The Top Pros And Cons Of DIY And Professional Floor Coatings

If you’ve been looking for a way to improve the appearance and functionality of your floors, you may find yourself torn between DIY and professional floor coatings. One is cheaper but does not last as long, while the other is more expensive but can last years longer. It’s important to be aware of both the pros and cons of DIY and professional floor coatings when making your decision to ensure that you’re going into the process with as much information as possible. 

Your floors play a huge role in the overall appearance of a space, after all, and you want your floor coating to look good. Here is what you need to know about the pros and cons of DIY and professional floor coatings so that you can better decide which option you want to go with.

DIY Floor Coatings

If you’re someone who likes to take on projects yourself, you may be considering DIY floor coatings. It’s easy to find DIY floor coating options and they’re certainly more affordable than their professional counterparts. However, DIY floor coatings aren’t very durable and can be challenging to install.

Here’s what you need to know about the pros and cons of DIY floor coatings.

Pros

Affordability

The biggest advantage of DIY floor coatings is their up-front cost. They can be mere hundreds of dollars compared to the thousands of professional floor coatings. However, there’s a reason for this, which we’ll get into in the Cons section below.

Easily Available

You can find DIY floor coating kits in many different stores and businesses. If you want to do a DIY floor coating, you can just head out to the store and pick one out.

Improved Appearance

DIY floor coatings can enhance your floors, making them look better. They come in a variety of different colors, so you can select the one that best suits your desired aesthetic.

Protection

DIY floor coatings can improve the damage resistance of your floors and make them easier to clean and maintain.

Cons

More Expensive Over Time

DIY floor coating kits may be cheaper up front than professional floor coatings are, however, because DIY floor coatings don’t last very long, you can end up spending a lot of money over time as you need to redo them over and over and over again.

Lack Of Longevity

As previously mentioned, DIY floor coatings don’t have the longevity professional coatings do. As such, they can start showing wear and tear in mere months.

Complex Installation

The installation process is a lot more complicated than most people realize. You need to prepare your floor and ensure that you keep yourself safe, in addition to actually applying the coating to your floors.

Lack Of Impact And Chemical Resistance

DIY floor coatings can protect your floors from dirt, but they aren’t very resistant to impact or chemicals, which is why they’re not recommended for garage floors.

Professional Floor Coatings

Professional floor coatings are more expensive than their DIY counterparts, but there’s good reason for this. They are more customizable, last longer, and the installation process is taken care of for you. Both DIY and professional floor coatings protect your floors and enhance their appearance, but professional coatings do a better job of this.

Here’s what you need to know about the pros and cons of professional floor coatings.

Pros

Appearance

Professional floor coatings come in a variety of colors and blends so that you can customize them to look how you want. Since they’re applied by trained professionals, you can rest assured that they’ll look great.

Durability

Professional floor coatings greatly increase the strength and durability of your floors. They can protect them from all sorts of damages, such as from moisture, impact, chemicals, and more.

Longevity

While they’re more expensive than their DIY counterparts, professional floor coatings can last for years on end. Epoxy floor coatings typically last about 5 years while polyaspartic floor coatings can last for decades.

Easy Maintenance

Professional floor coatings are easy to take care of. All you need to do is sweep up any dirt and debris and wipe up any spills. 

Cons

Cost

When people are trying to decide between DIY and professional floor coatings, it’s often because they’re not sure if professional floor coatings are worth the expense. It’s worth noting that although professional coatings are more expensive, they last much longer and keep your floors better protected.

Slippery

Like DIY floor coatings, professional floor coatings can get slippery if they don’t have a grit additive.

You Need To Hire A Professional

For some people, the fact that you need to hire someone to apply floor coatings for you can be a con in and of itself.

Professional Floor Coatings You Can Count On

Both DIY and professional floor coatings can improve the appearance and functionality of your floors. If you’re trying to decide between DIY and professional floor coatings, Surface Bella Garage offers professional floor coating options that can be customized to look just the way you want them to. Contact us today to learn more about our floor coating services.