In Michigan, garage floor coating failures are often blamed on snow, ice, groundwater, or freeze-thaw cycles. But when many 1-day installs fail, the explanation is rarely a mystery. Certain polyurea installers rely on moisture meters not to prevent problems, but to shift responsibility after the coating breaks down.
The real issue is not Michigan’s climate. It is installing a polyurea garage floor coating system without moisture mitigation and then using a meter reading to make the failure look unavoidable.
How the Polyurea Blame Game Starts After the Floor Fails
The timeline is familiar. A fast install, a quick cure, and a garage that looks finished in a single day. Months later, blistering, peeling, or delamination appears.
That is when the moisture meter enters the conversation. A reading is taken at the failure point, where vapor pressure is naturally highest, and that number is used to deny warranty coverage. What is usually missing is documented moisture testing before installation. The slab conditions did not change. They were present from the start.
Why 1-Day Polyurea Systems Break Down in Michigan
Most 1-day polyurea installs rely on fast-curing polyurea or polyaspartic primers applied directly to concrete. These products make speed possible, but they do not provide moisture mitigation.
Fast cure does not equal vapor control. Without a moisture-mitigating base coat, Moisture Vapor Transmission pushes upward through the slab. When that pressure meets a coating system that cannot manage it, blistering, peeling, and delamination are inevitable.
Why Moisture Gets Written Out of Polyurea Warranties
Many polyurea warranties quietly exclude moisture-related issues. When failure occurs, the moisture meter becomes the justification for denying coverage. A warranty that excludes moisture is admitting the system was never designed to handle it.
How Our Garage Floor Coating Systems and Warranties Handle Moisture
Garage Floor Coating of Michigan installs garage floor coating systems engineered for real conditions. We begin with an industrial, 100% solids epoxy primer designed for moisture mitigation, creating a chemically bonded foundation within the slab. Decorative flakes are then broadcast across the floor, followed by two 100% solids polyaspartic clear coats for durability, UV stability, and easy maintenance.
Because our system is built to manage moisture, our warranties include moisture-related issues.
Don’t settle for a 1-day polyurea install. Explore colors and finishes using our Live Coatings Visualizer. Then schedule a consultation with Garage Floor Coating of Michigan and choose a system backed by engineering and a warranty that does not disappear when moisture shows up.