Garage Flooring Options
Standard concrete garage floor can do the job. However, as it ages, it receives moisture, chemical spills, oil drips, and road salts, that affects its functionality. A garage floor finish could hide cracks, surface defects, and make it easier to clean. It can also protect your floor from staining and further deterioration.
Garage Floor Coverings
Since floor coverings come ready made, an application is fast and effortless that makes it back to service quickly. The only preparation involved is sweeping and vacuuming. Moreover, you can apply this type of flooring even on a damp concrete floor. It is also effective in putting cracks and blemishes out of sight. Here are its three basic types;
Vinyl Composite Tile - VCT flooring is relatively cheap than other coverings. It comes in wide variety of colors and patterns. However, installation requirements are a bit like coating. After cleaning the concrete, that is the only time you could apply adhesive and lay the tile. You also need to wait for up to weeks or until the adhesive fully dries before applying three or more coats of sealer. Damp floors could also be a problem in bonding, and it becomes slippery when wet.
Roll-out mats - Installation is as simple as rolling out the mat, put several mats as to your garage size, butt the edges together, and cut the edges with a utility knife to fit it. You can quickly move and clean even the underneath slab. It also comes in a variety of colors and patterns. However, when it acquires damage such as hot tire marks, chemical spills, or cut, repairs are almost impossible. It also expands and contracts with extreme temperature changes.
Interlocking flexible tiles - A plastic tile that comes in a bunch of colors and pattern. To install it, you only need to line up the tile and press the male and female loops together with a rubber mallet. It is also more comfortable underfoot and more slip-resistant than roll-out mats. It is also susceptible to staining, but unlike roller mats, you can replace deteriorated pieces easily.
Garage Floor Coatings
All coatings need floor preparation this is because coatings highlight blemishes. Oil, grease, and dirt could also affect the adhesiveness of coatings that could lead to early delamination. Moisture is another common problem in garage floor coating application, as it prevents the coating from sticking to the concrete. Thus, it is advisable to test first the concrete moisture before you apply a coating. Here the most common coating options;
Floor paint - Garage floor paint comes in two types, oil-based and latex. Oil-based dries to a high gloss while a latex paint dries to a flat sheen. But latex paint is easier to apply as oil-based needs a primer coat. However, oil-based are more durable than latex. Nevertheless, both types are re-coatable when damages arise. But still, it is not as tough as other coatings and would need maintenance recoat every year to keep it beautiful.
Epoxy - Garage epoxy floor with the proper application and curing, it is the toughest floor you can get. However, floor preparation is critical. It may even require grinding when a previous paint or sealer is on its surface. An application should also be fast before the epoxy hardens. Curing will also take weeks, and you cannot use your garage during those times. Nevertheless, the end product is aesthetically pleasing and utilitarian. Recoating would take years even with a heavy foot and vehicle traffic.