What’s The Difference? Epoxy Garage Floor Paint, Seals and Coatings

Paint, seals and coatings, oh my! Are you wondering what all the different terms are about when it comes to epoxy garage flooring? While some might define these terms by the thickness (in millimeters) of their respective applications, Webfoot wants to make sure you know all the current lingo and vocab when deciding what flooring will suit your needs! Knowledge is power. Read on to get the 411 on nomenclature in the wide world of epoxy garage flooring.

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Epoxy

Traditionally, the term epoxy was used to describe a mechanically bonding agent that was added to flooring and acted as a membrane over it’s underlying surface. A mechanical bond is not as strong, durable and long lasting as a chemical bond – which is how more modern epoxy garage flooring is applied. This bond is so strong, it doesn’t flake, chip or begin to adhere to car wheels in hot weather and UV light. Some distributors and installers may use the term epoxy but actually mean a product with a chemical bond. Be sure to make this distinction when selecting a floor coating.

Paint

Currently, it’s common for epoxy garage flooring of the mechanical bonding type to be referred to as a paint. This is because paint typically mechanically bonds (rather than chemically bonding) to its underlying layer (like epoxy) and it will likely deteriorate faster through chipping and flaking than a polyurea or other chemically bonding counterpart.

Seals and Coatings

These terms can refer to either a mechanically or chemically bonding epoxy garage flooring protectant layering system. While a mechanically bonded membrane seal can do a good flooring job for a while, remember that a chemically bonded flooring system will last much longer, won’t flake off and is UV stable in the heat and sun.

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While researching, you may also see literature describing the differences between acrylic seals and epoxy seals. What’s most important isn’t these terms. What’s most important is to understand how the coating bonds to the layer below it.

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Further information on terms like topcoat, and more vocabulary breakdown can be found in tha Armour Garage article; Epoxy Flooring Facts & Fiction. What You Must Know & What you Absolutely Don’t Have To Know

When choosing a flooring protectant, ask about bonding

Ask your epoxy garage floor installation professional whether the coating they will use will bond chemically (polyurea) or mechanically (polyaspartic) to it’s underlying layer. Chemical bonds are the strongest and most durable. For Webfoot, this means a polyurea system of coating and this flooring can be installed in as little as one day! Schedule an estimate today.

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