Tips from Carl the Chemist!
The answers center around performance properties, longevity of the coating, aesthetics, return to service and cost. Each impacts the owners in what they pay initially, how long it will last and what the aesthetics look like after 1 to 2 years and even 10 to 20!
So every home owner should ask themselves … what is most important? the lowest price or the highest quality coating system? Not always is the highest price the best quality system! We are proud of provide you with answers to all the questions you need to make an educated decision where your hard earned dollars are best spent!
Price competition is driving the initial installation cost downward. The only way to lower the price of a completed floor coating is to reduce the material cost and or lower the thickness of the coating. If lowest price is the owner’s objective, they have a choice between an epoxy/polyaspartic or polyurea/polyaspartic system. Remember the possible reasons behind lowest price are lower product cost of epoxy and polyurea because they are aromatic in chemical makeup and yellow and discolor which is why many are excluding yellowing and discoloration from their warranties. The epoxy and polyurea are the resinous part of the coating and they can be further modified with cheap plasticizers and other reactive resins.
The other is the colorant and pigment part of the coating representing cheap low-quality fillers that only increase the solids content. These consist of either talc (baby powder), calcium carbonate or barium sulfate and they detract from quality performance. To gain a competitive edge by having the lowest price, an epoxy or polyurea formulator can easily do the above and disregard quality. Remember the saying “You get what you pay for”. Another way to lower the selling price to the owner is to apply a thinner polyaspartic clear coat by 40 to 50% less.
Your Garage Cave can provide a free estimate or quick quote,
Many variables go into pricing: Location (distance from the shop), City, Size, Condition of concrete (new or old), any old epoxy coatings removal, cracks to repair etc. Your money is going towards a valuable product with less labor vs cheaper products and more labor hours.
A Flexmar NextGen all 100% polyaspartic coating system offers the greatest Floor Value for the owner. This Floor Value is the coating material cost that remains on the floor after the applicator leaves the premises. With the others there is a greater application cost and not the material left on the floor. For the assurance of a residential application to last for well over 20 years the owner can take comfort that a like-new appearance will remain over this length of time. This comes at just a small higher up-front cost but over the years the owner will not have to confront any yellowing and discoloration issues. An additional benefit to the homeowner is they are getting a commercial quality coating system for their residential garage floor.
Your Garage Cave leaves the value on the floor with 100% polyaspartic on the base and the top leaving our floors with 30% Thicker than our competitors.
Flexmar Polyaspartic flooring performance is the highest in the industry, eliminating the need for expensive maintenance regiments.
No waxing, polishing, buffing or resealing necessary! Clean with water and mild detergents for a long-lasting beautiful floor.
NONE! Clear polyaspartic topcoats do not block or filter UV rays of sunlight. They will pass through and attack the epoxy and polyurea resin binders of the coatings. This is proven in a 500 hr study conducted by epoxy and polyurea pigmented primer coatings do yellow from UV rays of sunlight. They yellow, fade and oxidize leading to micro cracking and weakening their adhesion to concrete.
Absolutely for your Garage Floor coating, patios, driveways, walkways and more.
A Flexmar floor you can walk on in a few hours; garage door stays 6-12 inches overnight. You are ready to move in the next morning!
The biggest misconception is that a Polyaspartic (Aliphatic) over a Polyurea/Epoxy (Aromatic) is going to make that basecoat UV stable. 2. Epoxy and Polyurea have strong fumes which lingers. 3. Epoxy coatings take longer to harden. 4. Epoxy and Polyurea are temporary solutions. Yellowing and discoloration requires replacing the floor and costly maintenance.
Hire Garage Cave because they only use FLEXMAR® floors for a true 100% polyaspartic. There are no hidden anything, no water barrier fees or extra costs, no recoat or resealing fees. No extra fees to store your belongings for several days because a true polyaspartic floor on base and top you can walk on in a few hours.
Your Garage Cave provides Value, Service and Quality to your home!
Yes. Flexmar has the highest-level solid content of a true Polyaspartic 93% which makes it thicker. There are hybrid polyaspartics what have been able to copy old school technology 2-1 ratio and a less than desirable number of solids.
This is important when learning the difference in the Abrasion and Wear Resistance and how long your floor will last. Overall, polyaspartics on the base and top coat are the ideal choice for anyone looking to add Value to your home.
YES, A true 100% Flexmar Polyaspartics in high humidity can be walked on in an hour. Areas like Arizona 2-3 hours. See the chart for epoxy times or other Hybrid Polyaspartics.
Absolutely NOT! Flexmar Next Gen Polyapsartics are 100% Aliphatic, UV stable and does not require additives to achieve a temporary fix. Polyurea and Epoxy are Aromatic and if used on the basecoat even with a polyaspartic over will turn Yellow. The chemist provided a video to back up our comparisons.
No Never, get it done right the first time with YGC and do not risk having to REDO your floors and that added expense.
A finished FLEXMAR color flake floor is bright, glossy, and has just a slight texture to it. And the floor will retain its appearance—without yellowing or fading due to age or exposure to fluorescent lighting or sunlight—for years to come, with no buffing, polishing, waxing, or re-sealing.
