Concrete Coatings

In the construction service industry, customers typically are concerned about getting three main things from their coating contractors: quality, speed & low price. While coating companies would love to be able to offer all three of them at the same time, it is impossible to do so.

Unfortunately, you only get to choose two of those three for your project. Want a quality job (high-quality craftsmanship, high-quality materials, high-quality level of service, high-quality character people) and you want it done quickly (a crew of workers that can accomplish a lot of work in a short amount of time), then it’s going to cost you more to hire a coating company that can provide those things for you. Want a quality job, and you don’t want to spend a lot of money, then it’s going to take longer to get the job done. This coating guy is a one man show that doesn’t have employees and the costs that come with them. That installer is typically a great craftsman and can produce excellent work. Unfortunately, you will have to endure a longer timeframe to get the work completed since you will only have one person working on your project. Want your coating project completed quickly and you don’t want to pay a lot, then you will end up with a lower quality job. The lower quality is a result of less time spent properly preparing the surfaces, less time spent applying the coating properly and precisely and the use lower quality materials that don’t cost as much. If you are not concerned about the quality and you want it done quickly, you will probably save some money. Roe Painting proudly offers quality work, completed quickly, with great service, by quality people using high-quality coatings. If this is what you are looking for, and understand the costs that come with it, we would love to help you get your coating project completed. Just fill out the form below to receive a quote and we will contact you to set up an appointment.

Dependent on your traffic and use of the floor, the life of the coating will vary.  Most coatings we utilize have “very good” to “great” durability.  The “wear” coat, or topcoat, that is applied to the surface will last between 5 and 10 years before the need to simply apply a new topcoat.

The most durable outdoor concrete coating is water based polyurethane by Westcoat.  It has UV resistance and is color fast.  All polyurethane and polyaspartic products, are for outdoor coating applications.  They are designed to hold up to the strong summer sun as well as winter freeze/thaw cycles.  Pool decks, patios, walkways and driveways are the target areas for these products.

Rarely do concrete overlays crack.  They are designed to flex and move with the substrate that they are attached to. If a crack appears, it is usually a hairline crack that is not moving.  Concrete expands and contracts with the temperatures, the concrete overlays are designed to accept some movement.

The best product to resurface a driveway is a product named “Newcrete” by Rapid Set.  It is a modified cement that is applied to your existing driveway, and budget friendly.  In some cases, when your concrete is severely damaged, a micro topping with a layer of fabric lath can be installed.  The fabric is added to the system if your concrete has more damage or cracking than the Newcrete can repair.  The added fabric helps bridge cracks and spall’s to give the finish a more uniform appearance.

The best waterproof coating for concrete is a modified cement by Westcoat applied in multiple layers. The added layers are to build up the system for durability and aesthetics.  In commercial applications, a fluid applied polyurethane, polyurea and or polyaspartics can be applied.  The “poly” products are waterproof and need more than one coat or layer to provide waterproof protection and traffic durability.

It depends on what look you want and how much you want to spend.  A great budget friendly solution for concrete patios is our “11-10” system.  The 11-10 has been developed to seal the concrete, apply a color coat and top off with a clear or pigmented polyurethane.  Not only do you get a sealed, waterproof surface, but you can choose the color as well.  If you have stamped or damaged concrete, this is a great solution.

The most common concrete coating has been epoxy with some form of a poly topcoat.  The best bond to concrete is always a water based or high solids epoxy.  Epoxies were developed to bond to concrete and that provides the base to apply added coats of poly’s on top of them.  I don’t recommend leaving an epoxy as the final top coat, always finish with a poly on top.

The difference between polyurea and epoxy is simply chemistry.  They are different technologies and used for different purposes.  Epoxies are traditionally used as a primer or base coat to concrete, metal or wood surfaces.  Polyurea can be used as a base coat over concrete when needing a faster curing first coat as well as a top coat.  When used together, you have a “coating system”.  Most of the time, epoxy will be applied to a prepared surface, then topped off with a polyurea or polyurethane.  We do not leave epoxy as a topcoat. Epoxy will tend to amber or chalk if left by itself without a poly topcoat.

Yes, you can epoxy over cracked, spalled or cratered concrete.  If there is heavy damage, it can be patched before coating with a concrete patching compound.  Lightly damaged concrete can be coated with 100% solids epoxy, which is self-leveling and will fill in voids and cure completely smooth.  Most concrete that is considered bad, can usually be restored using an epoxy coating system with the proper topcoat of poly.

Polyurea is not stronger than epoxy they are about the same in the strength category.

Their chemistries are completely different.  Both can be used in similar situations.  When researching coatings for an application you have, first determine the use of the area.  Is it needing impact resistance, chemical resistance, heat or cold resistance?  All coatings have a use and one is not necessarily stronger than the other.  There has been a marketing campaign against epoxy and it is merely that, marketing.

Both Polyurea and Polyaspartic are modified forms of the same base material.  One is more UV resistant than the other.  Polyaspartic is the winner in the UV category, and Polyurea is designed to bond to concrete and is a bit stronger in that category.  Both are widely used and misused in the industry.  Understanding what each product’s strength is will be the key to a successful installation.  For example, instead of using Polyaspartic as your base coat and topcoat, it would be better to use polyurea as the base coat for its better bonding properties and then use polyaspartic as the topcoat for its UV resistance and color retention.

Polyaspartic coating is different from epoxy.  The chemistry of epoxy and polyaspartic are completely different and for good reason.  Epoxy is designed to be the workhorse that bonds tenaciously to concrete, metal and wood substrates.  Polyaspartic is the glossy, beautiful  topcoat you see when you find a properly applied coating.  Both products are necessary to create a great coating system that will last years.

Typically, concrete coatings range from 2 mils thick (a business card thickness) up to ⅜” thick, and one “mil” is one-one- thousandth of an inch. 

How you will use the floor that’s being coated, will determine the thickness.

A coating that is only 2 mils thick, isn’t a weak floor coating, it just might be all that is necessary for what that floor is being used for.  The thicker systems are typically for impact resistance and heavier traffic. 

Many of the coatings installed today are in the 15 to 30 mil range. You can increase the thickness by adding more coats of product or use fillers like aggregates (sand, quartz) and powders.

The following might help you visualize the thickness of different coating systems.

31.25 mils is only 1/32” thick | 62.5 mils is 1/16” thick | 125 mils is ⅛” thick | 250 mils is ¼” thick

It doesn’t take a very thick application to achieve a good coating system that can wear for years.

The raw materials that make up the poly products are simply more expensive than the raw materials for other types coatings.  Poly based products are synthetic aliphatics and aromatics that have a higher reacting cross link when mixed with an accelerator.  On the other hand, epoxy raw materials are resins that are dug up out of the earth and less expensive to process into a usable product.