By Lifetime Epoxy Expert Guest Author: Edward Winslow 

Garage floor epoxy coatings are a popular, functional, and cost effective way to finish a room or large area. One of the ways that the basic concrete can be treated to create a different look and texture, while also providing a stronger and safer surface, is to have epoxy floor coatings applied. There are numerous benefits in having a garage floor epoxy coatings on a concrete floor, most of which will help to extend the life of the floor, and potentially even make the flooring more functional. Not all concrete floors are suitable for epoxy floor paint, but with modern materials, most surfaces can be treated to accept the coating without a problem.

With garage floor epoxy coatings, the basic texture of a concrete floor can be changed so that it can be better utilized by a home or business. The coating can have a non-slip substance added to it, or rely just on the properties of the epoxy itself to provide a very slip-resistant surface that can even help in situations where there is some moisture or liquid on the floor. Additionally, certain types of coatings provide a finish that is so strong that it can resist damage from dropped items and will stand up to high heat. At the same time, some coatings are designed in a way that allows moisture to move up through the epoxy, preventing moisture held in the underlying concrete from destroying the finish.

Aesthetically, garage floor epoxy coatings can turn a neutral, grey concrete floor into a vibrant and colorful element of the room that matches the walls and other fixtures. Most epoxy floor coatings can be tinted or colored so that once dry the floor has a distinct color. Flooring professionals can offer a more elaborate coating that matches natural materials such as granite or marble for an elegant appearance. The reflective surface of the epoxy will also refract light into the room from the ground up, increasing the overall brightness of the space.

Modern garage floor epoxy coatings have many technical features that make them an excellent choice for a variety of different rooms. They are available in several different grades, from light coatings suitable for decorative areas, all the way up to very heavy duty coatings that can withstand heavy machinery or cars. Some epoxy floor paint is self-leveling for a perfectly flat floor, as well as allowing installers to run the finish up a small portion of the contacting walls for a more professional and consistent appearance. Finally, garage floor epoxy coatings are more resistant to staining and is far easier to clean over time than a bare concrete floor.

For more information about garage floor epoxy coatings visit www.portlandgaragefloor.com/Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Edward_Winslow/169240Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6932995

By Lifetime Epoxy Floors Expert Guest Author:  Richard Alone 
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Even though, concrete is strong and durable but it can create a number of harsh tribulations. Usually, the main flooring material that found in most of the garage is concrete. If you stand on the concrete for long periods of time then it may affect your health and create several health related problem such as knee pain, backside pain and skeletal problems etc. On the other hand, when a concrete floor gets wet then it can be extremely smooth. It does not matter from where the liquid is coming in- it can be a vehicle liquid or it can be the water coming from drenched off your automobile.

Garage floor is one of the most significant areas that are ignored frequently. If you are a car lover, surely you wish to do all the care by yourself whether it is changing the oil or it is maintenance. You love to spend your time in garage. If you set up a few variety of garage flooring system, then it can have lots of benefits for a full time mechanic or a weekend combatant.

If you have made a plan to install a few varieties of garage coatings than it will add value to your garage. Once you have decided, you end up with a lot of decisions to think upon, that will facilitate you to decide what kind of floor coatings you will utilize. First you have to think, for what purpose you are using your garage. Because, if you are the one who is just using garage for car parking and you have the habit if changing oil for each 3000 miles than you have to go only for the normal garage coating or normal solution.

Standard duty solutions are fairly hard-wearing for the garage, which is being used on average basis. Heavy duty systems of garage coating are the best solution for them who go for car repairing or renovating on a continuing basis, therefore they have to focus on such system.

These types of floor coating will provide longer life for the garage, if the floor is being utilized on continuous basis intended for heavy maintenance work. Next thing you need to decide about the garage coating is, whether you wish to make it colorful or without color. When you have made a decision and you are interested only in a normal garage floor coating which is not colorful then you can search out a colorless floor coating.

The floor coating which comes without color will do well with the garage floor and it will also look after the garage flooring from beam leaks as well as other wear and tear. But most of the people are opting to include color because the added color will increase the resale value and the resale value is directly can be added to your home. It looks cool and attractive if you have a garage floor which is coated by colorful garage floor coating.

Richard is an Expert author for garage floor coatings [http://asc-tx.com/xtreme_garage_floor_coatings.html] and Acrylic coatings. He has written many articles like leather coatings, metal coatings and WaterBorne Trailer Coating. For more information visit: American Specialty Coatings [http://www.asc-tx.com]
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Richard_Alone/354825
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Author: Fahad Qayumi - Guest Expert Writer - Lifetime Epoxy Floors

If your garage floor coating has seen better days — if the sight of the cracks, stains, and damage on the garage surface has become unbearable — then it’s high time to improve your aged and used-up garage floor. Before you choose a new solution for your floor, keep in mind that not all garage floor coatings are created equal. You should check different factors to determine if a certain garage floor system will meet your needs and is the best choice for your garage.

