Do I need to purchase the clear top coat to get the high gloss finish?NO!
Both base and top coats have equal gloss levels however when you apply an additional clear coat the light will reflect on a smoother surface and will therefore look glossier.
CONDITIONS TO KNOW ABOUT CLEAR COATING YOUR FLOOR! There are reasons why you
may not choose to clear-coat your floor...
Single Application...
Its true the least amount of coats per application, THE BETTER! Why? You remove the variable of inter-coat delimitation. Multiple coats do not bond (between coats) nearly as well as the bonding throughout a single thick chemical cure application. This is why Epoxy-Coat is designed to be a single application.
Thickness...
Clear coats sound great, however; a clear coat is typically only 2 mils DFT in thickness. When applied to a flake chip system it leaves only 2 mils of protection before you wear out the clear coat.
Slip Resistance...
When you apply a clear coat to a floor, it reduces the coefficient of friction. The floor becomes slippery because it covers up the natural slip resistant properties associated with flake chips or aluminum oxide. To counter the slipperiness, you will need to apply aluminum oxide in the clear-coat application. This, unfortunately, will wear out much quicker than flake chips will or aluminum oxide in the Epoxy-Coat application. As it wears, it will leave small permanent dark marks on the top of the aluminum oxide particles. 2 mils DFT of clear coat is not suitable to hold #20 aluminum oxide without the risk of coming out so you will need a maximum #36.
Yellowing...
All clear coats yellow over time. Only two component aliphatic Polyurethane Enamel or Epoxy-Coat Cycloaliphatic clears (in a do-it-yourself kit form) resist yellowing from ultraviolet rays to an acceptable level.
Odor...
Polyurethane clear coatings are not 0% VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) coatings; therefore, hazardous odors may be present, which can cause untold problems.
Cycloaliphatic Epoxy...
When a single coat of Cycloaliphatic epoxy is applied over 9 mil DFT with an exposed flake chip system, you have a floor that is high gloss, permanently slip resistant and durable for decades throughout the thickness of the coating. It will resist yellowing and the threat of inter-coat delimitation is eliminated. Aluminum oxide can be added to this coat with more security (due to the fact that the coating is thicker).
Re-coating...
When re-coating clear coats, you have to re-coat the entire floor with the base color first, then a top coat of clear... if not, you won’t have an even new-looking floor.
Epoxy-Coat is sold and can be used as a clear top-coat, these points are made as helpful insight.
Epoxy-Coat has the advantage over polyurethane clears in that it applies 5x thicker per coat creating a more glossy appearance.
