From Sun To Snow: Choosing Outdoor Coatings That Survive Colorado's Weather

Are Outdoor Coatings Weather-resistant, And Do They Hold Up In Colorado’s Climate?

Colorado’s sun can cook a surface in the dead of winter, and a single storm can swing your slab through multiple freeze thaw cycles. We sat down to unpack what that combination does to outdoor concrete and how to pick coatings that won’t quit when UV, heat, ice, and salts hit at once. Forget the guesswork: we explain why epoxy fails outside, when to choose polyaspartic or acrylic, and how penetrating sealers protect driveways from scaling and spalling without leaving a film to wear off.

We start with the science of durability at altitude—UV stability, flexibility, and thermal movement—then ground it with real stories from Colorado job sites. You’ll learn why a garage door can hit 120°F on a five-degree day, what that means for expansion and contraction, and how the right chemistry keeps a finish intact. For elevated decks and balconies, we break down multi-layer waterproofing systems that shed water, manage movement, and hold color in direct sun, using fiber lath, cementitious base coats, and protective top layers to build long-term resilience.

Maintenance isn’t one-size-fits-all, so we map sensible schedules based on exposure, traffic, and orientation. Driveways get the toughest conditions—vehicle loads, open sky, and constant salt exposure—so we recommend penetrating sealers to block moisture ingress and resist magnesium chloride tracked in from the road. For patios and walkways, polyaspartic and acrylic systems offer UV-stable color, traction, and easier cleaning. We also address pet-friendly and eco-friendly de-icers: safer for paws, but still harsh on unsealed concrete, which makes proactive sealing essential for north-facing entries and shaded paths.

Whether you’re protecting a driveway, refreshing a patio, or waterproofing a balcony, you’ll come away with clear, proven choices to extend lifespan and cut repairs. If this helped you plan your next project, follow the show, share it with a neighbor, and leave a quick review. Ready for a durable upgrade? Visit MileHighCoatings.com for a free quote or call 970-314-1023.

To learn more about Mile High Coatings visit:
https://www.MileHighCoatings.com
Mile High Coatings
970-314-1023 

Transcript

Welcome & Show Focus

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to the Mile High Coatings Podcast, where we elevate your spaces to a new peak in quality. Hosted by David Naniga, president of Mile High Coatings, this podcast explores how expert residential painting, concrete coatings, and epoxy flooring can transform garages, basements, patios, and commercial spaces across Colorado's front range. So grab your favorite beverage, sit back, and dive into the world of high-quality coatings.

Defining Real Weather Resistance

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Colorado's weather can be wild. Here's what you need to know about coatings that can handle it. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Julie Schwenzer, your co-host and producer in the studio with David Naninga, president of Mile High Coatings. David, again, it's a pleasure to be with you.

SPEAKER_02 0:51

Good to see you too.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

So let's talk about outdoor coatings. You are in Colorado. So this is going to be really interesting from your personal experience as well. But are they really weather resistant, the coatings, and how do they hold up in your climate?

SPEAKER_02 1:06

Yeah, um, I would say, you know, I on one hand, I I suppose it could it could uh depending on the definition of weather resistant, but generally speaking, yes. Anything that we're gonna install outdoors is is gonna be weather resistant. And so that that's not to say that over time you're not gonna experience wear and potential fading and you know that type of thing. I mean, you could say house paint is weather resistant and it generally is, you know, it lasts eight to 10, 12 years. So it's similar, similar type of uh performance that you would expect um with with some of the coatings and everything that we do. Yeah, so UV stability is is obviously gonna be fairly important um if we're if we're talking about you know space, uh, you know, exposed patio or a driveway or a walkway that's just gonna be you know blasted with this uh you know the summer sun. And so obviously UV ultimately is gonna damage and wear out about everything. I mean, you just think about even a car, you know. I mean, just anything. It just does its thing. And so um, so with that in mind, I mean, we certainly have, you know, there there's things, there's certain things that we don't install um outdoors.

UV Exposure And Product Choices

SPEAKER_02 2:29

So, like for instance, one would be epoxy, because you epoxy um it does not take long for epoxy to turn yellow um or amber um uh with with UV exposure. And it doesn't really take a whole lot of EV exposure either. And so uh so epoxy would be something that we would not look to install outdoors. With that said, we have other alternatives. One is polyaspartic uh that is UV stable. Um the the other one is our are acrylic coatings. So those are going to be more similarly or more similar to paint from a chemistry standpoint. So they have good UV performance and stability. And then you talk about, you know, another, you know, weather outdoor factor would be, you know, the a common one that that we're concerned about is freeze thaw. So so freeze thaw is just the idea that, you know, obviously with water, you have, you know, when water freezes, it expands in the ice, and so it gets larger. And so you have freeze thaw causes uh substrates and coatings to to expand and contract and and and that eventually wears out that that film. And so um, so with that said, you know, there's there's coating applications and there's certain products that we can use that that better withstand that freeze thaw, that contraction and expansion. Um and then and then heat too, obviously, it doesn't take much sunlight. Even on a cold day, uh a surface can really heat up with the rays of the sun, you know, on a sunny day. I remember specifically one we were doing a garage floor on a really cold day. I mean, it was it might have been five degrees outside and the door, the garage doors were closed. And I I I um rolled up to the job site and it was it was super cold, and I happened to have an infrared uh temperature gun with me. So I was curious. I was like, oh, I wonder how how warm this garage door is. And I and I aimed the the thermometer at the garage door, and it was like 120 degrees. Um so even on a five degree super cool day, it was sunny outside, and it didn't take much for that surface to to heat up even on that cool of a day. So that was actually kind of a surprise to me too. Um water, uh again, kind of going back to water. Uh we have applications that that are considered uh a waterproofing application. So we you know we can seal a deck or a balcony, you know, um that's gonna be exposed to snow and ice and rain and and all this stuff, and and obviously the sun too. And so though those types of applications are built on multiple sort of layers, um, could could, you know, depending on on the substrate and depending on exactly what we're doing, you know, it you might have a fiber lath um underneath of a cementitious coating that we apply over it, we trowel it down and squeeze it down, and then and

