Across the Great Lakes region, 1-day garage floor coating services are popping up everywhere. The promise is simple: a beautiful new floor, installed in a single day. But what most homeowners don’t realize is that this speed often comes at a cost. Many of these companies skip critical steps—especially moisture mitigation—to finish faster and book more jobs.
When installers apply polyaspartic or polyurea coatings directly to bare concrete without using a moisture-mitigating epoxy primer, they’re setting the stage for failure. It may save time during installation, but it dramatically reduces the life and durability of your garage floor coating.
What the Experts Recommend
Leading manufacturers in the resinous flooring industry—Sherwin-Williams (General Polymers), Benjamin Moore (Corotech), Sika, BASF, Stonhard, and Eco-CorFlex—are clear about best practices:
- Always test the concrete for moisture before coating.
- Always apply a 100% solids epoxy moisture vapor barrier before using fast-curing polyaspartic or polyurea topcoats.
Because polyaspartic or polyurea coatings cure so quickly (and go down thinly), they don’t absorb deeply into the slab, creating a thin, poorly-adhered base coat (especially in the presence of medium to high moisture). Over time, as trapped vapor in the concrete builds pressure, bubbling, blistering, peeling, or even full delamination can occur.
Even manufacturers like ArmorPoxy and VersaFlex, who produce these same materials, specify that polyaspartics and polyureas are topcoats only—never primers.
Backed by Industry Standards
Organizations such as ASTM International, the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI), and AMPP all support these recommendations. ASTM F3010 specifically defines the standard for controlling vapor beneath resinous flooring systems. Ignoring it not only risks coating failure but can also void warranties completely.
Why It Matters in the Great Lakes Region
With fluctuating humidity, seasonal moisture, and freeze-thaw conditions, garage slabs in the Great Lakes area often exceed 5–10 lbs MVER or 85–100% RH—far higher than the 3–4 lbs or 75–80% limits that 1-day coatings can handle.
The Garage Floor Coating — The Great Lakes Difference
We’re a 2-day company because we don’t skip steps. Every slab is moisture-tested, every system includes a true moisture-mitigating epoxy vapor barrier primer—like Eco-CorFlex MME—and every warranty covers moisture-related failures.
Cutting corners might save time on install day, but it costs far more down the road. For a garage floor coating built to last, choose quality over convenience.
Don’t Pay the Price for a Fast Job
A fast garage floor coating may look good at first, but skipping the primer guarantees long-term failure. When it comes to protecting your investment, choose expertise over speed.
GarageFloorCoating.com follows industry standards, uses manufacturer-approved systems, and delivers coatings backed by science—not shortcuts. Choose the company that does it right the first time, so your floor looks incredible and stays that way for decades.