Epoxy flooring has become essential for homeowners looking to protect and enhance their garage floors. Hence, in Nashville, with its varied weather conditions, the choice between a 1-day and 2-day installation process for your garage floor coating system can have long-term impacts on the durability and lifespan of your garage floor. Here’s what you need to know about each system.
Garage Floor Coating: Understanding 1-Day Systems
The 1-day coating system is designed for speed. Therefore, these systems offer a fast turnaround with minimal downtime. Here’s a concise breakdown of how it works:
- Polyurea-polyaspartic coatings: These are fast-curing coatings that are applied as both a direct-to-concrete primer coat and clear topcoat in 1-day coating systems.
- Single coat application: The 1-day system focuses on speed and ease. A single thin polyurea primer coat and single polyaspartic top coat are applied.
- Curing time: The quick drying process allows the garage floor to be usable within 24 hours.
While convenient, this system has some notable downsides:
- Limited moisture protection: Polyurea-polyaspartics are not spec’d to go direct to concrete. Why? Because these fast-curing coatings cure even faster in the presence of moisture in the concrete (and air). As a result, they fail to deeply penetrate and bond with the concrete substrate under medium to high moisture conditions. Without a proper moisture-mitigating primer, this coating is vulnerable to moisture rising from the concrete. This can cause peeling and bubbling — sometimes within a few years or even months of installation.
- Thin layer: Polyurea-polyaspartics cannot be applied thickly (they simply won’t cure properly if applied thickly). The thinness of the polyurea-polyaspartic primer coat and single, thin polyaspartic topcoat can lead to a shorter lifespan. This is especially true when exposed to Nashville’s humidity and frequent weather changes.
Garage Floor Coating: Benefits of a 2-Day System
In contrast, the 2-day garage floor coating system takes more time but offers enhanced durability and performance. The process typically includes:
- Day 1: Thick, moisture-mitigating 100%-solids epoxy primer: This high-build primer is applied directly to the concrete to act as a moisture vapor barrier. It bonds tightly to the concrete, protecting it from moisture rising from beneath. Albeit, it’s a slower curing product than a polyurea…so installation takes two days, not one.
- Day 2: Polyaspartic topcoats: Two separate layers of polyaspartic are applied on the second day, providing a durable, UV-resistant, and stain-resistant surface. These topcoats are 100%-solids, meaning they don’t shrink during the curing process.
Why 2-Day Systems are Superior for Nashville
Nashville’s weather can vary greatly, from hot, humid summers to cold winters. Here’s why the 2-day system is better suited for these conditions:
- Moisture protection: The epoxy primer layer acts as a barrier, protecting the concrete from Nashville’s high humidity and preventing common moisture-related issues like peeling. Unlike 1-day polyurea systems, these 2-day epoxy polyaspartic systems are warrant against moisture-related issues (the number one reason for coating failures).
- Thicker, stronger coating: The multiple layers in the 2-day system create a thicker, more durable surface that resists the effects of hot tires, UV exposure, and chemicals.
The Bottom Line
While 1-day systems are appealing for their convenience, the 2-day system offers a longer-lasting and more protective coating. For homeowners in Nashville, investing in a 2-day garage floor coating system ensures better protection against the city’s weather extremes, making it the ideal choice for durability and longevity.