What’s in Your Epoxy Flooring? A Layer-by-Layer Look at Garages

Why the Details Matter

In Colorado Springs, your garage floor doesn’t just need to look good—it needs to perform. Between winter snow, spring runoff, and dry summer heat, garage slabs here face serious wear. So when a 1-day company advertises “epoxy flooring,” it’s natural to assume you’re getting a high-quality system built to last.

But here’s the truth: most 1-day installers don’t use epoxy at all. They apply a polyurea-polyaspartic-only system and use “epoxy flooring” as a marketing term—banking on the fact that few homeowners know what’s actually underfoot.

Let’s take a look at what a real garage floor system should include—and what 1-day systems leave out.

Layer 1: Concrete Surface Prep (Done by Both, Usually Well)

Let’s give credit where it’s due—most installers, including 1-day companies, do a solid job with mechanical prep. But the real difference begins with what they put on top of that clean surface.

Layer 2: The Base Coat

What GFC Uses: 100%-Solids Moisture-Mitigating Epoxy

• Bonds deeply with concrete…slowly
• Builds thickness for impact resistance (it’s a high-build coating)
• Acts as a moisture-mitigating coating, critical in regions like the Front Range

What 1-Day Systems Use: Polyurea or Polyaspartic

• Cures far too fast to form a strong bond (especially in the presence of moisture)
• Applies thin (not a high-build coating) and lacks structural strength
• Offers minimal protection against moisture-vapor transmission

Layer 3: The Top Coats

What GFC Uses: Two Polyaspartic Layers

• Fast-curing, UV-stable, and stain-resistant
• 100%-solids…adds durability and a beautiful finish
• Locks in the epoxy layer for a complete, high-performance system

What 1-Day Systems Use:

• Often just one polyaspartic coat only, less than 100%-solids
• No foundational support underneath
• A surface-level fix that won’t last through Colorado’s freeze-thaw cycles