Garage Flooring - Attractive and Functional
Garage Flooring Epoxy Coatings
Garage flooring is a topic that is very rarely granted much consideration. This is partly because people are not prepared to spend large amounts of money on an attractive floor to only see it ruined by oil and heavy objects being dropped. Yet it is possible to have the best of both worlds - attractive and functional.Garage floors are gaining a new lease on life with the new epoxy coatings which have become available in a number of colors designed to suit all tastes. The durability of this type of flooring has been proved time and time again in industrial environments and many manufacturers now offer fitting services and guarantees.
Garage Flooring Epoxy Coatings
The first step is to prepare the concrete sub-floor for the new epoxy garage floor that is to be laid on top of it using industrial class grinders and tools. Once applied nothing will be able to harm the surface - that includes oil, battery fluids, fuel and more! The smooth surface also makes cleaning up a spill or mess a breeze.
Types of Epoxy Coatings for Garage Floors
There are different types of epoxy coatings available for your garage floor:
1. The first type is known as "Self Leveling" and can only be applied to a relatively smooth underlying layer. If rough areas are present then some grinding may be necessary. Most people will find having extra traction in the garage quit useful - and this can simply be achieved by adding a bit of grit to the epoxy mixture. The floor is laid on at a thickness of between 2mm to 5mm and dries to give a uniform, strong,well shined look.
2. The next type is what is known as "Trowel-Down." This was originally designed for high traffic intuitions such as restaurants and cafeteria kitchens; places where anything can be dropped or spilt. If you think your garage floor is going to be prone to slightly more "activity" then this thicker (5mm +) flooring option can be considered.
3. Non-slip roller coats are on their own not suitable as a garage floor surface as they are not durable enough and are no more than 1.5mm in thickness. This type of epoxy is meant only to be applied to an existing coating to give the "non-slip" attribute to a floor.
Restoring Your Garage Flooring
As previously stated garage floors are often victims of grease and oil stains - some even have been etched by chemicals such as battery acid and anti-freeze. So how do we give them some dignity back? Try by following these easy steps:
* Step 1: Sprinkle kitty litter or sawdust over grease marks till they are covered and leave on for at least one full day. What this will do is draw out any excess oils still sitting in the floor.
* Step 2: Sweep away the soiled sawdust and / or kitty litter and pick up any stray bits with a vacuum cleaner.
* Step 3: With the excess oil removed the stain should be more open to removal. From here you want to apply a commercial concrete cleaning product (or dishwashing detergent if you like) to the marks. Let these work on the stain for a good hour and then flush the area with scalding hot water and then scrub away with a hard bristle brush. You might have to repeat this step three or four times.
* Step 4: You ideally want to finish the whole process by using a high pressure cleaner which can be hired. Ideally you are looking at hiring one that can exert 1200 pounds of pressure per square inch.
Your garage floor should now have taken on a completely new look. After all you hard work you might now want to consider applying an epoxy finish which will mean never having to go through those grueling four steps again.
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Interior Decorating
