If you are thinking about protecting your concrete floors, there are two major choices. Do you go with industrial concrete epoxy coating or a urethane coating? Both products provide many different benefits, but which one is right for your needs? Let’s check them both out, examine the differences, and this might help you with your decision.
Epoxy and Urethane
Urethane and epoxy have some of the same benefits. In fact, they are combined in some coating products to provide superior properties. Both materials are highly resistant to stains, oils, chemicals, and all kinds of spills. In addition, they are very durable and long lasting. Cleaning either surface is not much trouble either.
Epoxy Coating for Concrete
Epoxy coatings can be purchased in different formulas. For example, some are water based while other contain 100 percent solids. Still, solvent based epoxy coatings are also used. Epoxy bonds especially well with concrete surfaces. In fact, it is sometimes used to resurface concrete, and can make a concrete garage floor look like new. It will fill in all the cracks, crevices, and little holes and provide a smooth and durable driving surface.
Concrete epoxy coatings can be installed in a wide range of thicknesses and this makes it very versatile. You also can find epoxy coating products which are self leveling and this means you may not have to install a separate underlayment or go through all the trouble of leveling out the floor beforehand. This can save you a great deal on installation and materials costs.
Epoxy can increase concrete’s ability to reflect light, which brightens up living and work areas considerably. However, there is a downside. Epoxy can be affected or faded by sunlight. Yet, you can buy some formulas specially designed to resist UV light.
Urethane Concrete Coating
Applying urethane can be a little more difficult than epoxy. However, this depends on the kind of urethane product you choose. By itself, urethane does not bond well to concrete like epoxy, and unlike epoxy, it cannot be applied directly to your concrete floors. Plus, it must be applied at a specific thickness. Urethane resists both heat and moisture very well and it is often used for restaurants and food services.
Urethane is the perfect top coat for an epoxy underlayment or coating. It will bond well to the epoxy and provide a seamless surface.
Which is Best?
If you want the most versatile product, concrete epoxy coating may be your best bet. However, perhaps the best choice involves using an epoxy underlayment and going with a top coat of urethane. This can give you the best properties from each material.
To find out more about concrete epoxy coating products for home and business, come to Garage Floor Coating of MN. We offer a wide range of products for your needs and we can be found on the Web at https://www.garagefloorcoatingofmn.com/ for more details.
