If you’ve been considering upgrading the floors in your garage, you’ve probably heard about DIY epoxy kits. These kits offer a quick, seemingly easy way to enhance the function and appearance of your floors. However, DIY epoxy garage floor kits may not be the simple upgrade they appear to be, and might become a more significant headache than you’re prepared for.
Even when you take the time to carefully install your epoxy coating, you may still encounter significant issues just a few weeks after installation. But when you turn to the professionals for support, these problems aren’t a concern. If you want to learn more about why DIY epoxy garage floor kits often fail and what professionals do to avoid this, keep reading.
What are DIY Epoxy Garage Floor Kits?
DIY epoxy garage floor kits are designed to be an easy solution to old, worn-out concrete floors. These kits come with the epoxy materials and flake options to help you customize your concrete floors. Once you’ve performed proper prep, you can simply apply the kit materials to your concrete to avoid further degradation of the material.
Most DIY epoxy garage floor kits are marketed as a quick and easy way to enhance your concrete floors, eliminating the need for professional installation. However, many homeowners find that this project isn’t as straightforward as they expect. Instead, they often struggle with installation and problems after the coatings have cured.
Why Do DIY Epoxy Garage Floor Kits Fail?
While DIY epoxy garage floor kits are easily accessible, they aren’t the most reliable option on the market. During and after installation, homeowners may realize they invested in the wrong product and deal with frequent problems with the coating. Some of the most common reasons why these DIY epoxy garage floor kits are prone to failure include:
- Improper Surface Prep: One of the most common reasons why DIY epoxy garage floor kits fail is due to improper surface preparation. Your floors need to be properly patched and etched before you apply the coating. If you don’t properly prepare, the coating may not adhere adequately to your floors, leading to premature cracking and chipping.
- Lower-Quality Product: When you invest in a DIY epoxy garage floor kits, you aren’t getting the best product on the market. Lower-quality products are often significantly less reliable than those available to professionals. When you couple these low-quality products with improper surface preparation, failure is inevitable.
- Incorrect Installation: If you’ve ever watched a video of someone installing DIY epoxy garage floor kits, you might think this is an easy DIY project. However, this may not be quite as easy as it seems, especially if you don’t allow adequate curing time between layers. Over time, this can lead to problems within the coating.
Even if you do everything right, it isn’t uncommon to encounter problems with your coating far before you expect them to emerge. Instead of investing in DIY products that may not withstand everyday use, it is always in your best interest to work with floor coating professionals to ensure you have the best product in your home.
How Professionals Avoid Coating Failure
When you schedule an epoxy garage floor coating installation with flooring professionals, you can trust that these coatings are designed to withstand it all. Your chosen floor coating professional will undergo comprehensive training from epoxy coating manufacturers to ensure you have the best product in your home. There are a few other things your coating professional does to ensure your coating performs as expected, including:
- Thorough Inspections: Before the team begins your coating application, they will thoroughly assess the condition of your concrete floors. They will ensure the floor is level and you’re not dealing with moisture problems to ensure the floor is ready for coating. If there are any major problems, they’ll make repair suggestions before continuing.
- Mindful Surface Preparation: Once they’ve completed their inspection, your floor coating professional will match minor patches to the concrete and etch the surface. This preparation is a crucial step in the process. It ensures the coating has a smooth, even surface to adhere to, guaranteeing long-term performance.
- Methodical Coating Application: After the floors have been prepared, your floor coating professional will apply each layer of the coating methodically. Each layer of the coating will be applied evenly, ensuring it covers every inch of the floor and that no surface goes uncoated, which may otherwise lead to problems.
- Adequate Curing: Between each layer of your floor coating, your team will ensure there is plenty of curing time. Some coatings, such as epoxy products, require a significant curing time between layers. Without this curing time, you may experience premature bubbling, crumbling, and cracking.
Looking Beyond Epoxy Coatings for Your Garage
While epoxy garage floor coatings are a popular option among homeowners, they may not be the best product for your home. These coatings are prone to yellowing and degradation due to chemical exposure. If you’re looking for a more reliable coating option, you may want to consider investing in the most advanced coating option on the market: Polyaspartic coatings.
Unlike other products on the market, Polyaspartic coatings are the strongest option available. They can withstand chemical exposure, accidental drops, everyday friction, and other harsh conditions. In addition to being the strongest coating option, they also have a 24-hour curing period, allowing you to return to regular use of the space sooner than with any other coating.
Expert Floor Coatings in Northern Utah
When you’re ready to invest in the best floor coatings for your home, it is essential that you work with a team of experienced, well-trained professionals. At Solid Garage Floor Coatings, that’s exactly what you get. Our team is dedicated to providing the best coating products in Northern Utah. Whether you love the appearance of sleek epoxy floors or want to invest in high-quality Polyaspartic floors, we have the training and tools to deliver the best-performing coatings in the industry.
If you would like to learn more about our garage floor coating products, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
