Frequently Asked Questions - SpartaFlex VS Epoxy

Ten FAQ’s - What our competition doesn’t want you to know…

If you are in the market for a new garage or commercial floor, there are lots of choices. However, your decision will most likely come down to a choice between SpartaFlex (made by HP Spartacote and installed by Perkins Custom Coatings) or Epoxy. Here are some frequently asked questions that hopefully will make your decision a little easier.

Images Of A Failing Epoxy Floor After Just 3 Years

1. SpartaFlex versus Epoxy: Which Surface Is Better?

In the chart shown below, you will see that in every category, SpartaFlex outperforms Epoxy and when it comes to the convenience factor, there just isn’t any comparison. Only SpartaFlex gets you walking on your floor the same day we complete your floor and driving on it 12 hours later!

2. If SpartaFlex isn’t an Epoxy floor coating, what is it?

SpartaFlex is a “polyaspartic polyurea coating”. Polyaspartic polyurea coatings were invented by Bayer in Germany in the early 1990s, but only recently have they begun to be incorporated into commercial and residential applications. For most of us, the most important thing to understand is that polyaspartic polyurea coatings are polymer coatings that feature these important attributes:

• rapid curing & high abrasion resistance
• can be applied from 0º F to over 120º F (epoxy can’t be applied when it is too cold or too hot)
• has very low viscosity which gives it outstanding wetting ability on a properly prepared concrete surface
• is UV stable so it will never turn yellow in the sun
• has a very high solids content which means that it has zero VOC’s (100% environmentally friendly)
• able to resist most stains from automotive and industrial chemicals

3. Can’t I purchase one of those “Do It Yourself” kits and install a garage floor for less than a SpartaFlex garage floor?

You can install a very inexpensive garage floor coating in a weekend by purchasing one of those do-it-yourself kits from Home Depot or Lowe’s for a couple of hundred dollars. However, the old saying that “you get what you pay for” has real meaning when it comes to floor coatings.

The typical do-it-yourself kit uses a weak acid wash to prepare the concrete floor to accept the floor coating. Even if this acid wash is done correctly, an acid wash is the least desirable method to prepare a concrete floor to receive a coating according to the experts. Your best case? A do it yourself floor coating will typically last just 1-3 years before it begins to peel and flake. We are removing dozens of 1-3 year old do-it-yourself floors every month and installing new SpartaFlex garage floors for people that made the mistake of trying to save a few bucks on their garage floor coating, only to find that these “kits” just don’t perform the way they had hoped.

4. What types of chemicals will damage SpartaFlex?

Acid – different types of industrial and automotive acids are the most likely chemicals that are known to damage SpartaFlex. Weaker household acids such as citric acid will damage SpartaFlex only if left in contact for an extended period of time. By the way, acid destroys epoxy floors too which is one more reason not to use an acid wash to prepare concrete floors like many Epoxy installation companies do.

5. Are SpartaFlex floors slippery?

Epoxy floors are notoriously slippery when wet. That is one of the primary reasons we like the SpartaFlex coatings so much. In addition to their many other excellent attributes, the SpartaFlex coating is very slip resistant—even when wet!

6. With Epoxy floors, I will have to wait 3-7 days before I can drive on my floor. How long do I have to wait before I can drive on a SpartaFlex Floor?

SpartaFlex floors have the fastest cure times in the industry. You are moving your things back into the garage the same evening we finish and you can drive on your new floor the following morning! Compare that with the 3-6 days before the typical Epoxy floor is ready for drive on.

7. I have a moisture problem on my garage floor. Can I install a floor coating on it?

In many areas of southern California, homes have latent moisture issues caused by any number of reasons. First of all, any home built before the mid-1990s does not have a moisture barrier beneath the cement slab because the California Building Code didn’t require such a barrier until then. Homes built before the mid-1990s in certain topographic locations in this region are probably good candidates for moisture issues. Secondly, even if your home is not topographically challenged (ie: located at the bottom of a large hill), many homes in southern California do not have proper landscape drainage systems installed to properly channel surface water away from the foundation.

In cases where surface moisture is a problem in concrete slabs, we use a special 1-part primer called “Aqua-Lok” that is specifically designed to bond to the cement floor and give coatings like SpartaFlex a better grip on the floor. Aqua-Lok costs a little bit more, but it is specially designed to allow polyaspartic floor coatings to be applied to high moisture content concrete surfaces.

