has a longer cure time, slowing your team down, and most release a gas (VOC’s) that is no fun to breathe.

Many of Citadel’s installers specialize in garage floors and choose polyurea for the simple reason that it is the best-quality UV-stable solution on the market. “10-15 years later, the floor looks the same as the day you installed it,” Brian explains.

As we discuss here, although polyurea may have the highest price per gallon, it is a much better value when you look at the true cost per square foot, including less labor, speedy cure time, and less material needed. Polyurea is your best option for an enduring, good-looking garage floor coating that won’t yellow.

(You can read more about how polyurea “measures up” to other coatings here.)

Choosing the best coating for your next garage floor install? Click here to schedule a free, no-obligation call with one of our flooring experts and let’s go over your project together.