What Happens on Installation Day

Step 1 — Arrival, Inspection, and Moisture Testing

Before any equipment is unloaded, the crew does a walkthrough of the space with you. This covers:

• Color confirmation — final verification of your selected Torginol flake color against a physical sample
• Moisture testing — a calcium chloride test or plastic sheet test measures vapor transmission through the slab. High moisture levels need to be addressed before coating can begin.
• Damage assessment — the crew notes all cracks, pitting, oil staining, and surface irregularities that will need attention during prep
• Edge and boundary review — confirming where the coating starts and stops, how sidewalls and steps will be handled

Step 2 — Diamond Grinding

This is the most important step — and the one most budget installers skip or shortcut. Industrial diamond grinders with rotating diamond-tipped segments are run across the entire concrete surface. This accomplishes three things:

1. Opens the concrete pores — creates a mechanical bond profile that coating grips permanently
2. Removes surface contaminants — old sealers, oil penetration, laitance (the weak surface layer of concrete), and previous coatings are ground off
3. Levels minor irregularities — light surface undulation gets evened out during the grinding pass

Grinding produces significant concrete dust. The crew runs HEPA vacuum systems alongside the grinders to capture as much as possible, but expect some dust in the immediate area. This phase typically takes 1–3 hours depending on square footage and slab condition.

Step 3 — Crack and Pit Repair

Every crack and area of pitting identified during inspection is treated with Penntek's proprietary mender product. The mender is a flexible, polyurea-based filler that bonds to the surrounding concrete and cures hard enough to grind flush with the slab surface.

This is not the same as standard concrete patch or hydraulic cement. Those products are rigid, often shrink, and don't bond well with flexible coating systems. The Penntek mender is formulated specifically to work with the polyurea base coat applied over it.

• Hairline cracks: filled and feathered flush
• Larger cracks (up to ½"): routed, filled, and ground flush
• Pitting and spalling: filled in sections, ground level after cure
• Joint fill: control joints and expansion joints treated based on movement history

Step 4 — Polyurea Base Coat

After grinding and repair, the Penntek polyurea base coat is applied. This is the structural heart of the system. Polyurea chemistry is fundamentally different from epoxy:

• Bonds directly to concrete — not a paint sitting on top, but a coating that chemically grips the ground surface
• Extremely flexible — 4× more elongation than epoxy, meaning it moves with the concrete instead of cracking against it
• Fast-setting — begins curing within minutes of application, which is why timing the flake broadcast in the next step is critical
• Full coverage — applied at consistent thickness across the entire slab, including edges and around any columns or floor drains

Step 5 — Decorative Flake Broadcast

While the polyurea base coat is still wet and tacky, the crew broadcasts Torginol decorative color flake across the surface. The technique matters here — a full broadcast means the entire floor is covered with chips, not a light scatter. This creates the dense, consistent appearance you see in professional installations.

The chips embed partially into the wet base coat, creating a textured surface. The texture provides natural slip resistance — important for a garage floor that may get wet from rain, snow melt, or vehicle drips.

There are 16 standard colors available in the Penntek/Torginol palette, plus custom blends at an upcharge. The color you selected when getting your quote is confirmed again at the start of installation day before any material is applied.

Step 6 — Cure, Scrape, and Vacuum

After the flake broadcast, the system is allowed to cure. Once the base coat has hardened with the flake locked in, the excess loose flake sitting on top — which did not embed — is scraped off with a floor scraper and vacuumed. This reveals the finished texture of the embedded chips and prepares a clean surface for the topcoat.

The scraping process is methodical — done in sections to ensure a uniform surface. Any areas with uneven flake coverage or thin spots in the base coat are addressed before topcoat is applied.

Step 7 — Polyaspartic Topcoat Seal

The final layer is the Penntek polyaspartic topcoat. Polyaspartic is a specific type of aliphatic polyurea engineered for:

• UV stability — won't yellow, chalk, or degrade under sunlight exposure
• Chemical resistance — impervious to oil, gasoline, road salt, household cleaners, and most chemicals
• Surface hardness — scratch and abrasion resistant for high-traffic areas
• Gloss finish — seals the decorative flake in a high-gloss, easy-to-clean surface

The topcoat is applied evenly across the full surface and allowed to cure. This is the layer you see and interact with every day — the glossy, textured surface that makes the floor look finished.

Step 8 — Final Walkthrough

Before the crew leaves, they walk the completed floor with you. This covers:

• Visual inspection of the finished surface — looking for any thin spots, missed edges, or areas needing touch-up
• Care and maintenance instructions — what to use for cleaning, what to avoid
• Return-to-use timeline — specific instructions for your floor based on the day's temperature and conditions
• Warranty documentation — your warranty terms and contact information

Return to Use — After Installation