What is polyurea floor coating? Polyurea flooring systems presents the most-advanced, fast-curing and fast-hardening system in concrete flooring technology. It can withstand more abuse and impact than any traditional epoxy coating, offers much better protection against harmful agents like oils, chemicals, and gas, and doesn’t stain, crack, or peel. If you decide to use polyurea floor coating, your floors will look gleaming and new for many years to come, if maintained properly. Below are some reasons why polyurea garage floor is a solid flooring solution for a garage.

1. It can withstand practically everything

These top-quality floors can withstand all kinds of harmful impacts, extreme pressure, and chemical attacks. Due to its strength and durability, they are often applied in commercial and industrial facilities that require heavy-duty floors. They are waterproof and UV-stable, containing no harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They can also withstand extremely high temperatures, making them resistant to hot tire lifting, patching, and peeling.

2. Polyurea coatings are strong and fast-curing

This kind of garage floor coating is fast-curing, taking only one to two hours to harden, and one day to be ready for use. This is an important advantage in comparison to classic epoxy coating systems, that take 3-5 days to harden completely. If you decide to hire a professional garage flooring contractor, you‘ll get a super strong and resistant garage floor that takes only one day to be installed.

3. They look great and are easily maintained

Polyurea floor coatings will create a tough, non-bubbling polymer with a crystal-clear finish. Due to its anti-wear and anti-skid attributes, it creates an outstanding protection barrier for your garage concrete floor, and its smooth surface enables thorough cleaning and easy maintenance. With no crack and crevices, there’s no place for insects to hide.

4. Polyurea makes your garage a safer place

Using this specific garage floor coating is a great way to add safety to your garage space. A non-slip surface combined with full paint chips can reduce the chance of an accident when the floors are wet. Heat resistance adds another layer of protection; since they can withstand very high temperatures, they can act as fire retardants. Also, unlike epoxy, it doesn't emit harmful VOCs; they are also antibacterial and nontoxic. The health and safety of your family is a top priority and quality polyurea garage floor coatings must be approved by authorized agencies, in keeping with their strict safety and sanitation regulations.

5. Polyurea flooring solutions come in many color options

Apart from being strong, durable, and resilient, your garage floor can be attractive as well. Dull gray concrete coatings are a thing of the last century! Nowadays, there are available multiple color, design and pattern options that will bring magic to any space, even to your garage. Customize your garage with more than one color or opt for decorative chip floor coating, and make your garage a genuine showpiece. Whichever option you choose, you’ll get a strong, impact resistant garage floor coating that will shine like new for many years to come.

Useful Tips Before any garage floor coating takes place, we recommend to take care of a few things:

1. Do the proper preparation of the surface
Before the flooring process takes place, you must treat the current condition of your garage surface. Take care of all the visible cracks, scratches, stains, and imperfections if you want your new garage floor coating to bond with the concrete surface. You should also check if there are any signs of moisture, as the presence of moisture will derail the flooring process. It’s also recommended to diamond grind the surface for better penetration of the solution and do some testing to see if the proper chemical reaction occurs.

2. Hire a professional contractor
If you are a DIY person and you exclusively rely on your own knowledge and skills, this time it might be smarter to consider consigning garage flooring to a professional flooring contractor. Since it’s extremely difficult and tricky to handle epoxy and polyurea materials, it’s better not to waste time and money on a badly-applied floor coating. The concrete preparation should be done thoroughly and professionally as well, in order not to miss some of a few important steps that deal with possible damages and humidity issues.

3. Don‘t let the primer be your only coat
The base coat acts as a primer, and it’s recommended not to remain the only layer. The primer will not be sufficient to protect your garage floor since it’s exposed to pressure and wear. Rather, you should apply the top coat with chips and quartz if you want to secure the anti-slip properties of the garage floor coating and it will give a sleek and elegant look to the overall appearance of your garage.

4. Calculate the cost of the entire installation process
To know the average price per square meter is not enough. The installation process also implies the cost of the preparation, materials, anti-slip chips, technique, and supervision of the flooring project. Examine all these factors and plan your budget on time! Keep in mind that polyurea floor coatings are not cheap, but also be aware that there are no cheap quality floors.

