1-DAY COATING SYSTEMS: HERE’S THE REAL TRUTH

Widely utilized across concrete industry sectors, polyaspartic coatings are known for their rapid curing properties. They offer exceptional resistance against UV rays, chemicals and impacts once applied. Furthermore, a high-quality polyurea-polyaspartic coat can effectively prohibit tire marks from staining your concrete (we specify “high-quality” because there are a lot of low quality polyurea-polyaspartic coatings out there). This type of coating can serve as a long-lasting clear topcoat.

However, one significant drawback is that polyurea-polyaspartics do not bond well under damp conditions — making them unsuited as primer coats directly on concrete surfaces (due to their chemical nature, polyureas cannot be applied thickly, and thus cannot withstand high moisture/hydrostatic pressures). This constraint can be easily bypassed by applying a moisture-mitigating epoxy as a primer layer. Epoxy can be applied very thickly, due to the way in which it cures, before applying the polyurea-polyaspartic as its transparent finishing layers. Although this method requires more time (because epoxies cure slower) – typically up to 2 days instead of 1 – seasoned professionals (and architects) will attest to this method of application.

It’s worth mentioning that contractors who promote “1-day” applications may attempt to devalue epoxy products (as part of their sales presentation), yet include a warranty exclusion in their contractual agreements against “moisture-related issues”. Expert installers understand that all types of coating products, like epoxies, urethanes and polyurea-polyaspartics, come with distinct pros-and-cons. Reliable contractors installing commercial-grade flooring apply coating systems with mixed coating types to produce the best and longest-lasting concrete flooring.

Applying thin coats of polyurea (or polyaspartic; contractors use both names as a polyaspartic is simply an “aliphatic polyurea”) directly on concrete, as is done with “1-day” polyurea-polyaspartic coating systems, is ill-advised due to delamination (peeling) that can occur over time in medium-to-high moisture vapor transmission scenarios. And all concrete has moisture. Contractors choose this method as it lessens product and labor costs, thereby boosting profitability (in their favor). However, their warranties don’t cover high-moisture issues or potential issues with tire staining (also called plasticizer migration). It’s in their small print! With these constraints in mind, why would you ever invest in a “1-day” coating system? Clearly, haste makes waste.