Polyaspartic vs. epoxy.
The short answer for a Calgary garage: use both. Epoxy makes a strong base. Polyaspartic makes the better top coat.
The differences that matter here.
Cure time
Polyaspartic is walkable in hours and drivable in days, so most garages are done in one working day. Epoxy-only floors usually take two or three days.
Cold weather
Polyaspartic cures well in a cool garage. Many epoxies slow right down below about 10°C, which matters in an Alberta spring or fall.
Sunlight
Polyaspartic is UV-stable. Many epoxies yellow where sun hits them through an open door, which is why we don’t use epoxy as the top coat.
Hot tires
Tires coming off a hot summer drive can lift cheap coatings. A ground slab and a polyaspartic top coat stand up to it.
Road salt and slush
Both resist salt once sealed. What fails is usually the prep, not the product: a floor that wasn’t ground lets brine creep underneath.
Build and cost
Epoxy builds thickness for less money, which is why it still makes a good base coat. Polyaspartic costs more per litre.
What we install.
A diamond-ground slab, a pigmented base coat, full-broadcast flake, and a polyaspartic clear coat on top.
That system gets you the fast, cold-tolerant, UV-stable surface of polyaspartic where it counts, without paying polyaspartic prices for every millimetre of thickness. For metallic floors we use epoxy for the pour itself, because that’s what gives metallic its depth, then seal it with a hard clear coat.
Whatever anyone quotes you, ask how the concrete is prepped. A grinder, not acid etching, is what keeps any coating stuck to the slab through a Calgary winter.
See your floor done right.
Free on-site measure and a written price. No pressure.