Why You Should Consider a Garage Floor Coating
Your garage floor is under constant assault from vehicle and foot traffic, rainwater, snow, ice, road salt, and grit. Leaks, spills, falling objects, temperature, and time contribute to the eventual breakdown of the concrete floor in your garage. Should you consider a garage floor coating?
Untreated concrete floors get dirty and dusty and can be nearly impossible to clean.
Bare concrete is a significant player in causing a dusty garage.
Benefits of Garage Floor Coatings
Regardless of your choice of coating, encapsulating the surface of your concrete garage floor will make cleanups easier because drips and spills will not bleed into the porous surface. Any coating you use will seal the pores in the concrete and keep spills on the surface, allowing time to clean them up.
A good concrete floor coating will hide cracks, imperfections, and old stains, providing an attractive, smooth surface that is easier to maintain than bare concrete.
Sealing your concrete floor protects the surface from UV, chemicals, abrasions, and other damage, thus prolonging its lifespan. The proper application of a quality floor coating can provide 10 to 20 years of service.
What Are the Options?
Today, you have numerous choices for coating concrete floors. These include floor paint, epoxies, and polyurethane.
You may choose a DIY application if you are handy or have experience, but there’s more to coating your cement floor than merely spreading some paint or epoxy.
While you can save money by doing the job yourself, you may be better off choosing a professional. Professional applications deliver more robust protection and are heavier-duty products than you will find on the DIY market. But, applying garage floor coating is something homeowners do all the time.
Garage Floor Paint
These products are usually acrylic latex, with some selections incorporating small amounts of epoxy for a more durable surface than standard paint. Still, these are garage floor paint and NOT epoxy.
Paint will be the least expensive purchase but also the least durable. Epoxy is far more robust and durable but costlier and more challenging to apply.
Epoxies
Epoxies are a two-part system consisting of a thermosetting resin and a catalyst. Combined, these two chemicals form a thick layer with a hard surface and an aggressive bond to properly prepared concrete.
There are three epoxy formulations for coating garage floors:
Water-based Epoxy
- Unlike 100% Solid Epoxy, this “green choice” contains approximately 40% to 60% epoxy making it thinner and allowing for a more convenient, easier, and quicker application. But, less epoxy means this product is not as hard and is less durable.
Solvent-based Epoxy
- Somewhat stronger than water-based versions, solvent-based formulations result in a thicker application and may be more durable. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) present in solvents make respirator use necessary when applying solvent-based epoxy.
100% Solid Epoxy
- Standard in most commercial shops, 100% Solid Epoxy is the most durable and robust of these selections. Its ability to resist scratching and damage from hot tires, oil, and chemical spills makes it an ideal choice.
Polyurethane
Polyurethane coatings provide the ultimate protection. However, this product is typically the final coat in a multi-coat, commercial/industrial application.
Polyurethane is not a DIY product
Summary
You have a lot of good reasons to apply a coating to your bare concrete garage floor, including:
- Prolonging Its Lifespan
- A Healthier Environment
- Less Dust
- A More Attractive Workspace
- Easier Maintenance
- Adding Value to Your Investment
Finally
Now that you know more about the advantages of coating your concrete garage floor, choosing the product that best fits your needs and budget is the only thing left. So, our next blog will help you to make that determination by taking a closer look at your options.
This may be the perfect time to call on Top Choice Garage Doors to inspect and service your garage door before tackling your floor.
We will ensure all mechanisms are working and in good repair. Our trained technicians will lubricate all the critical components and replace defective parts. And finally, we will adjust your door to close properly to protect your new garage floor coating.
Give us a call at 703-686-8998 to schedule an appointment with our team.
