Here in the desert heat of Tucson, homeowners looking for quality garage flooring often encounter flashy promises—especially from companies pushing “1-day” systems. But when it comes to real performance, garage floor epoxy base coats separate quality from quick installation flooring.
Myth #1: “Polyaspartic flooring is just as good for the base coat.”
Fact: Polyurea-polyaspartic coatings are excellent—for clear topcoats. But as direct-to-concrete base coats, these coatings fall short. Polyurea-polyaspartics are quick-cure coatings (<1 hour) that cure even quicker in the presence of medium to high concrete moisture. So quickly, that they simply don’t have time to deeply penetrate and fully absorb into the concrete slab. This can produce inadequate bonding and a weakly adhered base coat (and your entire coating system is only as strong as its base coat). Epoxy, by contrast, cures slowly…we allow a full day…and seeps deep into the concrete slab, strongly anchoring the base coat in place.
Myth #2: “All coatings offer the same moisture protection.”
Fact: A moisture-mitigating, 100%-solids epoxy forms a strong moisture vapor barrier that polyurea-polyaspartic coatings simply can’t match. Even in Arizona’s dry climate, moisture vapor can wick up the porous concrete slab creating a upward hydrostatic pressure. A thin, poorly-penetrating polyurea-polyaspartic base won’t handle the high pressures effectively (it’s why “1-day” coatings don’t warrant “moisture-related issues”). Conversely, thick garage floor epoxy base coats stand up to high hydrostatic pressure for the long-term.
Myth #3: “Thinner coatings are fine if they look good.”
Fact: Appearance means nothing if the coating fails underneath. Epoxy is a “high-build” coating. This means it can be applied as a thick base coat (unlike polyurea-polyaspartics that can only be applied thinly), giving your garage floor a stronger foundation. That added thickness helps resist moisture pressure from below, and general wear and tear, and Tucson’s constant temperature shifts.
The GFC Tucson Difference
At GarageFloorCoating.com (Tucson), we don’t believe in shortcuts. Our 2-day system includes:
- A high-build, moisture-mitigating, 100%-solids garage floor epoxy base coat for unmatched adhesion
- A full flake broadcast of your chosen proprietary blend
- Two (not just one) 100%-solids polyaspartic topcoats for lasting beauty and UV resistance
It’s a system built to perform in Tucson’s extreme conditions.
Ready for a garage floor that holds up to the heat? Contact GarageFloorCoating.com (Tucson) for a true epoxy-based solution and get a free quote today.