Simple Garage Floor Coatings
If you’ve had it with ugly stains on your concrete garage floor, or if you’re just plain tired of looking at boring grey concrete, maybe it’s time to think about using garage floor coatings.
You’ll need surface coverings that should be installed by a professional, but you’ll pour an epoxy floor coating over it. You’ll need to carefully prepare the concrete surface and make the epoxy carefully, or it may not stick. (But even with the best preparations, sometimes epoxy just won’t stick.)
Water and humidity are the main causes of epoxy failing to stick to concrete floors. Concrete retains water much longer than many common surfaces, so not waiting long enough for concrete to dry after cleaning it can be a culprit.
Humidity has the same problemmany products have guidelines as to what the humidity level in the air should be when applying them.
There’s more than just water and humidity to consider: You want the concrete floors to be as clean as possible. Dirt, oil, grime, and dust can all prevent your epoxy garage floor coatings from sticking.
Fresh concrete releases salts and other minerals as it cures, and this rises to the surface. The surface needs to be scrubbed clean of all of these and allowed to dry very thoroughly before application.
When you have a professional install an epoxy floor coating, it will be a multi-day process that involves several steps. The first day consists of cleaning the floor, ensuring that all the grease, oils, and dust is thoroughly cleaned off.
He may use special chemicals and/or pressure washing to achieve this. The floor will have to dry for quite some time.
Next, the floor needs to be primed with a very specific floor primer. After this dries for a day or so, the installer will pour on the epoxy finish.
It will be in one or two coats, with thickness varying based on the product. Lastly comes the sealer.
When it comes to garage floor coatings, epoxy isn’t the easiest or cheapest to install, but once it’s in properly, you will love the smooth, clean surface it provides.
