Plain garage floors are not very appealing. They can get marred by car tires and may be stained by oils and dirt. Good news is that Zone Garage specializes in garage floor coatings aimed at improving your property value. We have the exact products for long-lasting garages.
Factors that determine quality of garage floor coating
- Surface preparation
The durability of any construction project is dependent on how well a surface is prepared. Since the garage is predisposed to a lot of abuse, it demands intense preparations for the coating to stand out. Proper surface preparation requires thorough scarification and roughing up of the surface so that the coat can have a firm ground to attach to. The ideal texture of the concrete surface should be a 60-80 grit sandpaper feel. Such a surface can only be prepared by professionals like us because we know the right equipment to use e.g. diamond grinder and track blaster.
We do not encourage DIY processes, so call us if you need anything. First, you may not know how to properly prepare the surface for coating. Most DIY kits come with acid etching products which create light textures on the floor surface. However, they are not enough to facilitate solid epoxy to adhere properly to the surface. For the coating to bond well with a poorly-prepared concrete surface, it needs to have a slim consistency with fewer solids such that it won’t peel off easily. But thinner dry films are less durable when compared to high-solid epoxies. So, it is better off to hire the service of an expert.
- Thickness
Coatings are like a barrier that protect your garage floors from harmful elements such as care tires, oils, and gasoline. Superior protection can be achieved by a thicker coat because it would last longer. Basically, a coating has two elements namely solids and solvents. Professional grade coatings contain higher proportions of solids and that’s why they are heavier and therefore give more durable floors. The solvents are liquids or water-based coats. When the liquid evaporates, the solid (dry paint film) is what remains on the floor.
The bigger the solids proportion in the coating, the thicker the paint film becomes after drying. The typical epoxy coating contains 50% solids while the high-grade coatings have between 65% and 100% solid proportions.
- Permeability
Normally, after concrete is poured on a surface, a strong plastic barrier is placed between the poured concrete and the ground to prevent moisture from seeping into the concrete floor. Nonetheless, this is not always the case with garages. And so, the addition of a garage floor coating is paramount because it increases the impermeability of the floor to water. If your garage floor lacks a moisture barrier, what you need is an epoxy coating to stop water seepage.
If you want to test the permeability of your concrete floor, fix an aluminum foil to the floor on every side using a duct tape. Then take it off after a few days. In case you notice condensed water under the foil or wetness on the floor, the permeability is very high and this is a big problem. Perform this test just after it has rained heavily and while the ground is still saturated.
Other options
Epoxy coatings are not the only solutions to creating water-proof and durable garage floors. You can opt for staining or sealing, all of which we will gladly do for you. These techniques are tested and proven as means of protecting and enhancing the appeal of any type of floor. Sealing increases the resistance of garage floor to UV light, water, flakes, and stains.