GFC Polyaspartic Flooring: Your Questions About Hot-Tire Transfer Answered

Why Is Hot-Tire Transfer an Issue in the Great Lakes Region?

Toledo experiences some of the most extreme seasonal changes in the country. From hot, humid summers to freezing, salt-covered roads in the winter, these conditions take a serious toll on garage flooring. Hot-tire transfer is especially problematic here. When hot car tires (tires heat up when driving) sit on low-quality coatings, plasticizers in the tires slowly leach out into the concrete coating. Once absorbed, plasticizers can soften the coating, leading to discoloration, tackiness, or even chemical breakdown. This is a common cause of “tire marks” or staining on garage floors with low quality top coats.

How Does GFC’s High-Quality Polyaspartic Flooring Prevent Hot-Tire Transfer?

At Garage Floor Coating – The Great Lakes, we only use 3:2 ratio, high cross-linked, 100%-solids polyaspartics as the clear top coat…and we apply two separate coats (not just one)! Our quality polyaspartic is engineered to withstand temperature extremes, UV fading, impacts, chemicals (like automotive fluids) and staining due to hot tire transfer. These dual polyaspartic topcoats are just one part of our thick, multi-layer coating systems.

Our 2-day coating systems include:

• Epoxy Base Coat: After the concrete profile is created via diamond grinding, we apply a high-build, moisture-mitigating, 100%-solids epoxy base coat. This slow-curing primer deeply penetrates and bonds to the concrete slab (we allow a full day for curing). It acts as a moisture vapor barrier, or MVB for short. (It resists future moisture infiltration from below, preventing peeling and premature failure). While the epoxy primer is still wet, we broadcast your selected flake blend in a full-flake spread, completely covering the thick epoxy base coat.
• Two Premium Polyaspartic Topcoats: We return on day 2 to apply our highly cross-linked, 100%-solids polyaspartic coating. Not just one coat, but two separate applications!
• This hybrid epoxy and polyaspartic coating system is over 35 mils thick. It  resists moisture-related issues, road salts, chemical spills…and hot-tire transfer, unlike lower-grade 1-day systems.
• Warranty Against Hot-Tire Transfer: Most competitors don’t warrant “moisture-related issues” or hot-tire transfer, leaving homeowners unprotected. (Some even suggest the use of vehicle pads!!). We stand behind our product with a warranty that covers these common issues.

Why Are 1-Day Polyaspartic Coatings a Bad Choice for the Great Lakes Climate?

Many companies offer 1-day polyurea-polyaspartic systems as a quick fix, but these coatings aren’t built to handle Toledo’s challenging environment. 1-day polyurea systems:

• Use a thin, poorly penetrating polyurea base coat that cures too quickly in the presence of moisture, resulting in poor adhesion and increased risk of peeling.
• Use low-quality, 1:1, <100%-solids polyaspartic that have lower degrees of cross-linking. They simply don’t effectively reduce plasticizer migration (hence the suggestion to use vehicle pads).
• Only apply a single polyaspartic clear top coat. The thin, low-solids base coat and single thin polyaspartic top coat produce a wafer-thin coating system.
• Fail to warrant moisture-related issues and hot-tire transfer, leaving homeowners frustrated when damage occurs.

With Garage Floor Coating – The Great Lakes, our hybrid epoxy and polyaspartic flooring uses superior materials, proper application technique and expert installation. Hence, our concrete coatings provide long-term protection against moisture, hot-tire transfer. and harsh weather conditions.