Are Polyurea Or Polyaspartic Floor Coatings Better For Your Home?

Untreated concrete floors can look dingy and really bring down the visual appeal of your home. In addition to their lackluster appearance, excessive wear and tear can lead to substantial damage. If you are looking for a way to improve the appearance and integrity of your garage floors, you should consider getting a floor coating.

But with so many options on the market, it might be hard to choose. At Solid Garage Floor Coatings of Virginia, some of our most popular options include Polyurea and Polyaspartic floor coatings. Each of these floor coating options comes with its own benefits that might make it the best choice for your home.

Our team at Solid Garage Floor Coatings of Virginia wants you to understand the difference between Polyurea and Polyaspartic floor coatings, so you can make your most informed decision. 

What Is A Polyurea Floor Coating?

In the late 1980s, after years of testing and development, Polyurea coatings made their debut on the market. However, they were not invented to act as a concrete floor coating. Originally, manufacturers created Polyurea to coat steel, acting as a water-resistant barrier. It was intended to replace more moisture-sensitive polyurethane. 

When it was first introduced, Polyurea was often used for lining truck beds and tanks and as a pipe coating material. In the 1990s, Polyurea became a more popular option for homeowners as a garage floor coating. Its most common use is as a floor coating material due to its ability to protect concrete surfaces from grease, grime, and staining. 

The Pros and Cons Of Polyurea Floor Coatings

Many benefits of Polyurea led to its increasing popularity as a floor coating option. The benefits of using Polyurea as a floor coating include the following:

• It’s Flexible: Prior to Polyurea, there were not many floor coatings on the market that were flexible enough to move with your garage floor. As temperatures fluctuate and the weight on your floors changes, your floor moves. More rigid materials would crack as the floors moved. However, Polyurea is flexible and can move with the floor. 
• It’s Inexpensive: Floor coatings are not known for being an inexpensive home project. However, Polyurea has a lower manufacturing cost, making it a great option for homeowners looking to upgrade their space on a budget. 
• It’s Durable: The biggest benefit to a floor coating for your concrete floors is the ability to protect the flooring from unnecessary damage. Polyurea floor coatings provide great durability to your floor, protecting it from damage caused by falling items, car tires, and general wear and tear from walking.

While there are many benefits to Polyurea floor coatings, many drawbacks may cause homeowners to pause before making this large investment. The drawbacks of using Polyurea as a floor coating include the following: 

• It Blisters: Bubbles may form in your Polyurea floor coating while it is being mixed. After the floor coating is applied and cured, these bubbles can still cause significant problems. You may notice these bubbles rising to the surface of your coating. Over time, these can pop, causing cracking and crumbling of your floor coating. 
• It Cure’s Too Quickly: When getting a floor coating for your home, you likely want to return to regular use of the space as soon as possible. While a quick cure time is great, curing too quickly can cause problems with adhesion to the concrete beneath, leading to unplanned damage. 
• It Isn’t UV Resistant: While Polyurea floor coatings are a beautiful option and look wonderful immediately following application, they are not UV resistant. Over time, any exposure to sunlight will cause the flooring to start yellowing. Because of this, it isn’t a great option for any room that receives significant sun exposure. 

What Are Polyaspartic Floor Coatings?

Introduced just a few years after Polyurea was brought on the market, Polyaspartic is the more advanced floor coating option. Also referred to as Polyaspartic Aliphatic Polyurea, manufacturers created Polyaspartic to remedy some of the problems experienced when using Polyurea. Originally, it was used to coat boats, rail cars, bridges, and piers. Now, Polyaspartic is an incredibly popular floor coating option. 

The Pros of Polyaspartic Floor Coatings

There are many factors that make Polyaspartic a great floor coating option. These factors include the following: 

• It’s UV Resistant: One of the most substantial improvements to Polyaspartic floor coatings is its UV resistance. With many homeowners opting to use Polyaspartic floor coatings in spaces that receive direct sunlight, they no longer have to worry about the sun degrading the appearance of their flooring. 
• It Cures Better: Quick cure times are great, but slower, more even cure times are better. Polyaspartic floor coatings still feature a quick cure, but not as quickly as Polyurea. Because of this slowdown, Polyaspartic floor coatings adhere fully to the concrete before it begins to cure. With this even cure, homeowners don’t have to worry about damage to their floors down the road.
• It’s Scratch And Stain Resistant: If you invest in a floor coating, you want it to look its very best for years. Polyaspartic floor coatings are not as susceptible as their Polyurea counterparts to scratching and staining, which is great if you choose to use them in rooms exposed to chemicals and grime. 

What Do We Recommend?

Homeowners choose to make a significant investment when choosing to get a floor coating installed. If you are choosing to make such a substantial investment, you should consider getting the best product available on the market. While the floor coating you choose for your home is ultimately your decision, you should consider getting Polyaspartic floor coatings.

They feature far more benefits than Polyurea, making them more reliable for your space’s unique needs. Polyaspartic floor coatings may cost more upfront, but you save yourself the cost of repairs and replacements down the road. If you are going to invest in a floor coating, invest in the very best. 

All Your Floor Coating Needs In One Place

When choosing a floor coating company, you should look for a team you can trust. With years of experience and happy customers, we are confident that our Solid Garage Floor Coatings of Virginia team can help you find your perfect floor coating solution.

Solid Garage Floor Coatings of Virginia has options for you no matter what you need a floor coating for. We provide Polyaspartic floor coatings for basements, garages, patios, commercial spaces, and more. If you are interested in investing in Polyaspartic floor coatings for your home and would like to receive a quote, reach out to us today.