Can you use polyurea to seal your driveway?It seems like polyurea is a perfect garage floor coating, but is it adequate to use it on outdoor surfaces? If you wonder if polyurea can withstand the temperature oscillations and moisture caused by rain or snow in combination with car tires’ marks, peels, and scratches, we have good news for you. Yes, it can, and it’s highly recommended to seal your driveway with polyurea. Polyurea is resilient to many harmful outdoor impacts, and when installed properly, it looks amazing. If you had any doubts about applying polyurea to your outdoor surfaces, forget about them.

No sealer can beat the strength of polyurea exposed to outdoor conditions. Epoxy, classic paints, and cheap polyurethane won’t give long lasting and satisfying results. Sooner or later your driveway will become worn out and cracked, and you don’t want to waste time and money on driveway repair. Polyurea creates an impenetrable barrier that perfectly protects the concrete in all outdoor conditions as seasons change. Superior flexibility offers years and years of resilience without any damage.

For more specialty flooring solutions, click here!Since the garage is considered an extension of your living space, it must look nice and be functional for many years, and the benefits of a revitalized garage space are numerous. Forget about your old drab and crumbling concrete floor and breathe new life into your garage floor with polyurea solutions. The transformation of your garage comes from the floor up, so inject character and personality to your rock-solid and durable garage flooring. Enhance your comfort level and make the space functional and inviting with polyurea coating systems.
For more information, visit garagedesignsource.com.

Article Source: https://www.floortrendsmag.com/articles/103462-rethinking-your-garage-why-consider-polyurea-floor-coating

Concrete can be selectively designed and styled, but it doesn't truly come to life until you have it colored. There are several ways to achieve this, but the four most common decorative concrete coloring methods include integral colors, antiquing, tinted sealers, and color hardeners. Continue reading to learn more about each method, and who to call for trusted decorative concrete work in your town.

​Decorative concrete is an appealing, versatile, and cost-effective option for flooring, countertops, hardscapes, and more. The possibilities for style and design are infinite, and only limited by the imagination of you and your concrete contractor! There are endless selections of patterns, textures, shapes, coatings, and colors to choose from, so it is simple to customize a look that is perfectly suited to its surroundings. And since concrete is low-maintenance, it doesn't take much effort to sustains its luster and charm for years to come!

Decorative Concrete Color Methods Include:

Integral Colors - Integral colors, also called integrated colors, generally come in either a liquid or powder form. In contrast to other coloring methods, they are combined and mixed into the concrete before it is even poured. This means the color matures within the concrete as the concrete cures. One of the most revered qualities if integrated colors is that the concrete is colored all the way through. So if it is notched or chipped, the color would remain consistent throughout.

Antiquing - Antiquing release colors are another effective method for coloring concrete because they provide more than one function. It is applied to the surface of concrete after it is poured, but before it is stamped or styled. Not only does this deliver beautiful color accents in the grooves and crevices of the concrete, it helps to prevent the stamps from sticking to the concrete. Antiquing release colors usually come in powder form, but can also come in liquid form, and they are commonly coupled with other forms of coloring.

Tinted Sealers - All decorative concrete requires a quality sealcoat for protective purposes. But some come in a tinted version, delivering a wide range of transparent shades, hues, and even mimicked textures. Tinted sealers are frequently combined with other methods of decorative concrete coloring.

Color Hardeners - Color hardeners comes in a wide selection of colors, and come in powder form. They are applied directly to the surface of freshly-poured concrete. But since they have high PSI and cement content, they are not recommended for rapidly-changing climates. Under these conditions, they often take on a popcorn-like effect, which is both unappealing and unlike what it should be.
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Call Creative Concrete Coatings at 317-537-1099 for decorative concrete service in Indianapolis, Indiana. They offer a wide variety of residential and commercial decorative concrete services, including concrete colors [http://www.creativeconcreteindy.com/colors.php], stamping, staining, polishing, and more. Call 317-537-1099 to schedule a consultation for an estimate, today.Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sarahbeth_Kluzinski/1326228Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9650106

By Mike Spadaccini - Expert Guest Author of Lifetime Epoxy Floors

Both, epoxy/polyurethane and polyurea coatings have remarkable adhesion properties, and are very durable, at least compared to typical paint products. Another introductory point is that although advertised as "polyureas", garage floor polyurea products are really hybrids. A pure polyurea cures in 15 seconds or so--obviously not very easy to apply unless it is sprayed. Pure polyureas are sprayed, and used in industrial applications.

​There are two competing products in the garage floor coating industry: the traditional applied epoxy/polyurethane coatings, and the relatively newer polyurea coatings. First, the coatings are chemically related; they share a common chemistry.

​Strength and Adhesion

Adhesion is important because garage floors take a beating. If the adhesion between coating and cement floor fails, then the project fails. Both polyureas and epoxies adhere tenaciously to the surfaces to which they are applied-but only when the underlying surface is prepared well.

