Polyaspartic Floor Coating in Columbia, SC

Polyaspartic floor coating is a fast-curing relative of polyurea, and it is the topcoat we use on most garage floors in Columbia, SC. It can also be the whole system, base to top. Owners pick it for two reasons: it cures quickly, and it holds its color in sunlight. Both matter in the Midlands, where garage doors stay open on warm afternoons and outdoor concrete sits in full sun much of the year.

UV resistance

Standard epoxy tends to yellow or chalk when sunlight reaches it. HomeGuide's comparison rates polyaspartic excellent for UV resistance and epoxy poor to fair. On a garage floor, the sun hits the first few feet inside the door. On a patio, porch or pool deck, it hits everything. Polyaspartic keeps a clear topcoat clear and a color coat true longer in those spots.

Cure time

HomeGuide says polyaspartic is dry to the touch within a few hours and ready for heavy vehicle traffic in 24 to 48 hours, compared with up to a week for a full epoxy cure. Bob Vila's guide gives 24 hours before vehicles. For a family that has one garage and two cars, that difference matters. Many of our polyaspartic garages are done in one day, with the cars back in a day or two.

Humidity and temperature

Columbia's average relative humidity is 70.2% over the year and 76.5% in August, according to Wikipedia's climate table. HomeGuide notes that polyaspartic can be applied across a wide range of humidity levels and temperatures and tolerates more moisture in concrete than epoxy does. That gives us more room to work on a muggy summer day. It does not remove the need for a moisture test. A slab pushing water up through it will still cause problems with any coating.

The trade-offs

• Working time is short. Polyaspartic sets fast, so it is mixed in small batches and applied by an experienced crew. That is one reason it costs more than epoxy.
• Thinner coats. HomeGuide lists polyaspartic at 2 to 6 mils per coat against 10 to 20 for epoxy. On rough or damaged slabs we often use an epoxy base for build and a polyaspartic topcoat for wear and UV.
• Price. HomeGuide's national range is $5 to $12 per square foot, compared with $4 to $10 for epoxy.

Where we use it

• Garage topcoats, especially on west-facing doors
• Full single-day garage systems
• Covered and open patios, porches and breezeways
• Pool decks, with added texture
• Storefronts and offices that cannot close for long

Care

Polyaspartic floors clean like any coated floor: sweep grit, mop with water and a mild cleaner, and rinse off chemical spills. The topcoat resists abrasion well, but dragging steel equipment or gravel can still scratch it.