The hype is all about epoxy garage floor coatings. All those plain grays and browns that are always affiliated with garage paint are "SO Yesterday"! Clear and vibrant red garage floor finishes are more common today. If you are watching TV and you see any garage floors that catch your eye, notice if the floors are solid colors or have just specks of color in them because that would mean that most likely they are epoxy. Nowadays, acrylic, resin and epoxy are the most common terms used with coatings, even though numerous people do not have a clue as to what those phrases mean. As you read on, this composition will give you the scoop on what epoxy is and the reasons for its use in current coatings.
What Is Epoxy?
Anyone who has ever glued something together that was never meant to come apart in the first place has probably used either super-glue or epoxy. If you had to mix it, it was probably epoxy. This is because epoxy, by definition, is a mixture of epoxide and polyamine. Once these two chemicals have mixed and cured, they create the rock-hard adhesive or paint that we know of as epoxy. The curing process of epoxy is often varied depending on its application. When it comes to flooring, epoxy typically takes hours to cure, whereas in adhesive, it may be mixed so that it will only take minutes.
Why Is Epoxy Such An Effective Coating
Of all the various garage flooring options, epoxy is definitely the strongest and most durable. By nature, epoxy resists everything from liquid to UV rays, so you can bet it will also resist any chemicals that come from your car or anything else that ends up in your garage. Because it is so hard, it's not as comfortable to lay or sit up as tiles or mats, however, although it is easier on the back and knees than a plain old concrete garage floor.
How Does Epoxy Compare To Other Types Of Coatings?
When perusing your options, you'll probably notice that some garage floor paint is labeled as water based, or acrylic based. For the most part, these are also epoxy coatings, and they may or may not be mixed differently than those coatings that scream epoxy on their label. For whatever reason, some companies seem to think calling the same thing something slightly different will sell better. You'll notice that most of the big names, such as Quikrete garage floor and RustOleum, are a bit more straightforward about it and proudly tell you that their products are epoxy.
Epoxy Is Probably The Future Of Garage Floor Coatings, Too
Even though epoxy's most attractive attribute, the ability to with the worst chemicals, has been in circulation for a long while, the technology is worth the price. A great example of this is brake fluid, when left alone, can destroy clothes by seeming to "eat" them, will just easily come off of epoxy coating. Probably not too far in the future there will be a new technology for a car or something that might be able to deteriorate epoxy, but for now, it is a safe choice. Meaning, the best garage floor coating you should require is epoxy.