Epoxy garage floor coatings are all the rage. Long gone are the old browns and grays that used to be associated with any type of garage floor paint. Today’s garage floor finishes are often a shiny red, or sometimes even clear. Any time you see really eye-catching garage floors on TV, if they’re a solid color, or only have flecks of color, then you’re most likely looking at epoxy. Nearly all garage floor coatings nowadays will include the words epoxy, acrylic, and resin, but most people don’t really know what these terms mean. In this article, we’ll take a look at epoxy, what it is, and why it’s used in practically every modern garage floor coating.

What The Heck Is Epoxy?

You may have used “superglue” or epoxy to glue together something you would have not expected to ever have fallen apart on the whole. Now, if there was any mixing at all, then it was most likely epoxy. The reason for this is because the definition of epoxy is technically a mixture including both epoxide, where the term is derived from, and polyamine. When both of the chemicals are mixed together and then cured, the resulting compound creates a rockhard adhesive that we familiarize with epoxy. The curing phase for epoxy is varied regulated by its application or use. For garage flooring, it normally takes a few hours for the curing process of epoxy, in comparison to the adhesive epoxy, which only takes a few minutes to mix up.

Is Epoxy The Strongest Of Garage Floor Coatings?

The most durable garage flooring is generally accepted to be epoxy. The nature of the chemical mixture creates a compound that will resist everything from UV rays to rainwater, in addition to anything your car may throw at it. Since it’s hard, though, it’s not always pleasant to sit on, though it is better on your knees and back than a bare concrete garage floor.

If You Want To Compare Alternative Garage Floor Coatings To Epoxy, Read This First!

While you are browsing through garage flooring selections, you might notice some of the garage floor paint being labeled as being acrylic or water based. Conventionally, those are epoxy coatings too, but might or might not have been mixed adversely than the garage floor coatings obviously made to be epoxy. And for various reasons, some businesses appear to believe that labeling something that is the same as something else with an altered name will increase their profits. Take notice of the large labels like Quikrete garage floor or RustOleum being more forthright and blatantly labeling their own products as epoxy.

You Guessed It, Epoxy Is Now The New Future Of Garage Floor Coatings!

Even though epoxy’s most attractive attribute, the ability to withstand the worst chemicals, has been in circulation for a long while, the technology is worth the price. A great example of this is brake fluid, when left alone, can destroy clothes by seeming to “eat” them, will just easily come off of epoxy garage floor coating. Probably not too far in the future there will be a new technology for a car or something that might be able to deteriorate epoxy, but for now, it is a safe choice. Meaning, the best garage floor coating you should require is epoxy.

Check out Sweet Garage Floor for more information on garage floor coatings.

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After reading all about all of the different types of garage flooring, you’ve decided that you either want epoxy paint or a garage floor mat. Well, both garage floors have advantages and disadvantages, so let’s look at some of both. Hopefully, once we’re done, you will have a better grasp on both garage floors. Keep in mind that, for this article, we will not be talking about compartment mats, but rather how entire garage floor coverings compare to epoxy paint. Since the smaller garage floor mats are typically not sold in packages intended to cover whole garage floors, it wouldn’t make much sense to compare them to epoxy paint.

A Garage Floor Mat Is Easier To Install Than Epoxy Garage Floor Paint

That is pretty much a “duh!” factor. A garage floor mat only requires the cutting and the placing, while epoxy paint takes not only hours to install, but also in between steps it takes hours to dry. Before you begin installing it is also a much bigger hassle because you need to prepare by cleaning your garage to be immaculate. But, installing a mat on above dust, dirt, or grime works just the same. If you really need a “quick fix,” then you should really consider garage floor mats.

Garage Floor Mats Are More Expensive Than Epoxy Garage Floor Paint

A garage floor mat, generally speaking, is likely to cost around $200, which is around three times how much epoxy garage floor coating costs. This difference in pricing really makes sense if you think about what you’re buying, and not just the end product. A garage floor covering gives you a pre-assembled solution while epoxy garage floor paint requires some assembly. If you have to pay someone to install your epoxy garage floor coating, though, the price will change radically since it takes hours to install, so be sure to figure that in as well if you don’t plan to install your own coating. If paying someone to install it, epoxy will almost always cost more in comparison to a garage floor mat.

Epoxy Garage Floor Paint Is More Durable Than A Garage Floor Mat

Even though epoxy does change things, it has the advantage as far as its durability and its longevity. In applying the epoxy floor paint, you inevitably change the nature of your garage floor. Meanwhile, applying a garage floor covering will do only that; cover it. Although it is unlikely in nature, it is very well possible that both could become damaged and stained, so when that happens you will definitely see the price difference in the replacement of swapping out a new floor mat and a repainting job. But, you will then also be out of the $200 or so for the floor covering. To make a well educated choice, you need to be asking how much and what your garage floor will be taking on.

And The Winner Is…

There’s no way that there could be a clear winner for that would be appropriate for all garage floors. There is a reason that both options are available, and it’s because they both sell, which means they’re both useful to someone. It’s up to you, the buyer, to decide which is best for your particular situation. If money is no object, you can always consider doing both, or possibly using compartment mats on top of an epoxy garage floor coating. Whichever way you go, good luck, and enjoy your new garage flooring!

Check out Sweet Garage Floor for more information on garage floor mats.