There’s a new name to look for if you’re searching for floor coatings that offer durability, longevity, waterproofing and easy application — polyurea floor coating. In many areas, this coating surpasses the popular epoxy flooring often used in home garages. You will find innumerable uses beyond your garage for applying polyurea flooring.
What’s the Difference Between Epoxy Flooring and Polyurea Floor Coatings?
For starters, both applications can cover concrete, hiding years of wear and tear. But that’s where their similarities come to an end. The two concrete coating options differ significantly in visual appeal, UV stability, durable functionality, moisture barriers, slip resistance and lifespan.
Visual Appeal
Epoxy and polyurea applications can enhance your garage, basement or patio. Epoxy can cover superficial flaws, but it is not a superior way to even out cracked, chipped or dangerously uneven surfaces. The polyurea chip system allows homeowners various options to choose a color that will match the rest of their interior or exterior decor.
UV Stability
Polyurea concrete floor coatings have UV-stable elements that will not fade or yellow with exposure to the sun. Epoxy cannot withstand UV damage and will become discolored over time.
Durability
Salts, chemicals, oils and temperature changes can significantly damage your garage door over time. Polyurea concrete floor coatings are among the most durable flooring choices. Proven to be nearly five times stronger than epoxy, polyurea can withstand heavy traffic, skids, abrasions and impacts. Polyurea concrete floor coatings also offer an impenetrable barrier against moisture and unwanted pests where epoxy does not.
Polyurea is impervious to damage, accidents and mishaps for over a decade, whereas epoxy will protect the flooring from salts and chemicals, but only for a short time.
Unlike polyurea concrete floor coating, epoxy provides less-than-ideal temperature change protection. The material lacks the elasticity to move with your home’s foundation when it expands and contracts. That means it will crack and pop over time in response to temperature changes. Polyurea will expand and contract with your concrete and has proven to be 98% more flexible than epoxy. People who depend on epoxy to withstand Minnesota and Wisconsin winters will encounter pitting, chipping and splitting within a few years.
Moisture Barrier
If your garage floor has a high moisture content, moisture vapor transmission from underneath the slab can delaminate the coating. BlackHawk Garage Door will always bring a moisture reader to your property to determine whether you have a moisture issue. If so, our polyurea floor coating can help.
Slip Resistance
We know epoxy is a non-porous product that creates a smooth surface. However, this can pose a threat when epoxy floors get wet and become slippery, especially with oil spills. With the polyurea chip system, the floor becomes slip-resistant. Ask about the various resistance levels BlackHawk Garage Door offers.
Lifespan
Polyurea is highly elastic (300%) and will accommodate expansion, contraction and relative movement within concrete without cracking. It has a service history that exceeds 25 years. Epoxy is a thermosetting resin that coats the floor, but doesn’t withstand the elasticity you need as your foundation settles. Minnesota and Wisconsin experience harsh winters, and epoxy floors experience pitting, chipping and splitting. Polyurea coatings receive high marks from homeowners and businesses for this reason, in addition to being stain-resistant, UV-stable and antibacterial.
Residential Uses of Polyurea Coatings
Thanks to polyurea’s durability and longevity, you will find many flooring uses that don’t include a surface to park cars on. While most people think of this option as a garage floor coating, there are many more places where you can have us install this flooring.
Garage Floor Coating
Of course, most people think of polyurea coatings for uses of garage flooring. While an epoxy floor may sustain damage from parking your vehicle with hot tires on it, a polyurea-coated garage floor will not. This type of floor can also hold up to the temperature and moisture extremes homeowners experience in our service areas of Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Home Gym Flooring
Because polyurea can stand up to impacts and have the option for varying levels of slip resistance, they are ideal for flooring in home gyms. In such locations, you need a floor that can hold heavy weights or machines, plus resist cracking or chipping if you drop a weight on the floor. Whether you have multiple workout machines or a single treadmill and set of free weights, polyurea flooring will offer the lasting performance you need.
Laundry Room Floor Coating
Laundry rooms require a durable surface that can stand up to moisture, humidity and temperature changes. For instance, when you run a clothes dryer, the room will heat and the humidity will rise. You also need a surface that offers slip resistance in case water from wet clothes gets on the floor. Polyurea flooring is the solution to these needs.
Workshop Floor Coating
In a workshop, polyurea will suffice for most applications. The only possible concern you might have is when you weld materials over the coating. While polyurea coating can stand up to heat, it may burn from welding’s excessive temperatures. Otherwise, as a workshop floor coating, polyurea will help reduce dust that might accumulate on a bare concrete floor and offer a slip-resistant surface, improving the area’s safety.
Finished Basement Flooring
For finished basements, you want flooring that is durable and easy to clean. Polyurea requires only spot cleaning to remove spills. However, with its stain resistance, you don’t need to worry about a spilled drink in your basement rec room causing a permanent problem. Dust mops suffice for removing any dust from the surface, and you can use a sponge mop for regular cleaning of heavily trafficked areas.
Outdoor Pool Areas
Epoxy floor coatings won’t stand up to the moisture, UV rays and temperature swings that an outdoor pool area would experience. Therefore, you need a durable surface coating like polyurea. Plus, you can choose various slip resistance levels for your surface. Around a pool, you want the maximum possible slip resistance to make the area safe for everyone.
Commercial Applications for Polyurea Flooring
Homes are not the only places where polyurea flooring has uses. Businesses in all industries made this floor coating their surface of choice long before consumers discovered its benefits. From auto shops to hospitals, many businesses can take advantage of this surface’s durability and long life with a faster application time than epoxy.
Auto Shop Flooring
Auto shops require tough flooring that can resist damage from hot tires, dropped tools and stains. Polyurea floor coatings excel in these requirements where epoxy floors would not. Additionally, with one-day installation, your business won’t need to delay operations long when you have polyurea installed.
Warehouses
Warehouses have heavy vehicular and foot traffic, plus weight from the shelves and stored products. Workers cannot risk slipping and falling in such a busy location. You need polyurea’s slip resistance that can also hold up for years.
Car Dealership Showrooms
Car dealership showrooms have unique needs. First, the flooring needs to hold up to customers walking over it daily. Additionally, the floor cannot experience stains or wear from vehicles driven over it as you pull model cars into their display locations. Lastly, the floor must look good and hold up for a long time. Polyurea flooring has many color and chip options to customize your space’s appearance.
Hospitals
The floors in hospitals undergo heavy traffic, but they must also be easy to sanitize. Polyurea flooring is antibacterial, preventing viral spread and allowing for quick sanitation. It also protects people walking on the surface from slipping. In a hospital setting, durability and ease of cleaning are essential attributes of any floor coating.
Contact BlackHawk Garage Door for Polyurea Flooring
With our one-day installation in most commercial and residential locations, you can begin to enjoy your new flooring much sooner than if you had epoxy installed. Find out more about our polyurea flooring on our site, or contact us at BlackHawk Garage Door for questions or to request an appointment. Our professional technicians are ready to help you get better flooring for your garage, gym, workshop or any other space where you need polyurea floor coating’s extra benefits.