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Polyaspartic Coating Benefits

Polyaspartic coatings are a relatively new product in the concrete coatings market but experts don’t hesitate to recommend them to customers. This coating is considered a great alternative to epoxy and delivers a reliable performance. Polyaspartic polyurea is essentially a subgroup of polyurethane.

Until people discovered its applications as a concrete coating, it was commonly used in interior pipes, liquid containment, spray on bed-liners, etc. At The Floor Company, we consider this coating to be highly effective and recommend it to our clients based on the benefits listed below.

Resistance
One of the best qualities of polyaspartic coating is its ability to resist wear and tear. It is more resistant to abrasions, light to moderate impact, chemicals spills, punctures and dents, stains and watermarks, and slightly increased temperatures compared to any other coating available in the market today. This ensures the surface is also very durable and won’t need any resurfacing or finishing treatments regularly. Polyaspartic coating is also UV resistant so you can be certain it won’t fade under the sun’s rays if you apply it on outdoor surfaces.

Application  

Epoxy and other such coatings take a long time to dry and that increases the cost and downtime.  Polyaspartic coatings dry quickly so it’s possible to install the entire floor within a day or two. This coating doesn’t emit much odour and has little to no VOC so it can safely be applied to floors in hospitals and medical facilities. The application process will have no impact on the indoor air quality so you can continue to use the building even as the coating is being applied

Customizable 

Polyaspartic coating is highly customizable and can be adjusted according to your requirements. If you need more skid-resistance, you can ask the installer to formulate the coating application to provide more skid resistance. The coating can also be altered to offer more antimicrobial properties if needed. You can choose different decorative finishes to enhance the look and style of your floor. The top coat will alter the colour and design of the coating according to your preferences.

For information on industrial flooring options or to get an estimate, you can contact us at The Floor Company. If you’re calling from Ottawa and surrounding areas, dial 1800 461 3121. If you’re calling from Kingston, Bellevielle, Peterborough and Durham, dial 1877 277 9877. You can also email us at info@thefloorcompany.com or fill in this contact us form.

The Floor Company

Address: 1117 Newmarket Street, Unit B, Ottawa, ON K1B 4N4

The Differences Between Polyaspartics and Epoxy Coatings

polyaspartic flooringThere are many differences and similarities between polyaspartics and epoxy coatings.  In many cases, once the product is installed you cannot tell the difference. We’ve outlined below why you might choose polyaspartic polyurea over epoxy and vice versa.

Polyaspartic Polyurea

Polyaspartics are thinner and more abrasion resistant than traditional epoxy coatings. A major benefit to them is the fact that they are 100% UV stable, meaning they will not turn yellow due to exposure of the sun or artificial UV lighting.

A major benefit to using a polyaspartic coating is that the installer is able to apply multiple coats and sometimes complete a several coat installation in one day. The reason for this is because polyaspartics cure using available moisture in the surface and in the air.

For floors that have a heavy texture that needs to be hidden, polyaspartics can still be a solution but they will require either multiple layers or decorative colour flakes to hide the texture. This is due to their thinner nature and also the fact that polyaspartic polyurea cures too quickly to be an efficient self-levelling coating.

The vast majority of residential garage floors do not exhibit any of the variables that would prevent the use of polyaspartic coatings. In some cases however, epoxy coatings might be a better solution.

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Epoxy Coatings

Epoxies used in the coatings industry, are typically thicker, and have levelling properties not available with polyaspartic polyurea. The benefit here is that less coats are required in order to achieve a smooth floor when one is desired.

An example of an environment when a 100% solids 2-part epoxy might be chosen over a 2-component polyaspartic polyurea is when a large square footage job is comprised of multiple small rooms and hallways. This is because epoxies, while they take longer to cure, allow for more intricate work to be done without fear of the material curing during the installation.

Epoxies also make excellent repair mortars and bases for polyaspartic polyurea floors, this is to say that in some cases both epoxy and polyaspartic polyurea may be used for the perfect coating solution. Unfortunately today, there are many sources across the internet stating that one type of coating is better than another for all circumstances; this simply is not the case. As we have mentioned above, both types of coatings have ample benefits.

Call us today to have an industry recognized coatings expert contact you with more information specific to your exact flooring needs.