Perhaps you have been living in your home for years and noticed the gradual decline of the garage floor’s durability.
Perhaps you just moved into a new home and the garage is not up to standard.
Why Garage Floor Protection is so Rrucial
Concrete garage floors are prone to deterioration over time.
They are also exposed to daily vehicle and pedestrian traffic. We also need to mention the moisture that is brought into garages by the rain or snow.
Concrete floors are also subject to temperature fluctuations. The contract when it is colder and expands when it gets warmer.
This is how long your flooring must withstand.
Garage floors that haven’t been maintained over time will begin to show their age.
- Cracks
- Stains from spills, leaks, and efflorescence (a white powdery substance that is caused by mineral salt deposits)
- Pitting is when a surface becomes porous and has many indentations.
- an uneven surface color
- Spalling is when concrete surface cracks or flakes off.
Here are some options to upgrade, strengthen, or beautify your garage floor.
Concrete Resurfacer
Concrete resurfacers are a product that you should be aware of when looking at garage floor protection options. Concrete resurfacers contain a mix of sand and Portland cement as well as polymer materials and other additives. They are usually applied with a trowel, brush, and squeegee.
Concrete “resurfacer” refers to a cement-based coating that forms a smooth, new concrete surface over old concrete.
It usually takes only one day to clean and resurface the floor. Smoothly spreading the resurfacing is the most difficult part of the project. It helps to have experience with concrete and drywall finishing.
Concrete resurfacers can be used to repair garage floors that are in dire need of some maintenance. However, they offer very little floor protection. Their application coats are often thinner than epoxy or polyaspartic coatings.
Concrete resurfacers work best for floors with superficial damage, such as minor cracks or pitting. Floors with more serious problems, such as spalling, deep cracks, and extensive pitting, will require extensive repairs before a resurfacer can be applied.
Garage Floor Coverings
Garage floor coverings such as mats, rugs, and parking pads are more commonly used in winter. This makes garage floors slippery.
Although these products may be able to protect your floors, their protection is very limited.
They have the unique function of keeping your garage floor clean, aside from their low price. This keeps your garage floor cleaner.
To drain the water collected, they will need to be taken outside every now and again. They can become heavy and difficult to move.
These floor coverings have one major drawback: if the water pool isn’t removed regularly enough, it can lead to increased condensation in your garage. This is a problem. The cement could be damaged if water is collected underneath the covering.
These products have another problem: vehicles can enter and leave a garage, causing the covers to shift and require repositioning. Double-sided tape might be useful for models with anti-skid bottoms.
Floor Sealer
Roll-on sealers are another popular option homeowners use to protect garage floors. Roll-on sealers are inexpensive and easy to use. They come in latex, acrylic, and urethane varieties.
However, do they provide flooring protection? This product seals the floor against stains and water damage, as their name suggests.
When it comes to floor protection, sealers are not as effective as epoxy and polyaspartic floor coatings.
They are not as strong as better quality coatings and won’t bond to concrete. They also wear out faster.
Clear concrete sealers will not hide any blemishes caused by patches or repairs to the floor prior to the sealer being applied. Tints are a way to give your concrete some color and can produce better visual results.
Floor Patching
This is the point where the remaining garage floor protection options are no longer viable.
Yes, you can prevent more damage from garage floors by using crack sealers, concrete patching compound, or water stop cement.
However, there are some reasons to reconsider this “bare minimum” approach to dealing with the problems on your garage floor.
These types of floor repairs using cheap tubes of sealant or filler are not long-term. These types of fixes are not long-lasting and should be replaced every year.
These types of repairs can only be done on small areas and not the entire garage floor.
Last but not least, aesthetics. Spot repairs, patching, and touch-ups are not conducive to an interior garage appearance, especially if they don’t match the floor’s color.
Polyaspartic floor coating – The Premium Option
Polyaspartic coatings are the best. This durable coating is made of high-quality materials and is applied by professionals using special equipment.
Polyaspartic coatings penetrate concrete deeper than most garage floor protection products.
This strengthens the foundational bond between concrete and cement, making it more resistant to water, chemicals, or other elements that could cause floor damage.