The problem with polyureas is that the reduced drying time may not sufficiently "wet" the concrete surface to which it is applied. This wetting of a surface means absorption, which means adhesion. We know that Premier Garage uses some form of hybrid, and the recent lawsuit brought by some of its franchisees involved, as one of its claims, allegations that Premier Garage's hybrid products lack adhesion.

It's only an allegation though, and I would suspect that the problem may lie in the surface preparation, rather than the coating properties. Here in Austin, the one Premier Garage installation I observed was prepared with an acid solution, and not with a physical grinder. That's a recipe for disaster--the best preparation is always surface grinding.

All in all, polyurea hybrids and epoxy coatings, when applied over well-prepared surfaces, have more than adequate adhesion properties to adhere to even imperfect concrete for at least a decade.

Mike Spadaccini is a master epoxy flooring installer with Garage and Storage Plus - Floors & Garage Storage Racks, an Austin-based Garage Improvement company.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mike_Spadaccini/188514
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By Lifetime Epoxy Floors Expert Guest Author: Frank Russman

Many Huntsville Metro residents are having their garage floor coated. Having an epoxy garage floor coating will give you years of service, durability and will resist most stains; as well as provide you with a beautifully, finished surface to preserve the value of your home.  Why have an epoxy garage floor? Ordinary garage floors are just plain grey concrete. Over time, stains from grease, oils, and chemicals cause plain grey concrete to become an ugly eyesore. ​

The Most Common Epoxy Floor Coating Systems

There are three common systems available that will enhance your garage floor:

• 1. Epoxy & Polyurethane Solid Color System
• 2. Epoxy Chipstone (partial vinyl chip broadcast) with Polyurethane Top Coat System
• 3. Epoxy Granitex (100% vinyl chip broadcast) with Polyurethane Top Coat System

Keep in mind that with these three epoxy systems, you have 'good', 'better' and 'best' types of epoxy garage floor systems.

The Good System

The epoxy polyurethane solid color system will last approximately 5-7 years, maintenance free, but will require a maintenance coat of pigmented polyurethane. This garage floor coating is usually a two-coat, thin film system; ranging in thickness from 4-20 mils. It is applied by roller or airless sprayer.

The Better System

The epoxy Chipstone system will last approximately 7-12 years, maintenance free before needing a maintenance coat of clear polyurethane. This epoxy garage floor system typically consists of one pigmented primer coat of epoxy; a pigmented color coat with a partial/light broadcast of vinyl chips into the wet epoxy; and a single coat of clear polyurethane for protection. The thickness is approximately 20-30 mils.

The Best System

The epoxy Granitex system can last as long as 12-15+ years, maintenance free before needing a maintenance coat of polyurethane. This epoxy floor coating is typically one pigmented primer coat; a pigmented color coat with a 100%/full broadcast of vinyl chips; and two coats of clear polyurethane.

Preparation

Proper surface preparation is vital to the long term success of the installation. All surfaces to be coated must be cleaned of contaminants which may interfere with bonding. Concrete must be acid-etched, shot-blasted or diamond-ground to achieve a profile similar to 120 grit sandpaper. After preparation, the concrete surface should be inspected for holes and cracks. If holes or cracks are prevalent, then patchwork should be performed. Once preparation is complete, installation is ready to begin.

Installation of Granitex Epoxy Garage Floor System:

• 1. Surface preparation, patchwork and roll one coat of pigmented epoxy primer.
• 2. After epoxy primer is dry, inspect, prep and roll one coat of pigmented epoxy over primed area. Work in 10x10 or 12x12 sections at a time. While epoxy is wet, broadcast vinyl chips into wet epoxy. Be sure the area receives 100% coverage. When all sections are completely covered, let dry thoroughly.
• 3. Once all sections are dry, scrape, sweep and vacuum all excess Granitex vinyl chips from the surface. Apply a thin coat of polyurethane to lock and lay vinyl chips down.
• 4. When the polyurethane is dry, apply a second coat for a final top coat. As an option, non-skid resin sand can be added to increase the slip resistance.

All epoxy garage floor coatings can be easily cleaned with mild, liquid detergents; then mopping, hosing or even "swiffering". Grease, oils, and most chemicals will not stain or absorb into the epoxy coated floor.
To learn more about epoxy garage floor coatings and get facts, info and much more about decorative concrete coatings for any other concrete area, visit Frank's blog here: Epoxy Garage Floor Coating Systems [http://concretedesignsbyfrank.com/?p=429]Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Frank_Russman/437925Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3540518