Deciding On The Best Garage Floor By Its Ability To Weather Damage

What is your garage used for, and what do you plan to do with it in the future? Is it just there for parking things in, or have you plans to actually work in your garage? Regardless, an epoxy garage floor coating or covering of some sort is essential but, if you intend to work in it, then you will want to be more specific. Garage flooring is, after all, an investment, and you might as well invest in the right thing!

Ability To Deflect Chemicals

When working on vehicles, you’re going to spill chemicals, and probably lots of them; that’s just how it goes. Not just motor oil, either. It seems that those who make garage floor coatings, as well as coverings, have got this part down pat as most every option can protect against anything chemical. If you’re also looking direct the spilled liquids, you should look at garage floor mats or tiles since they can channel those liquids. All you have to do is spray them down with a water hose. However, be very careful not to send all those chemicals straight to the soil. Regardless of what some people say and believe, diluting these chemicals won’t save the groundwater from contamination.

Resisting Damage From Automobiles

Anyone who has done much home improvement has probably heard of what traditionally happens when hot tires hit epoxy garage floor paint. Automobiles, even in the winter, have hot tires when they’ve been driven for a while and, when driven on garage floors treated with epoxy, that paint is known to stick to those tires. This is referred to as “hot tire pickup”. Luckily, modern epoxy paints are not supposed to be susceptible to this issue. Many people, though, will tell you otherwise, but always remember that paint that was not installed correctly can also cause this issue. You could also avoid even the possibility by using garage floor coverings, or maybe garage floor tiles, as they don’t do this, although some mats will bunch and gather underneath a car’s tires when steering. Most mats advertise that this, too, is now a non-issue.

Defending Against The Less Predictable

Epoxy paint is extremely susceptible to becoming chipped or dented. Tools are hard, and when they are inevitably dropped, they’ll just bounce if they hit a garage floor mat. If they hit a hard surface, something has to give, and it will probably be the floor. Granted, concrete with a coat of epoxy is much stronger than a concrete garage floor on its own, but they’re both solid. Garage floor tile can do the same thing, if the tiles are made of something hard, but unlike paint, all you have to do is swap the tiles that are damaged.

Standing Up To Mother Nature

Of course, the elements have a lot to do with exactly what the flooring will have to survive. As long as moisture doesn’t get it first, epoxy will definitely do the best job protecting concrete. With that in mind, be sure to test your floor for moisture before you even order or buy your epoxy. Tiles do not do a lot to protect against the elements, except cause some heat retention, which is still a good thing in the winter months as that’s when concrete often splits and cracks. Even less effective, but still better than nothing, would be a garage floor covering, such as a mat.

Visit Sweet Garage Floor for more information about every kind of garage floor out there.