Why should I put a topocat (clear or colored)m over my epoxy garage floor coating? This is a valid issue that arises periodically for the ordinary homeowner attempting to conserve money. The real question should be why you would not apply a clear coat. There are several advantages to putting a topcoat to an epoxy floor’s color layer.
Anyone who has successfully done a garage floor coating will tell you that preparing the floor for the epoxy is the most difficult and time-consuming step. Epoxy application is quick and, for many, the most enjoyable aspect of the work. After preparing the concrete, why wouldn’t you want to invest a little extra time and money to ensure a more durable and aesthetically pleasing floor coating?
Clear epoxy or polyurethane is the most typical topcoat, although polyurea or polyaspartic floor coatings provide the same advantages. To address these concerns, let’s examine the top ten reasons for applying a clear top layer to your epoxy garage floor.
1. Enhances toughness and wear
A topcoat will increase the longevity of your garage floor coating and provide a surface that lasts longer. The extra layer also provides thickness to the floor coating, which aids in preventing hot tire lift and better-absorbing impacts.
- Protects the Base Coat
The epoxy color coat will be preserved since the clear coat serves as a sacrifice layer. Without it, the colorful epoxy coating might lose its brilliance due to deterioration. Even while epoxy is resistant to most chemicals, prolonged exposure to oil spills or leaks may discolor the coating, depending on the grade of epoxy used.
3. Protects the Colored Flakes Or Metallic Pigment
If color flakes or metallic were installed to the floor, a clear topcoat will prevent them from flaking and gathering debris. Since the color flakes are partly embedded in the epoxy, dirt may accumulate in and around the edges of the flakes, making it more difficult to maintain clean, depending on the amount of color flake used.
Floor cleaning and other activities may also cause color flakes to peel or flake off. When a clear coat is applied, the color flakes are protected by the clear layer that is applied on top.
- It Is Simpler To Clean
A clear layer applied over the color flakes makes the floor simpler to clean. Dust mops may glide over the floor without picking up color flecks. This is particularly true if your floor has a dense flake coating.
- Increases The Depth of the Floor Covering
The extra layer of clear topcoat really adds dimension to the garage floor’s appearance. This results in a surface that seems sumptuous and far thicker than it really is.
- Produces a Glossier Appearance
Depending on the kind of topcoat you choose, the topcoat will give the floor a glossy sheen that reflects light better than the color coat. Different degrees of gloss are occasionally offered for polyurethane coatings. ArmorPoxy offers a variety of topcoats for all floor projects.
This is a terrific advantage for garage repairs and working on automobiles since it generates more light.
- It Conceals Scratches Better
Surfaces of all garage floor coverings may acquire small and sometimes bigger scratches. The majority of these scratches are concealed or camouflaged with a clear topcoat, so they are less obvious and do not detract from the floor’s appearance. This is because the clear topcoat acts as a sacrifice layer, protecting the color coat from harm.
- It is an Excellent Medium for Anti-slip Compounds.
In a transparent coat, anti-slip chemicals are concealed considerably more effectively. Since the majority of additives are transparent, they will not stand out. Without a transparent topcoat, they are instead applied to the color coat. This makes the anti-slip grains on the garage floor much more noticeable as sandpaper-like ridges.
Anti-slip additive in a single-color coat vs anti-slip additive in a clear finish.
No comments yet.