The Top Misconceptions About Epoxy and Concrete Coatings—Solved

“Epoxy floor” is one of the most searched home improvement phrases, and it is also one of the most misunderstood. We sit down to untangle the language around concrete coatings, epoxy flooring, and modern options like polyaspartic systems, so you can make a smart decision for a garage, basement, patio, or commercial space without getting lost in buzzwords.

We walk through the simple but important truth: epoxy is a concrete coating, but not all concrete coatings are epoxy. From sealers to urethanes and acrylics, different coating classes serve different goals, and the best choice depends on how the space is used, what it is exposed to, and what “durable” needs to mean for you. We also talk about why people often search using the wrong term, then end up comparing products and advice that do not actually fit their project.

Then we get real about expectations. We explain what a “lifetime floor” and “lifetime warranty” commonly cover in the coatings industry, especially delamination, peeling, and flaking, and how that differs from normal wear and tear. If you have ever wondered whether a garage floor coating can really last decades, we share the practical reality and what factors influence long-term performance.

We also dig into the rise of DIY epoxy kits, why they so often disappoint, and why prep work can make or break adhesion. If your biggest worry is safety, we cover slip resistance and how a professional system can be built to reduce slipperiness. Finally, we discuss timeline and return to service, including common guidance for walk-on use and when you can park again.

If you found this helpful, subscribe for more straight answers on residential painting and concrete coatings, share the episode with a friend planning a project, and leave a review with the question you want us to tackle next.

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

Transcript

Welcome To Mile High Coatings

SPEAKER_02 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.

Why Coating Myths Spread

SPEAKER_00 0:35

From durability myths to unrealistic expectations, epoxy and concrete coatings are surrounded by a lot of confusion, and today we're clearing it up. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Julie Schwenzer, co-host and producer, back with David Nanaga, the president of Mile High Coatings. David, it's great to be back with you and to learn from you. So if we could open this up, yeah.

Concrete Coatings Vs Epoxy Flooring

SPEAKER_00 0:56

If we could open this up by first talking about, and please, if you could do this for someone like me who doesn't quite understand the difference when I'm looking to, you know, improve my home or business, what is the difference between a concrete coating and epoxy flooring?

SPEAKER_01 1:12

Okay, so good question. And I I could see how that would be uh potentially confusing. So I would say that both of those terms often sort of are can can be used as blanket. So for instance, epoxy is a concrete coating, um, but not all concrete coatings are epoxy. So concrete coatings can encompass um, you know, sealers, uh epoxy, which is a specific type of coating, polyaspartic, which is a specific type of coating, urethanes, and acrylics. So those are all sort of classes of of concrete coatings and they all have their different uses and benefits. Epoxy is is kind of the the blanket term, like when you say Kleenex, right, you mean a tissue, right? So Kleenex is the brand, but it just gets like a the a blanket term. So that's how epoxy often gets gets thrown around or used. So for instance, a when when people are searching for garage floor coating, a lot of times they just say epoxy. And while we may not install specifically epoxy, we we use polyaspartic. A lot of times I just go with it and just call an epoxy too, because you know, at the end of the day, it's still gonna perform and and and work well. So so I would say that's the difference.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

And would you agree then that's a misunderstanding by a lot of of your clients, or not necessarily clients, just anyone that's like new to this industry, that there is a difference and there's a difference in performance.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

Yeah, uh maybe not a misunderstanding, but they sometimes people just don't know what they don't know. You know, so so in in as they're you know, they may search for something without quite knowing exactly what they're searching for, and so they may hear, oh, epoxy, let me search for that. Um, and and that may not be the right solution or the right uh track to go down. Uh or uh, you know, concrete coatings, obviously that's gonna encompass a lot, and they're gonna get a lot of potential information and and a lot of variety of information, I would assume. And so I I suppose in that way you could get some misunderstanding, or maybe they find information that they believe is relevant to their project when actually they're going down the wrong road, you know, and and exploring something that that's actually not the right fit for for what they're trying to do.

The Truth About Lifetime Floors

SPEAKER_00 3:53

And then what about like expectations about lifetime floors? Um, what do you hear often? What do people expect? And then, you know, what's the difference from the reality of the actual maintenance of that floor?

