Solutions for Garage Floor Coating

Your garage floor is the surface in your home that has the toughest job. Although concrete flooring styles are durable, they are porous. This means, oil that leaks from the car and grime carried by car tires can stain the concrete floor even if it has a smooth finish. Besides, stains caused by car oil and other fluid attract more dirt and grime.

Luckily, there are solutions. You can apply a garage floor coating.  It is one of the easiest ways to transform unpleasant looking concrete into an appealing area in your home. A concrete garage floor coating can either be stained, painted or coated with epoxy.

Any of these garage floor coatings will enhance the appearance of your garage floors and make it easy to clean. Oil leaks and spills can just simply be wiped off.

Stained Concrete

Concrete stain can either be an acrylic that is water based or a chemical stain that is acid based. As the stain reacts with the concrete it becomes permanent and will not chip off, fade or peel. Acid based stains are usually available in earth colors.

Pros

• Highly aesthetic and unique.
• Provides a marble finish that is very decorative.
• Sealers applied can protect the coating against floor stains and chemicals as well as moisture.

Cons

• Applying only concrete stain will not be able to completely protect your garage floor.
• Regular maintenance needs to be done so the stain finish remains preserved.

Painted Concrete

It is extremely important to prepare of the concrete floor in the right way prior to the application of concrete paint. The right concrete floor preparation is essential for the paint to last long and look beautiful.

Pros

• Highly affordable.
• Easy to apply.
• Can help conceal stained or damaged portions of the garage floor.

Cons

• A painted concrete needs regular touch ups because tough chemicals and road salt brought by car tires can make the paint fade.

Epoxy Coated Concrete

Applying epoxy on your garage floor can transform your garage into an additional appealing room in your home. Your garage will look like an extension of your living room.

Epoxy adds a vibrant color and at the same time conceals all imperfections of the concrete floor. Epoxy also adds to the resistance of the flooring to oil stains. When water spills on an epoxy coated floor, it will form into beads making it easy to wipe up.

Epoxy coated floors also contain additives that are anti-skid giving wet tires the added traction when driven on it.

How to Apply Epoxy Coating

It is important to prepare the concrete floor prior to apply an epoxy coat. Any sealers or stains in the floor need to be cleaned. If the preparation of the floor is not done the right way, the epoxy coat will not properly adhere to the floor. There is also a possibility that it will chip off.

Epoxy coat must also be applied on a day that is dry. There should be no chances of dampness or rain on that day. Applying an epoxy coat takes some time. Each step is completed in 12 to 24 hours including the standing time. Each step needs to be fully completed before starting with the next step. To achieve the best results, it is best to hire a professional garage flooring company.

Despite the long tedious process involved in epoxy coating, the end result is very much worth it.

Pros

• Epoxy coating for concrete floors is the most chosen option of homeowners.
• It is a durable, sturdy and tough finish.
• It comes in varied texture, hue and colors.
• It does not need regular maintenance
• It is moisture, oil, dust and grime resistant.
• It can conceal all imperfections of a concrete floor.
  

Cons

• Requires long and intensive preparation time.
• Curing time takes about two weeks.
• Expensive than paint or stain.

Garage floor coating is an esthetic way to transform a garage that only has a drab concrete flooring. An epoxy coat is probably the best treatment you could give your concrete garage floor.

Learn more about the best garage floor coating here.

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