Clients call Your Garage Cave and have us REDO Garage Floors every day from failures of epoxy and polyurea.
Easy broom sweep, mop, or blow out, are the best care options. Unlike epoxy, a polyasparic floor will withstand power washing with no peeling. Dawn dish soap and water down simple green are the best supplies to clean a polyaspartic floor. Nothing harsh needed.
Our Top Rated Flexmar polyaspartic concrete coatings are virtually maintenance free. Our coatings do not allow liquids to penetrate, for example: oils, kerosene and gasoline. Paper towel clean up.
Polyaspartic technology is the newest of the three. A patent was issued to Bayer Material Science now Covestro in the early 1990’s. It was originally introduced into the transportation market to increase solids content in polyurethane coatings. Later it was introduced into the corrosion protection market on metal substrates to speed up the cure time.
Then, Jack Bracco with a small innovative start-up company, Flexmar Coatings, introduced the technology to the concrete floor market at the World of Concrete in year 2006 in Las Vegas. It was the world’s newest technology and was ideal for the flooring market because it could be applied in one day, cure quickly and still return to service that same day. We coined the term “1 Day Floor” installation. We could possibly break the epoxy paradigm. We were named a Most Innovative Product award the following year 2007.
Yes, With FLEXMAR NextGen polyaspartic coatings, it is that simple! Using polyaspartic (aliphatic) on the base and the top to ensure colors will not fade or yellow with exposure due to age or exposure to sunlight or UV lighting. We have the coatings to beautify, and enhance all of your outdoor concrete that we have proven will last.
NOT RECOMMENDED An Epoxy Garage Flooring or Polyurea basecoat are aromatic over time will yellow and fade. Do not spend your time outdoors on the maintenance and repair treadmill with these products . . . spend it enjoying friends and family!
The highest quality Flexmar NextGen all polyaspartic color primer/clear polyaspartic topcoat. Flexmar” s NextGen self-prime color coats only contain prime pigments like titanium dioxide that give the highest opacity and brightness. This pigment is UV stable and along with the all-polyaspartic aliphatic resin component allow for exterior and interior use.
Two major misleading statements are being made to residential garage homeowners.
One is that epoxy and polyurea pigmented coatings do not yellow when exposed to UV rays of sunlight.
Yes, epoxy and polyurea pigmented primer coatings do yellow from UV rays of sunlight. They yellow, fade and oxidize leading to micro cracking and weakening their adhesion to concrete.
The other is a clear polyaspartic topcoat will filter or block the UV rays and prevent yellowing.
No, clear polyaspartic topcoats do not block or filter UV rays of sunlight. They will pass through and attack the epoxy and polyurea resin binders of the coatings.
See QUV Study
Flexmar Polyaspartic coatings have self-priming, excellent penetrating and bond strength. Our floor coatings can be installed in temperatures anywhere between -30 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that, except in very extreme environments, you can have our coatings installed any time of year, even on Arizona’s heat and Colorado cold.
We have perfected using the correct system for applying Polyaspartic Floor Coatings that involves prepping the floor, apply 100% polyaspartic on the base, throwing a full broadcast chip, within an hour or so we are scraping the chips, vacuuming, and applying Flexmar 100% UV protective clear coat. NO EPOXY OR POLYUREA BASECOAT (aromatic) not UV stable!
Yes, Flexmar Coatings is once again changing the way coatings are applied in less time possible in a residential and commercial setting.
A polyaspartic is not a “do it yourself” application.
Hiring a professional is the best way to ensure that your flooring will look amazing and last a lifetime. FLEXMAR Polyaspartic flooring is easy to install by well trained, licensed employees of Your Garage Cave. But that’s not the most important feature. The key is the time it does not take for installation. Less time saves you time and money.
All the cheap do-it-yourself kits are not UV stable, take time and are out performed by the highest quality Flexmar NextGen all polyaspartic color primer/clear polyaspartic topcoat. Flexmar” s NextGen self-prime color coats only contain prime pigments like titanium dioxide that give the highest opacity and brightness. This pigment is UV stable and along with the all-polyaspartic aliphatic resin component allow for exterior and interior use.
Always require the seller to present proof of their product performance claims.
Yes, contrary to the misconceptions out there, epoxy and polyurea pigmented primer coatings do yellow from UV rays of sunlight. They yellow, fade and oxidize leading to micro cracking and weakening their adhesion to concrete. A Polyaspartic wicks into the concrete allowing for the best adhesion.
YES! Know what you are putting into your home! We do not cleverly confuse clients by giving vague misleading information about what product is being used on the basecoat even though the polyaspartic is on the top coat.
Our Chemist for Flexmar knows through countless studies formulators are making lower cost epoxies and polyurea’s by incorporating cheap pigment fillers in their formulations. i.e. talc (baby powder), calcium carbonate barium sulfate. Additionally, they are modifying the resinous epoxy and polyurea portions by adding cheaper diluents. These changes make the epoxies and polyurea’s lower cost per gallon but also weakens the color coat that is adhering to the concrete
Proud of having the best product in the coatings industry, Flexmar Polyaspartics for our base and top coat!
