On a cold day in 2010, contractor Seman Flooring applied a two-part polyaspartic coating on an 800-square-foot residential garage in Presto, Pa. The concrete floor temperature was 45 degrees F, with snow flurrying outside the open garage door.
Three and a half years later, the floor still has 95%± gloss retention and 100% color retention. Although the garage houses a sports car with performance tires and a heavy, off-road vehicle, there is no evidence of oil or hot tire staining. More importantly, the homeowner is pleased with the floor’s durability, easy maintenance, and decorative finish.
Surface prep was key
The contractor first inspected the site for cracks, spalling, and porosity while also noting locations of access points, switches, joints, and drains. Oil and coolant stains were cleaned.
The HTC 500 Planetary Grinder was used for surface grinding, starting with 1820-grit diamonds. The concrete had a high hardness level so extra weight was added to the machine. Joints were ground to enhance adhesion, then filled with polyurea caulk.
Application
Crew members applied a gray polyaspartic basecoat via 3/32-inch notched squeegee, back-rolled with a 3/8-inch nap roller (8 to 12 mils wet film thickness) to seal and bond the prepared concrete surface. Next, they broadcast decorative paint chips into the wet basecoat for color and depth. After a 1.5-hour cure time, they applied a clear polyaspartic topcoat, again by squeegee (10 to 12 mils).
After two hours the floor was ready for foot traffic. A vehicle was parked in the garage after six hours.
Owner gives two thumbs up
The seamless floor is easy to sweep and clean, and salt and road ash can be hosed down the drain. It remains crack- and stain-free. The floor is also nice enough to be used as an eating area for parties. “I feel like I put on an addition to the house,” says the homeowner.
Contributed by Bayer MaterialScience LLC. For more information, visit www.materialscience.bayer.com.
