If you’ve been looking into getting your garage floor coated, you’ve probably come across two main options: 1-day installation systems and 2-day systems. It’s an industry filled with claims about quick installs and easy turnarounds, but not all garage floor coatings are created equal. So, which should you choose? Here’s why 2-day systems are the best decision for your garage floor.
The Power of the 2-Day System
Let’s start with why the 2-day system stands above the rest. It’s all about quality and longevity. The backbone of a solid 2-day system starts with a 100%-solids, moisture-mitigating epoxy primer. This is the stuff that ensures your floor can handle Pennsylvania’s often unpredictable weather—freezing in the winter, humid in the summer. The thick, slow-curing epoxy primer has the time to penetrate and bond with the concrete. It keeps moisture (which wicks up through the porous concrete) at bay, preventing peeling or cracking over time.
On Day 1, before the epoxy cures (which we allow a full day), your chosen flake blend is broadcast into the “wet” primer coat. Because the epoxy is fully covered, there’s no need to worry about exposure to UV light (epoxies tend to chalk and amber when exposed to UV).
On Day 2, we move on to the real magic: two layers of 100%-solids polyaspartic topcoats. These topcoats are where your floor gets its strength and durability. Polyaspartic provides extreme resistant to UV, chemicals, stains, and impacts—basically all the things that wreak havoc on garage floors. And let’s not forget about hot-tire transfer, a big issue with sports tires. These tires contain plasticizers; when the tires heat up during driving, they have a propensity to leach and stain the floor coating. However, our 100%-solids polyaspartic stands strong, so your floor stays intact even after parking a hot car.
Why 1-Day Systems Fall Short
Now, here’s the part where we explain why the quick 1-day install doesn’t really hold up in the long run. The primary issue is the thin layers of polyurea-polyaspartic that are applied directly to the concrete (as the primer coat). These coatings cure fast, but in the presence of moisture in the concrete, they cure faster still (< 1 hour). Hence, they poorly penetrate and bond with the concrete substrates in these conditions. Without a proper moisture-mitigating epoxy primer, your garage floor has no real protection against moisture seeping up from the ground.
Over time, that moisture builds up creating a hydrostatic pressure. Eventually, the coating starts to peel, crack, or bubble. And when it comes to warranty exclusions, most 1-day system contractors don’t cover “moisture-related issues”. That means you’re stuck paying for repairs down the line.
Think of it like this: Would you skip laying down a foundation for your house just to get the job done faster? Of course not. The foundation is what holds everything together, and in the case of your garage floor, the epoxy primer is that foundation.
Invest in Quality
When you invest in a 2-day system, you’re choosing quality over convenience. It’s like building your house with a rock-solid foundation instead of cutting corners with something flimsy. Sure, the 1-day system might seem faster, but in the long run, it’s the 2-day system that’s going to give you a garage epoxy floor that lasts.
If you’re ready for an epoxy flooring option that’s built to handle everything Pennsylvania throws at it, give East PA Garage Floor Coating a call for a free quote today. Your garage deserves the best, and we’re here to deliver.