These floor coatings come with a lifetime warranty because that is how long they are expected to last you.
Flexmar Polyaspartic floor coatings are very damage resistant and strong. They will not chip, no hot-tire pick up even on the hottest of days. They have the highest resistance to abrasion compared to Polyurea and Epoxy.
The highest quality Flexmar NextGen all polyaspartic color primer/clear polyaspartic topcoat. Flexmar” s NextGen self-prime color coats only contain prime pigments like titanium dioxide that give the highest opacity and brightness. This pigment is UV stable and along with the all-polyaspartic aliphatic resin component allow for exterior and interior use.
Polyurea color primer/clear polyaspartic topcoat has excellent adhesion to concrete, physical properties and chemical resistance, easy to apply but shorter working times and lower cost because of their aromatic chemical make up. They yellow and discolor when exposed to UV rays. Their return-to-service could be the next day. Note: clear polyaspartic allows UV rays of sunlight to pass through thus allowing the polyurea to yellow and discolor.
Flexmar chemist, Jack Bracco has provided us with a 500-study video explaining this in great detail. This can be found on our website www.yourgaragecave.com or more information on www.flexmar.com
NO HOT TIRE PICKUP!
Your Garage Cave only uses the highest Quality products by Flexmar.
Our bond strength is greater than the cohesive strength of the concrete itself. Adhesion strength >500 psi ASTM-d-4514
A floor protected with FLEXMAR NextGen polyaspartic coatings will look glossy and like-new with only a periodic dry sweep and wet mop with mild detergent as needed. That is it. There’s no regular, labor-intensive, costly maintenance . . . no stripping, no waxing, polishing, burnishing, or chemical deep cleaning that is endemic to ceramic or porcelain tile, VCT or sheet vinyl flooring, carpeting, and polished concrete.
Polyaspartic hands down. Our 93% solids Polyaspartic has High direct impact and wear resistance 4x greater than epoxy. Our coatings are 30% thicker in application giving our clients longer abrasion wear and tear, durability, quality, and service for over 20 years.
Another major benefit is: 40% of cost is material that remains on the floor. Only 20% of the epoxy or polyurea system’s value remains on the floor
Chemical differences make polyaspartics more versatile, more durable, and flexible compared to epoxies.
If your floor looks like this… Yellowing, hot tire pick up, peeling etc. you have been a victim of all the AROMATIC products on the market. An Epoxy, Polyurea, and Polyurethane are just a few. Polyurea is also used to coat truck bed liners as told by our competitors. Unfortunately, a different application and chemistry than floor coatings and are currently sprayed on in black which is the only reason why they do not yellow. Black is UV stable.
Flexmar NextGen all polyaspartic color primer/clear polyaspartic topcoat are Aliphatic (100% UV Stable) Flexmar’s NextGen self-prime color coats only contain prime pigments like titanium dioxide that give the highest opacity and brightness. This pigment is UV stable and along with the all-polyaspartic aliphatic resin component allow for exterior and interior use.
Many dealer -applicators claim their polyurea or epoxy coatings do not amber or yellow due to ultra violet light rays from the sun. This is contradictory to known technology so the purpose of this test is to demonstrate this fact. The chemistry of epoxy and polyurea coatings are aromatic in chemical composition and therefore are prone to amber and yellowing from UV sunlight. The chemistry of polyaspartic coatings is aliphatic in chemical composition and is not prone to ambering and yellowing from UV sunlight.
At this point it should be mentioned that this segment of the market has grown quickly and is now hampered by individuals who lack knowledge of coatings technology. They make claims to owners that have no technical basis and no back up data for the coatings they are promoting just to make a sell. Many of the coating’s products are private labeled with no mention of the actual manufacturer.
Polyaspartic technology is the newest of the three. A patent was issued to Bayer Material Science now Covestro in the early 1990’s. It was originally introduced into the transportation market to increase solids content in polyurethane coatings. Later it was introduced into the corrosion protection market on metal substrates to speed up the cure time.
Then we a small innovative start-up company, Flexmar Coatings, introduced the technology to the concrete floor market at the World of Concrete in year 2006 in Las Vegas. It was the world’s newest technology and was ideal for the flooring market because it could be applied in one day, cure quickly and still return to service that same day. We coined the term “1 Day Floor” installation. We could possibly break the epoxy paradigm. We were named a Most Innovative Product award the following year 2007.
Polyaspartic Concrete coating is another name for Aliphatic Polyurea, which is a hybrid material consisting of ester and other materials. It was originally developed to coat metal bridges. It was later used to coat concrete flooring due to its durability and moisture resistance.
Flexmar NextGen Polyaspartic color primer/clear polyaspartic topcoat has excellent adhesion to concrete, physical properties, and chemical resistance, easy to apply, quick recoat and walk-on times and return-to-service within 1 to 2 hours and are light stable and do not yellow from UV sunlight rays. Solid colors can be used outdoors. Polyaspartics have shorter working times and slightly higher cost because they are aliphatic in chemical make-up but have the highest overall performance properties.
Many more benefits and product data can be found on www.flexmar.com