Typical problems with untreated concrete in your garage. How can epoxy resin flooring help?

Typical problems with untreated concrete in your garage.

Untreated concrete floors are undoubtedly the cheapest option for garage floor but leaving these surfaces unprotected can lead to many problems. Solving problems can become more costly at a later date and result in additional hassles.

We’ve put together a list of typical issues with untreated concrete due to moisture, chemical and mechanical damage:

1. Freeze-thaw cycle damage in colder climates resulting in scaling, crumbling or cracking. As water in damp concrete freezes it expands causing damage through pressure. Water expands by 9% causing deterioration of cement when pressure exceeds the tensile strength of the substrate.

2. Surface pitting and spalling. In colder climates winter snow/slush/salt gets tracked onto your concrete garage floor. This causes the cycle of water penetrating and freezing or water/salts causing slow substrate damage. Salts attract more water and eventually water re-freezes. The smooth non-aggregate surface gets a pitted look over small, large or randomly scattered areas exposing the aggregate texture of the concrete.

3. Rebar corrosion - rebar becomes exposed due to concrete degradation and it will eventually corrode depending on the location. Familiar orange staining appears. If your garage concrete is a 4” slab (standard is about 3 1/2” thick after curing), it requires no rebar but is usually installed with wire mesh.

4. Staining - Concrete is susceptible to chemical damage, oil staining, penetrating liquid spills. All stains make it look unclean. The spills can enter the concrete beyond the surface due to its porous structure creating deeper, harder to remove stains. Undesirable chemicals may remain in the concrete for an extended time.

5. Tire marks, hot tire pickup - stubborn surface stains result from tire plasticizers migrating and penetrating into the concrete making them difficult to remove. The better the tire quality, the grater chance for hot tire pickup and tire marking from a parked vehicle.

6. Impact damage from dropped objects and tools, resulting in chipped or cracked surface that will further deteriorate.

7. Non-structural concrete cracking. Concrete naturally contracts and expands depending on temperature extremes and relative humidity. Freshly poured concrete is more susceptible to surface cracking. More serious, structural reasons for cracking can include ground shifting and settling or water damage. 

Why is it a good idea to consider epoxy resin flooring solution for your garage?

Having a floor solution where the high volume of traffic will not harm the surface is a peace of mind you deserve. Properly prepared concrete with industrial-strength epoxy resin flooring will keep on giving for a decade or... two. Many flooring solutions may only fix some of the concrete problems temporarily but epoxy resin flooring can tick √ all of the boxes below.Epoxy flooring systems can take a beating and still look great.

1. Longer concrete lifespanwith no pitting and spalling.

2. Improved aesthetics.You can hide your existing stains and prevent deep staining. You can do this while adding style to your garage space. Removing grit and spills as part of your regular cleaning will keep the surface in great condition.

3. Longer finish coat lifespanwhen compared to traditional paint or a part-epoxy product. This means 10 to 20 years of usability for each properly installed epoxy flooring system. Durability, chemical- and stain- resistance come in handy to provide a low-maintenance surface and let you focus on enjoying your garage space. The surface is impervious to water. UV-resistant top coating with polyaspartic moisture cured urethane will further enhance the UV resistance of the Colored Epoxies epoxy system. Careful installation ensures longevity.

4. Minimized upkeep.You cannot keep the salt and slush out of the garage in the winter, but you can keep it out of the porous concrete by adding a durable, protective epoxy coating on top. If you want to protect the concrete from water, or chemical spills adding a water- and chemical- resistant barrier to the surface makes the most sense. With easier cleanup less surface staining develops and no staining penetrates deep into the slab.

5. Easier cleanup.Hot tire pickup and tire marking is easier to remove from the surface of an industrial quality epoxy system. Tires will still migrate plasticizers into the surface but with a high quality, fully cured, 100% solids polyaspartic floor system you can clean off the marks much easier. Normal maintenance consists of simple sweeping and mopping. If you leave a vehicle parked for long time during vacation, you can consider using mats.

6. No product cracking. Impact resistant.Our industrial strength epoxy resin coatings resists high-impact force. Whereas traditional paints or part-epoxy products will wear out with age, peel/crack from friction or from weather related exposure, or chip from dropped object impact, the epoxy resin flooring will resist all those daily damage risks.

7. Fix and conceal cracks.There is no definitive way of preventing all cracks from developing in concrete but all unsightly concrete cracks can be fixed and concealed by applying a protective finish while diminishing the appearance of cracks in the future. The finish itself will never crack. Choose an adequate concrete crack repair method and hide repaired inactive cracks with the multi-coat 100% solids polyaspartic floor epoxy system. Active and deep cracks might need to be evaluated to develop a proper strategy.

8. Consider installing a flake flooring system. If you want to further hide imperfections consider adding texture or both color and texture to your epoxy floor installation using a variety of available flake products to achieve a different feel and a unique look. Colored Epoxies offers a wide range of color options and flake mixes to satisfy the most discriminating tastes. Please check our selection of flakes.

9. Consider installing a specialty floor system if you want a custom look. Many alternatives are available with metallic mica powder pigments, glitter, or other architectural effects such as woodchips, mica flakes, or quartz. Please check our selection of Additives.

10. Invest in quality, don’t cut corners.There are many products on the market using the word “epoxy” as part of their label. Not all “epoxy” is created equal. Please do your research, read reviews, and ask questions before you make a decision. 

Do you want to use This-Old-House-recommended Colored Epoxies product kits to prepare your garage floor to take-a-beating-and-still-look-great?

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