The floor is protected from scratches, abrasions, and chemicals.
A good floor coating won’t wear down as fast as bare concrete floors, so your garage will produce less dust.
Before the topcoat is applied, decorative colored flakes are applied to polyaspartic floor coatings. This helps to hide dust and gives your garage an interesting look.
Epoxy vs. Paint
Many people just paint concrete floors to maintain their beauty. Paint can easily become brittle due to changes in weather. One spring storm can add enough moisture to cause paint to peel off from your floor.
Your floor painting job will be ruined if you add a moist vehicle to it. Although epoxy can be applied as easily as paint but will create a stronger bond that will protect the surface and prevent staining, it is also easy to use.
Epoxy Floor Coating
An epoxy floor coating kit will be the best option if you are looking for DIY garage floor protection.
They are everywhere in home improvement shops. The product’s box advertising promises that it will work miracles on your garage floor, and how easy it is to use.
They promise all this for a surprisingly low price. You shouldn’t be tempted by the lower price tag. Instead, ask yourself, “Hmmm…so, what’s the catch?
However, epoxy coatings are not as effective at protecting garage floors and updating room decor. They also don’t look or protect garage floors as well as polyaspartic coatings.
When compared to professional-grade, polyaspartic coating materials, any epoxy coating kit’s materials are substandard.
Any coating product must be applied with care.
The temperature and humidity levels of epoxy and polyaspartic flooring coatings must be considered. Epoxies are not compatible with polyaspartic floor coatings. They can only be used in extreme temperatures.
The floor coating process is very precise. Otherwise, your garage floor will look unattractive and won’t provide you with full protection. Also, you will need to revisit your garage floor project sooner than you would like for any touch-ups or a complete re-do.
The proper application of polyaspartic floor coatings requires more skill and specialized equipment. This is why they are more expensive and more difficult to do. Interlocking garage floor tiles are an alternative to upgrading concrete floors.
Floor Tiles
Floor tiles might be more affordable if you have a tight budget for floor upgrades. Floor tiles can be a cost-effective way to cover up floor damage that is beyond your budget.
Although floor tiles will not solve garage floor problems, they can help reduce the possibility of further damage due to wear and tear.
For added durability, floor tiles can be placed on concrete floors using either PVC or plastic materials.
Certain types may require mortar and adhesives to be installed. However, you should look for the type with interlocking teeth that is much simpler to work with.
These tiles are cost-effective and offer protection benefits.
Here are four reasons you should consider interlocking garage floor tiles:
- Fast installation time
- They are versatile and can be used in basements and laundry rooms as well as storage rooms.
- It’s very easy to replace tiles that have been damaged.
- Create a unique floor look using different tile styles and colors
Floor Stain
You can refresh your concrete floor, garage, or basement with a stain or new paint. You can maintain the look of your floors for long periods of time by applying a stain or paint outside of your main living spaces.
You can also find floor stains that will transform garage floors.
These stains are chosen for their decorative appeal, which gives a garage floor a richer color or even a natural stone appearance. You can find floor stains in both acid and water-based types.
Stains can be used to cover up surface imperfections by adding color to the floor. Stains are not effective in protecting garage floors because they only penetrate the concrete.
You can apply a sealer topcoat to the stain’s thin, uncoated surface. This will protect the floor and stain, but also makes the stain stand out more.
Floor Paint
Concrete floor paint can be used to give life and color to your garage floor if it is stained by oil, grease, or rust. These paints are inexpensive and easy to apply, but it is not as simple as sweeping your garage floor and then opening a can to paint and rolling it on.
Floor paints, just like floor stains, do little to protect a floor’s surface. After the paint is applied and dried, you will only get a cosmetic update to your floor.
Garage floor paint is a popular short-term “solution” for floor improvements. Paint chips and flakes can be applied quickly so they will need to be touched up and fully reapplied.
They are a popular choice for homeowners who want to improve the appearance of their garage floor.
Concrete floor paints come in latex and oil-based options. They are designed with a satin, nonslip finish that is resistant to solvents, salts and other caustic substances.