Rocksolid Polycuramine Garage Floor Coating Kit Review
RockSolid Polycuramine Garage Floor Coating Kit Review
Rustoleums RockSolid line of concrete coatings feature a no peel guarantee and according to their website:
The Garage Floor Coating, like all RockSolid Polycuramine® coatings, offers unsurpassed durability. Polycuramine is 20 times stronger than epoxy. With its resistance to salt, oil, gas and other harsh chemicals, this is one of the toughest floor coatings on the planet. Its easy to maintain and will last a lifetime while still looking fantastic.
This claim and guarantee sounded fantastic so we decided to try it out for ourselves.
What is a Polycuramine? We mostly review epoxy and urethane based products however, RockSolids Polycuramine products claim to combine the best product attributes of polyurea, epoxy and urethane chemistries into one.
Other product features include a high gloss finish, low odor and VOCs, hot tire pickup resistance and chemical resistance. The Garage Floor Coating Kit is available in five color variations in either a 1 car garage kit or a 2.5 car garage kit. The finished surface can accept foot traffic in 8-10 hours and vehicle traffic 24 hours after application. Instead of shipping in a plastic pail or metal can, the Rocksolid Garage Floor Kit arrives in a burst pouch that you roll, shake and pour directly onto the concrete. Also included in the kit are a concrete etch, foam roller, decorative paint chips and the burst pouch.
Our experience:
Our review first week after application:
Our Evaluation Of Rocksolid Polycuramine Garage Floor Coating
We feel that this new lineup for RockSolid couldnt have come at a better time. While the Polyurea garage coat system that it replaced was a fairly good product, many of the reviews for it by the average DIY installer were less than great.
There are many benefits to a polyurea garage floor coating, but the pitfalls for a DIY coating is in the installation. The biggest complaints received about the older RockSolid polyurea coating was delamination and finish issues. Many if not most of the problems to these issues was not due to a poor product, but the result of the limited application time available for the product. If it wasnt installed in 20 to 30 minutes, it started to thicken up and problems ensued.
This RockSolid floor was installed by one of our readers. He used SikaFlex to fill the contraction joints after the coating cured.
Because polyurea cures fairly quickly, it doesnt have enough time to seep into the pores of dense concrete that is prepped only by etching and not by grinding. This can lead to delamination issues of the coating. Secondly, if you dont get the product down fast enough the finish will not be very glossy or can even loose its smooth texture among other issues.
After putting a call in to the Rust-Oleum tech line, they claimed that the new RockSolid Polycuramine formula has better wetting characteristics that allows the coating to penetrate into the concrete better. This is a big help for concrete that is etched instead of prepped by grinding.
Perform A Moisture Test
We highly recommend performing a moisture test to ensure that there is no liquid trapped in your concrete. To do this, tape a plastic sheet on to the surface of your concrete. Then, wait a few hours. If there is moisture on the plastic when you lift it, wait longer before applying your coating. You only get one chance at installing your Rocksolid Metallic floor. Its worth it to wait!
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Where To Purchase Rocksolid Polycuramine Products
Weve had to update this section on multiple occasions since we first posted this article in early 2014. For a while the RockSolid lineup was only available from Menards. Fortunately however, Rust-Oleum has since expanded the distribution of the RockSolid product to Home Depot as well as some automotive parts stores such as Summit Racing.
If you dont have one of these stores near you, Rust-Oleum is now offering
Pricing will vary but to give you an idea, expect a single 1-car garage floor kit that covers up to 250 ft² to retail for approximately $125. Weve seen it priced as low as $99 from different outlets when on sale. They also have made available a 2.5 car garage kit as well that will cover up to 500 ft².
It didnt take too long, but Rust-Oleum is now marketing the Polycuramine formula under the Rust-Oleum Restore brand of products as well. As an example, you can find it at Lowes under the name Rust-Oleum Restore garage floor coating kit. You may be able to find it at other outlets under the Restore branding as well.
Would We Recommend Rocksolid Polycuramine
With all that said, initial responses from consumers has been very positive. Reports are that the new RockSolid Polycuramine garage coating formula is easier to apply DIY than the previous polyurea formula. Few Issues about the finish have been raised so far that we are aware of. Plus, the added benefit of being able to install it in a wider range of temperature extremes is something you cannot do with other garage floor coatings.
RockSolid Polycuramine garage floor coating
One nice advantage to the Polycuramine garage coat that we have failed to mention is that it has up to a 7 day recoat window. This means that you can wait up to 7 days to apply another coat to the floor without having to prep it first other than making sure it is clean.
This can be a great advantage to the average DIY installer who may only have a limited time to work on their floor. Most coating products have a recoat window of 24 hours or less.
Though the new RockSolid Polycuramine Garage Coat is only 3 mils thick, we feel this formulation is far superior to that of comparable DIY coatings such as Rust-Oleums 2-part EpoxyShield product, Quikrete Epoxy garage floor coatings, or Valspar Epoxy Coatings as an example.
RockSolid also has an easy to apply metallic garage floor coating which is now gaining some attention. It goes down twice as thick and has a very professional appearance.
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Overall Thoughts Thoughts On Rust
We were very satisfied with Rust-Oleum RockSolid Metallic Garage Floor Coating. Overall, the material had a stunning aesthetic. Its lustrous color and high sheen enable it to transform a dull concrete floor into the highlight of a room. On top of that, its durability is second to none. With the ability to outperform most latex and polyurethane cement floor coatings, Rocksolid is a solid option. Since it is eco-friendly and easy to use, we would recommend it to any home or business owner looking to improve an indoor or covered concrete floor.
Richard Jenkins is a 33-year-old Professional Painter that applies paint on the interior and exterior surfaces. Qualified in painting technology knowledge, physical fitness, stamina, teamwork, and attention to safety. Read More.
What Is Polycuramine
For the best definition of what Polycuramine is, we need a brief history of RockSolid Floors in order to help explain how Polycuramine ended up in their product and how Rust-Oleum became involved.
RockSolid Floors was established in 2007 as an affiliate of Citadel Floor Finishing Systems. Citadel is a well-established, 43 year old industrial floor finishing manufacturer that specializes in polyaspartic and polyurea technologies. Realizing that there was a DIY demand, RockSolid Floors was born in order to provide a friendlier DIY version of the Citadel product that would be easier to apply.
RockSolid is probably best known for providing the A and B compounds in ready-to-mix sealed burst pouches that do not require a mixing bucket for most applications.
In January of 2014, Rust-Oleum acquired Citadel and thus inherited the RockSolid line of floor coating products. As a result, all RockSolid products now come with Rust-Oleum branding. In fact, all customer service inquiries for RockSolid go directly to Rust-Oleum as well.
Polycuramine is a newly trademarked product that was developed last year by Citadel and found its way into the RockSolid lineup. Its a proprietary blend that is alleged to combine the best benefits of Polyurea, Polyurethane, and Epoxy. This is a quote from a RockSolid sales page:
You can view their information page here.
Installation of the new Polycuramine Garage Coat kit
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