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Yeah, that's a good question. So so in my world, in my company, when we say a lifetime warranty or a lifetime floor, specifically the warranty relates to the delamination or the peeling, flaking, you know, basically if you can imagine uh the the the coating coming off of the concrete, essentially peeling away and breaking away from the concrete. The coatings do a very good job of sticking and adhering to concrete. It is next to impossible to remove the coating from the concrete uh in in any sort of normal way. Um and so you know, normal wear and tear, as with pretty much any warranty that I am aware of, you know, doesn't really count. So with that said, I mean garage floor coatings like the polyaspartics will last. I mean, they're likely you're not gonna wear through the coating um back down to the concrete. I have never seen that. Um, I mean, I've at this point I'd say probably the oldest coating, you know, that I've seen, you know, is probably 20 to 25 years, and and and that would precede a polyaspartic. And so those are typically epoxy. And those often, depending on the environment, perform very well. And so lifetime, you know, does lifetime mean 80 years? Okay, probably not, but often lifetime, again, in our industry would mean as long as you live in the home, you know, but that could be 30 years. And so you would generally expect something, okay, again, staying with the garage floor coating as an example, you would expect that to last several decades and and perform well. Is it is it, you know, potentially gonna have little, you know, little areas of where where it's gonna be more of course. So yeah, that and I I would say, yeah, that that's that's probably the the the best way to to kind of explain and and make sense of the whole lifetime.

DIY Kits And Why They Fail

SPEAKER_00 6:26

And I couldn't even imagine this, but do people actually um take like DIY kits and do anything with their floor? Have you seen that? And have you come in afterward to to fix it? Because I imagine that would be uh quite a big job.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Oh yeah, the DIY industry is huge. Fisher uh and the DIY, I mean, yeah, that's pretty much what like your box retail stores, you know, your lows and home depots and and whatever, you know, they sell those kits for, you know, they're directed at consumers. They're probably not directed at uh professionals, I wouldn't imagine. I mean, I don't know of any professional competitors that that get their their their epoxy or their their coding kits from you know off the shelf from from one of those uh stores. So yeah. People will think that, oh, this will rent a diamond grinder or oh, I'll just follow the directions on the box. And it often turns into a disaster, it doesn't work well, it doesn't last long, uh for for a number of reasons that I won't really go into, but um and and not necessarily it's it's not necessarily the fault of the homeowner. You know, if they're following the directions, they may have done it you know perfectly. It just you know, at the end of the day, um the prep needs to be done really well. And you know, the the coatings in those boxes are you know, they're they're geared towards ease of use, so it's easy to apply, you know, and it and so that doesn't sometimes correlate with, you know, doesn't mean it's gonna last a long time. So yeah, so we uh we redo a lot of DIY force for sure.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

I just I can't even imagine someone tackling the floor, but um, like if they don't have the professional experience, but I know you've seen many different cases.

Slip Resistance And Safety Options

SPEAKER_00 8:23

What do you see when it comes to like slip resistance and safety then of the floor? People did try to do it themselves.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Okay, that's a great question because that's often a complaint of the DIY floors, is if they're very slippery, which also can kind of lead to they assume that if their DIY floor is slippery, that like our floor is gonna be slippery. So so so it presents a good opportunity for me of me to be able to show samples and and kind of educate people that no, that the the floors are not slippery, they are safe, you know. Uh and so so that can be sort of blanketed or you know, they assume again, they assume that my my floor is slippery, you know, why would I pay several thousand dollars for a pro to to install it? I mean, it's just gonna be slippery too, and I'm gonna have the same issue. Well, that's not the case. You know, we can make it not slippery.

Cure Times And Return To Use

SPEAKER_00 9:23

And then the last question I have is about the timeline. And and I know you've addressed this in previous podcasts, but I'm curious too, after you do the coding work uh epoxy or the just the concrete, you know, um coating, when can the floor be used? How long does it usually take? And what does it depend on, whether you're working on a residential or business or industrial location?

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Most of our applications can be walked on the next day, parked on after 48 hours, essentially full use after 48 hours. There are exceptions, of course, you know, depending on the system and the application and that's what we're doing. But yeah, in most cases, it's it's a quick uh we call it return to surface.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

David, thank you for you know clearing up some of these misconceptions or helping people make smarter decisions about their floors, and we appreciate your time.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

Thanks.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

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. 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 coatings higher.