8. I have a lot of things in my garage, but I really would like to have you coat my garage floor. What do I do?

This is a common question that we receive. The best news relating to this question is that because SpartaFlex can be installed so quickly and has such a fast return to service, your garage contents can be returned to the garage the same day we are complete. This includes washers, dryers and refrigerators. However, the fact remains that if you have a lot of personal belongings on the floor of your garage, they must be removed before ANY garage floor is installed. Some people like to rent the PODS storage units that can be placed in your driveway to store their belongings. Others will use the installation of a new garage floor as a way to go through their old things and either have a garage sale or take them to Goodwill. Remember, we can help you move the heavy stuff!

9. I have a bid for an Epoxy floor that is very competitively priced. Why should I pay more for SpartaFlex?

Typically, we find our price for SpartaFlex is very competitively priced with Epoxy coatings. Occasionally, we run across a situation where our bid is a little higher than a competing Epoxy bid. In that case, where the decision to use SpartaFlex may not be as easy to make, the Epoxy bid is probably not an “apples to apples” bid to ours and you need to ask yourself a few questions such as:

1. Yellowing Epoxy Flooring

   What kind of surface preparation is going to utilized? Our installers at Perkins Custom Coatings are certified factory applicators for SpartaFlex. We will only use the best and most advanced dustless floor grinding or shotblasting system to either remove your old coating or prepare your concrete surface for floor coating.
   
   
2. What kind of warranty is offered? At Perkins Custom Coatings, we install SpartaFlex coatings in a 3-coat process that gives a final coating thickness of nearly 20 mils! Our trained applicators follow factory specifications on the installation of your floor so that we can offer you a 15-year limited warranty – the longest in the industry. Many of our competitors are not around long enough to support the warranty they offer. Perkins Custom Coatings is a division of an employee owned company that has been working in southern California for over 40 years! Our warranty means something to us and it should to you too!
   
   
3. What are your expectations for your floor? While unlikely, it is possible that you may receive a lower price for your floor than your bid from Perkins Custom Coatings, you need to keep in mind that there are other factors to consider other than price. First of all, an Epoxy floor will be very slippery when it gets wet and will yellow if exposed to the sun. This will not happen with a SpartaFlex floor.
   
   Second, you will need to stay off your new Epoxy floor for 2-5 days after it is installed while it cures. This is not as easy as it sounds for some people – especially when your belongings may be sitting in the driveway. With SpartaFlex, you are returning your personal belongings to the garage the same day we are finished and you are driving on your new floor the next morning.
   
   Lastly, a new Epoxy floor, even if it is installed by a professional installer that uses the correct floor preparation system, will only has a useful life of 2-7 years before it will begin to peel, chip and/or fade. Isn’t it worth spending a little more for a floor coating that will be slip resistant, UV stable and is installed in half the time and will last twice as long?
   
   
4. Does the Epoxy bid include stem walls & cove base? Perkins Custom Coatings specializes in creating a beautiful finished garage floor and we typically include the installation of a coved base and application of the flooring material on your garage foundation stem wall for a rich, easy to maintain, finished look. We also include colored chips for a rich, granite look finish. Competing bids typically will not include chips, stem wall and coved base in their base pricing.
   
   

   Cove Base

   Cove Base

   
   
5. How many coats are to be applied? While many of our competitors are quoting 2 coat systems as a way to achieve lower pricing in the market, all of our standard systems include a minimum of 3 full coats of materials on your garage floor. Our philosophy has always been to install what we would expect to see in our own home and that is why we install 3 coat systems and would NEVER install a 2 coat system. Not only does a 2 coat system look inferior to a 3 coat system, it will not perform like a 3 coat floor. Sure, you might save a little money with a 2 coat system, but why would you compromise your investment in your garage floor for a few dollars? We know that when you purchase a garage floor from us, you expect it to last. That is why we install 3 coat systems. So if you are comparing quotes, make sure you know how many coats are included in the price and insist on a 3 coat floor!

10. How about those All In One garage floor and cabinet companies? It seems like you get a lot for your money with them?

All In One garage and cabinets companies are famous for “bait & switch” advertising. They will show you a picture of a beautiful garage floor with cabinets and quote an attractive price, but to get the garage and the floor shown in the picture, you will need to spend a lot more than the quoted price. Most importantly, those “All In One” companies still install epoxy floors and you now know why you don’t want one of those. By the way, if you do purchase cabinets for your garage, make sure they are wall mounted so they don’t touch the garage floor. This keep your cabinets safe from moisture damage (such as from the weather).