Garage Floor Coatings Company Warns Against 1-Day Quick Fixes

Rapid-cure "1-day" garage floor coatings are being marketed with impressive performance claims, but Garage Floor Coatings of Maryland warns that these claims often lack the backing of independent testing. The company argues that homeowners deserve proof before they commit to such products.

According to Robert G. Hanson, President and CEO of Garage Floor Coatings Franchise System Inc., manufacturers behind the 1-day model often tout their products as "20 times stronger than epoxy" with superior penetration and impact resistance. However, these claims are rarely supported by standardized tests. Hanson emphasized, "A specific number needs a specific source. Without one, 'stronger than epoxy' is merely a slogan, not a garage flooring fact."

Garage Floor Coatings of Maryland advocates for independent, comparative testing to verify the performance of these coatings. The company believes that rapid-cure polyaspartic and polyurea coatings should be applied over a moisture-mitigating epoxy base, not directly on bare concrete. Hanson explained, "Skipping the moisture-mitigating epoxy base and coating bare concrete directly cuts material and labor costs on every job. It also removes the layer that gives a garage floor coating any real chance of lasting."

The company's own system involves two visits to ensure the coating's longevity. The first visit includes mechanical surface preparation to open the pores of the concrete, followed by a 100% solids moisture-mitigating epoxy primer and a full Torginol decorative flake broadcast. The second visit applies two 100% solids polyaspartic clear topcoats once the lower layers have fully cured.

Hanson continued, "Concrete isn't a sealed surface, it's full of microscopic channels that draw moisture up from the soil underneath. That moisture eventually reaches the top of the slab as vapor, pressing outward against whatever coating sits above it. A thin, single-layer coating, usually polyaspartic, cures too quickly to properly bond to a concrete slab. What looks flawless on install day can bubble, peel, or separate from the slab once moisture starts working against it."

The company also highlighted the limitations of many 1-day warranties, which often exclude moisture vapor transmission, hydrostatic pressure, plasticizer migration (permanent tire staining), chemical staining, and other common failures.

Garage Floor Coatings of Maryland will continue to push for independently verified testing behind misleading strength claims. The company believes that homeowners should have real numbers to weigh before committing to a shortcut that could become their long-term problem.