Freeze Thaw And Heat Stress

SPEAKER_02 5:29

then build it up in and could be literally six or seven sort of steps or layers as you as you build this this waterproofing system um to to again to help withstand the outdoor elements. So so there's almost always a solution for a particular application of problem.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

So and how often do you have to maintain like the coatings? Do you have to reapply anything and how different is it depending on the the structure and the location of the home or commercial space?

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Yeah, it it definitely depends uh again on on what the application is, the amount of foot traffic, and and probably the biggest um factor is gonna be that level of exposure. I mean, if it's just you know, if it's a drive probably a driveway is gonna be among I don't want to say the shortest performing systems if if we're coding it. So meaning because you're driving on it, obviously get some foot traffic, not as big of a deal. But the combination of driving plus parking plus the straight up just outdoor exposure. I mean, it doesn't get much more exposed than the driveway. Obviously, you're not you're not gonna have anything covering it, like you're not gonna have a whole lot of trees um in that area. And so so the cord, the the the coatings will perform. Um it's just a matter of how exposed, you know, how you know how often is snow removed and and and as far as maintenance goes, I mean, they can you can you can upkeep it with you know reapplying another coat down the road. Um so so driveways are one example of where we typically recommend a a penetrating sealer that's gonna sink down into the concrete and seal the concrete sort of from within. And so it's not gonna have a film that's gonna wear off that can be driven off. It's still gonna have some protections and it's gonna, you know, you can see water beating up on it. Um, it's gonna have that sealing effect. It's gonna protect it from the deterioration of my chloride in the in the winter. Uh, mite chloride is um de-icing salsa that that uh the cities and and municipalities use to to melt ice, you know, on the roads when it when it snows. So you see the big trucks and they they drive down the road and they are spraying. That's usually mic chloride, and so that helps with the icing. Vehicles pick that up in their tires and their wheelballs, and then they go and park in their driveway or their garage. It melts off, sloughs off, and then you have a big old pile of mush, um, and dirt and grime and nite chloride in the concrete, and that will eventually eat away. So that's why we have those. Um, the the penetrating sealers are very effective at at preventing scaling and spalling uh of the concrete, which we we see a lot on unsealed driveways.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Oh, yeah, sure. And so that seems like it's pretty effective with preventing the the cracking and any surface damage from snow, ice, and and what about salt? Uh how does that I was curious about this one. How about that like impacting coats? Because sometimes, you know, as homeowners, we're not sure. You know, we only pick the salt, maybe we have pets. We want a pet-friendly salt, but that's as far as it goes, you know.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

Yeah,

Waterproofing Layered Systems

SPEAKER_02 8:49

so there are like eco-friendly de-icing salts. Um, but yeah, salt is it has the same effect as my chloride. And so de-icing salts uh for people that want to have, you know, that that, you know, if they're north facing um patio or walkway or whatever, you know, it's it's a uh it's an unfortunate reality that you you're you know, snow doesn't so takes forever to melt and ice builds up, obviously with a little bit of freeze thaw. And so uh obviously those north uh those north north facing um areas of your home um are just gonna naturally uh be or require more maintenance. And so um so if you have pets and you know you gotta let the dog out and walk on the north facing pattern and on a slip. Yeah, so I mean I think a uh you know, and so so if you're applying uh de-icing salts, you know, you get in the bag or the the the the tub or whatever and you throw that on there. If you don't have any kind of sealer on there, it's gonna eventually wreck your concrete. And so, so yeah, that that's again why why we would apply um, you know, an acrylic or a polyaspartic coating or or the penetrating sealer and help prevent that deterioration. Um and it it'll so it'll still let the salt be effective and do its job, but it'll help protect the concrete itself.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Okay. Well, that was very helpful. Thanks again, David. It it's always great to chat with you about this and for you to share your expertise. We appreciate it. Welcome. So we'll catch you all next time on the Mile High Coatings Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Thanks for tuning in to the Mile High Coatings Podcast. Ready to give your space a fresh, durable finish? Visit MileHighCodings.com for a free price quote or call 970-314-1023.

CTA: Quotes And Contact

SPEAKER_00 10:46

At Mile High Coatings, we're not just painting walls, we're setting a new peak in quality. Until next time, keep your standards high and your

Maintenance By Exposure Level

SPEAKER_00 10:56

coatings higher.