FLOOR PREPARATION
At Pro-Line Epoxy Flooring we always prepare the concrete for the epoxy application, we use an industrial floor grinder with highly specialized diamond segments in order to effectively expose the pores so that the floor coating system adheres properly. This process also removes contaminant, like motor oil, and any other oils and/or gasoline which can be found in cars, motorcycles, snow-blowers, lawn mowers, etc. The steps taken to prepare a concrete floor for coating is crucial for the integrity of the product.
Without proper preparation the coating is vulnerable to not adhering properly, to flaking and peeling after the application of the epoxy floor coating system is applied. This is why the preparation process is one of the most important steps in any floor coating system application, whether that be epoxy or polyaspartic.
POLYASPARTIC
Polyaspartic is a 2 component coating that cures very fast and can be walked on within 1 hour. However, a full cure is needed before cars or lifts can be driven on it and that can take 48-72 hours. Polyaspartic is both scratch resistant and chemical resistant. It is also very UV stable meaning that it is not affected by the sun’s rays and will not discolor, therefore, it can be used outside. Polyaspartic is also somewhat flexible so it can be forgiving when applied over joints that need to move as the surface underneath expands and contracts with temperature changes.
Pro-Line specializes in epoxy and polyaspartic concrete floor coatings.
Pros of Polyaspartic
- UV stable/ will not discolor
- Flexible
- Cures fast
- Bonds well to bare concrete
- Chemical resistant (except battery acid)
EPOXY
Epoxies have been around since the 1930’s and come in more than one variety. They have been modified to fill a wide range of uses. Epoxy is a 2 component coating that generally cures slowly. It is recommended to wait 6-10 hours before attempting to walk on it and 72 hours before driving on it. Epoxy gets extremely hard and generally are not very flexible. Although many manufacturers claim they can be UV stable, we have not found any that are not affected by the sun’s UV rays. They will not bridge cracks since they are not very flexible.
Epoxy and polyaspartic top coats can be added to the resinous coat epoxy, epoxy flake, or the metallic epoxy floor.
Pros of Epoxy
- Cures to be VERY hard
- Slow Cure good for metallic artistic floors
- Epoxy can hold up to battery acid, heat and chemicals