Professional Floor Coatings Versus DIY Floor Coatings: 5 against 1
Does your garage look drab these days? Has the concrete run its course and you keep seeing cracks and stains everywhere? Why not get a garage floor coating!
Floor coatings can be done on your own or you can hire a professional. If you find yourself confused between the two, we recommend you need this article before taking your pick.
Pro Or DIY: Factors to Consider When Installing a Garage Floor Coating
Preparation
A professional installer has access to a diamond-chipped grinder that abrades the top layer leaving a rough surface underneath. The grinder gets rid of paint, previous coatings, or contaminants from the concrete. The newly revealed surface is ideal for epoxy or polyaspartic coatings to bond.
A DIYer used chemical abrasion techniques (like acid etching) to clean the top layer. Usually, etching makes the concrete more porous but isn’t nearly as good as a grinder.
WINNER - Pro
Application
Pouring floor coating can be compared to pouring a concrete slab, only epoxy/polyaspartic has a slightly thinner consistency. The layers are smoothed and evened out using a squeegee. It seems a job simple enough but does require practice, skills, and sometimes professional equipment. DIYers need to go through a lot of honing to achieve the perfect look. Pros on the other hand have had plenty of experience beforehand.
WINNER - Pro
Installation Time
Installing polyaspartic polyurea garage floor coatings can take anywhere from 5 to 8 hours. A major portion of this goes behind floor preparation. Since professionals use industry-grade machinery and expertise, the task takes considerably fewer hours than it would if a DIYer were doing it. Post pouring, the floor must be left to cure for 7 days.
WINNER - Pro
Durability
The durability of the floor coating is judged by two factors - bonding between the surfaces and thickness of the layer.
A clean, uncontaminated, and properly abraded garage floor bonds strongly to epoxy/polyaspartic. This makes sure the coating does not peel off after a few years.
In addition, the thicker the coating is, the more resistant it is to impact and wear.
DIY coatings are not as thick or strongly bonded and tend to delaminate off the concrete within a few years.
WINNER - Pro
Cost
DIY floor coatings are ideal if you are looking for a quick, low-budget solution. A $100 - $500 DIY coating will serve you well for a few years. Hiring a pro installer can cost you around $2000 - $4000 but do consider that it comes with the promise of lasting 20+ years.
WINNER - DIY
Appearance
A DIY garage floor coating kit comes in only brown or gray along with nylon chips. A professional flooring company offers a plethora of options, you get to handpick your base color and the floor chips. There is no dearth of looks you could experiment with.
WINNER - Pro
Word on The Street
Oklahoma City folks cannot get enough of our polyaspartic polyurea garage floor coatings. Zone Garage offers you innovative flooring solutions that last long and don’t even burn a hole in your pocket. Get a free quote today and say hello to gorgeous floors!