Maryland homeowners deal with moisture-heavy air, freeze–thaw cycles, and year-round humidity that puts constant stress on garage concrete. That is why the warranty behind your garage floor coating is just as important as the system itself
Unfortunately, many garage floor warranties are engineered to fail the moment you actually need them, leaving homeowners exposed when moisture-related problems appear.
How Moisture Exclusions Undermine Warranties
One of the most misleading tactics in the garage floor coating industry is the use of arbitrary moisture thresholds. You may see warranty exclusions tied to numbers like 3 lbs MVER, 6 lbs MVER, or Tramex readings above a certain level. These exist as built-in warranty escape clauses, allowing contractors to deny coverage the moment moisture-related failure occurs.
Moisture vapor transmission through concrete is constant. When warranties rely on exclusions instead of moisture mitigation, failure is not a possibility, it is a matter of time.
The Installation-Day Upsell Trap
Another common tactic appears on installation day. After diamond grinding, contractors suddenly “discover” moisture issues and pressure homeowners into unexpected moisture-mitigation fees. These charges can add hundreds or thousands of dollars to the project.
The truth is straightforward. Moisture in concrete slabs is inevitable. These surprise fees are not technical necessities. They are last-minute upsells that also give the installer a future warranty loophole.
Garage Floor Coating of Maryland includes a moisture-mitigating epoxy primer as part of every professional coating system, without surprise charges.
The Tire Staining Exclusion
Plasticizer migration (also known as tire staining) is another issue many warranties quietly exclude. Lower-grade polyaspartics, thin epoxies, and many 1-day systems cannot resist it. Instead of engineering better systems, competitors simply deny coverage.
Our multi-layer coatings are engineered to resist plasticizer migration and are backed by warranties that do not hide behind appearance-based exclusions.
What Maryland Homeowners Should Demand From a Garage Floor Coating Warranty
Before signing any contract, homeowners should demand clear answers to these questions:
- Does your warranty cover all moisture-related issues, yes or no?
- Do you use a moisture-mitigating primer, yes or no?
- Is plasticizer migration included, yes or no?
- Is your warranty full coverage including materials and labor, yes or no?
- Can you provide Technical Data Sheets for every product you install, yes or no?
If the installer cannot answer yes to all five, it is time to keep looking.
To learn more about garage flooring systems designed for real-world conditions, contact Garage Floor Coating of Maryland today to schedule a consultation and protect your investment with a warranty that actually means something.
