Our team hears it all the time. A homeowner invests in a 1-day garage floor coating, and the results look amazing—at first. But within months, the surface begins bubbling, peeling, or breaking apart. In nearly every case, the same issue is to blame: the installer skipped moisture mitigation.
Why Moisture Mitigation Matters
New Jersey weather brings humidity, rain, snow, and constant temperature swings. That moisture doesn’t just sit on the surface—it moves up through your concrete slab. When a contractor applies a quick-curing polyaspartic or polyurea coating directly to bare concrete, without first sealing it with a moisture-mitigating epoxy primer, problems arise.
Because polyaspartics and polyureas go down so thinly and cure so quickly (the cure time is faster still in the presence of moisture), they don’t penetrate deeply into the concrete slab. As moisture wicks up through the concrete, the trapped vapor creates (hydrostatic) pressure that pushes up on the wafer-thin, poorly-penetrating base coat. This leads to bubbling or full delamination. It’s one of the fastest ways to ruin a brand-new garage floor coating.
What the Experts Recommend
Manufacturers like Sherwin-Williams (General Polymers), Benjamin Moore (Corotech), Sika, BASF, Tnemec, Euclid Chemical, Stonhard, and Eco-CorFlex all agree on two key steps:
- Always test for moisture before coating.
- Always apply a 100% solids moisture vapor barrier epoxy primer before any polyaspartic or polyurea topcoat.
Even ArmorPoxy and VersaFlex—companies that actually make polyaspartic and polyurea coatings—state clearly that these products are designed as topcoats only, not as primers.
Backed by Industry Standards
ASTM International, the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI), and AMPP all set the same expectation: test for moisture, prepare the surface properly, and use an epoxy-based vapor barrier. ASTM F3010 defines the gold standard for controlling moisture vapor beneath resinous coatings, and ignoring it can void warranties on the spot.
The Garage Floor Coating of New Jersey Difference
We do things differently. Every slab is moisture-tested, and when vapor is present, we apply a slower-curing, moisture-mitigating epoxy vapor barrier like Eco-CorFlex MME. It can handle up to 100% relative humidity and more than 20 lbs MVER, providing long-term protection that 1-day systems simply can’t match.
Because we’re a 2-day company, our coatings are built to last. Every system we install—residential, commercial, or industrial—is backed by a warranty that truly covers moisture. Skipping this step might save a contractor a few hours, but it’ll cost you a lot more down the road.
Don’t Pay the Price for a Fast Job
A fast garage floor coating may look good at first, but skipping the primer guarantees long-term failure. When it comes to protecting your investment, choose expertise over speed.
GarageFloorCoating.com follows industry standards, uses manufacturer-approved systems, and delivers coatings backed by science—not shortcuts. Choose the company that does it right the first time, so your floor looks incredible and stays that way for decades.