What Went Wrong? A Lesson in Epoxy Flooring

The Mistake: Believing the Label

Imagine a homeowner in Akron who wants to upgrade their dusty, worn-out garage floor. They search online, see a sleek photo gallery, and choose a company advertising “epoxy flooring” with 1-day installation. It sounds like a win—fast, professional, and budget-friendly.

But there’s one problem: it wasn’t epoxy at all.

What they got was a polyurea-polyaspartic-only coating. The company used the word “epoxy” in their marketing, but never actually used any in the system. And while the floor looked great on day one, the problems didn’t take long to surface.

The Consequences: What Happens When the Base Fails

Six months later, winter hits. Snow, salt, and moisture track in from the car. The once-smooth finish starts bubbling and lifting. Why? Because polyurea-polyaspartic, when used as a base coat, cures far too quickly (especially in the presence of moisture) to form a strong bond with the concrete. It also lacks the strength and thickness of epoxy, and it doesn’t provide proper moisture mitigation.

By spring, the coating is peeling in multiple spots. The homeowner realizes they’ve been sold a floor that looked like epoxy, but never had the structural foundation to perform like it.

The Solution: GFC’s Real Epoxy Flooring System

At Forte Garage Floor Coating, we take a different approach. Our 2-day epoxy flooring system starts with a 100%-solids, moisture-mitigating epoxy base coat that penetrates the concrete for unmatched adhesion. This isn’t just for durability—it’s also a true moisture-mitigating coating, built to handle freeze-thaw cycles and high humidity levels common across Northeast Ohio. We then broadcast your chosen flake blend in the “wet” epoxy base coat.

On day two, we apply two layers (not just one!) of a 100%-solids polyaspartic topcoat for a high-gloss, UV-stable finish that resists abrasion, salt, and staining.

It’s not about speed—it’s about doing it right.