When it comes to installing the right concrete floor coating it is vital that you purchase the correct product. Too often we here at Xano521 see people make the mistake of going with the inferior product which ends up costing them thousands in repairs and replacement. This costly mistake is completely avoidable when the purchaser is armed with the correct information. Here is everything you need to know about the differences between Epoxy and Polyurea concrete coatings so that you can make an informed decision.
Simply put, when faced with the choice of either an epoxy or a polyurea concrete coating you should always choose the polyurea for 3 main reasons. First, polyurea concrete coatings are more flexible than epoxy coating. Second, an epoxy coating takes upwards of a week to fully cure and harden while polyurea is ready within a fraction of the time. Third, epoxy coatings are more likely to crack and cost thousands to fix and replace whereas polyurea is much more durable.
We here at Xano521 pride ourselves on providing the best industrial concrete coatings on the market for both residential and commercial properties around the greater Central Florida region. If you are on the fence about getting one of these amazing coatings for yourself then check out our review page or feel free to reach out to us to discuss what would go best for your project.
Here is everything you need to know about epoxy vs. polyurea coatings to help you make the right decision.
A Polyurea Is Better Than Epoxy Because It Is More Flexible
One of the main reasons why everybody should go with a polyurea coating instead of an epoxy one is because polyurea is much more flexible.
When most people think of concrete coatings they don’t think that flexibility matters. This however is far from the case. Flexibility is one of the most important parts of a good concrete coating for both residential and commercial properties around Florida due to heat.
A 2015 study performed by the CMR Institute of Technology discovered that polyurea coatings remain flexible and retain their durability while under prolonged exposure in heat-intensive environments such as a Florida garage in Summer.
Polyurea is capable of remaining flexible during the hot Central Florida summer without losing its durability. Epoxy floors on the other hand are not built to withstand prolonged exposure to heat and offer subpar protection for your concrete.
We can’t avoid the heat here in Central Florida. Everything we buy has to be able to survive the heat and your concrete coating should be no different. Too often we see people install an epoxy coating only to have us come out to replace it after it begins to warp and look bad. These costly repairs can be completely avoided by picking the correct product ahead of time.
Our polyurea coatings will outlast even the hottest Florida temperatures and won’t warp or lose their flexiability. As such one of the main reasons you should pick a polyurea coating is because of its ability to remain flexible even in high-temperature environments.
Epoxy Coatings Can Take Upwards Of A Week To Fully Cure While Our Polyurea Coatings Take A Fraction Of The Time
Another reason you should go with a polyurea coating instead of an epoxy one is because of the time it takes to fully cure.
There is a window for all concrete coatings where you can’t walk on it or drive over it. This can cause the coating to warp, crack, or lift off the concrete. This can be a problem for businesses and homeowners who need to use their concrete.
Imagine you hire a company to come out and install an epoxy coating on your concrete in Central Florida. You are told that you can’t use your driveway or garage for several days to a whole week. That means you and your family are parking on the street. For business owners, this is even worse as your entire operation can be halted for upwards of a week.
Unfortunately, too many people underestimate how much of a burden this can be. Epoxy coatings take between 2-7 days to fully cure and become operational depending on ambient conditions and the type of epoxy. The good news is however that polyurea’s curing time is significantly less.
Polyurea is a synthetic material that can cure in less than 24 hours after installation. Often within only a couple of hours, people can start to walk on it and sometime around a day later your new concreate coating is completely ready to go. This is a drastic time difference from the epoxy coating’s 2-7 day curing time requirement.
Epoxy Coatings Are More Likely To Crack And Can Cost Thousands To Replace
One of the major reasons why everybody in the greater Central Florida region should choose polyurea over epoxy is because with epoxy you have a high risk of having to replace the coating.
This is a simple fact of epoxy coatings; they are more likely to crack due to their chemical makeup. Epoxy coatings are a resin-based compound that behaves similar to a really tough glue. Once the epoxy cures it is incredibly hard and has almost no flexibility.
This means that if the epoxy expands during a heat wave it can crack. This is a nightmare as you cant just replace a portion of the epoxy floor, instead, you have to replace the entire thing.
Too often we have shown up to customers’ homes who had an epoxy floor installed only to have it crack a couple of years later. This mistake ends up costing the customer thousands of dollars in repairs as it takes a lot of man hours to remove the hard glue-like epoxy concrete coating.
Installing polyurea instead of an epoxy coating will save the property owner money and a headache in the long run. Since polyurea is more durable and flexible than epoxy you won’t have to replace it a couple of years down the road.
Here at, Xano521 we do the job right the first time. For the property owners of the greater Central Florida region, this means having them install a polyurea coating that is flexible and won’t crack. We are so confident that our polyurea products won’t fail you that we offer a 15-year residential manufacturer’s warranty.