Garage floor coatings are manufactured in a number of great looking colors, and you can add flaking
materials (usually stone) to give it more traction and a classier appearance. But garage floor coatings are also a
good project to undertake because they extend the life of your garage floor. Garage Floor Coating is a franchise
operation that specializes in exactly what the name implies. They will put a top notch epoxy coating on your garage
floor, a process that takes several days.
Garage Floor Coating -
Finding the Best Option For Your Garage
When it comes to doing something to improve the look of your garage
floor as well as adding value to your home, using floor coatings is your best option. The floor in a typical
garage takes a lot of abuse whether you use your garage to house your vehicle(s) or as a storage area for
various household items and chemicals. Spills happen even when you are careful and the floor takes the brunt
of the spills. Sometimes a car will leak various fluids and that, too causes the floor to become stained and
just plain look bad. You can protect your garage surface from such spills and leaks with garage floor
coating.
There are many different kinds of floor coatings you can use to protect and preserve your floor. Epoxy
paints are the best option and are recommended by the experts, but you can use latex coatings as well. How you use
your garage and the look you want to achieve will determine what garage floor coating you will want to use. You
will want to review how you plan to use your garage before choosing a coating for your garage floor. Epoxy paint
coatings like the epoxyshield and rustoleum brands are recommended options as they are water resistant, resistant
to stains, provide a clean neat look to your floor and they make your garage floor smooth and easier to
clean.
You will need to do some prep work before you begin the coating of your garage surface. The floor should
be clean, dry and you should repair cracks, holes and uneven areas of the floor before you start painting. You can
use muriatic acid to clean your concrete or cement floor in preparation for your coating, and quikrete to repair
your the concrete. You can find coating kits to make it easier to get your floor properly coated. Yes, you can even
choose to add a bit of color to your floor if you desire. Using an epoxy resin coating will protect your flooring
from stains and water damage, and epoxy paint coating will add color on top of the protection from water and
stains. Remember, you are not just giving your garage a face lift, you are increasing the value of your home when
you use garage floor coating.
Many home owners report that their concrete does not look as good as it
first did, and indeed some concrete looses its looks and become cracked and dimples and rust stains. This look
damages the house look and many find it to be plain ugly, the solutions that people apply to this problem is
usually covering the whole concrete surface with different thing, mattress and clothes from all materials, but
covering the concrete does not solve the problem just provides a temporary solution you need to remove once it
starts raining. The real solution for this problem is using concrete paint.
You can use concrete paint to cover the whole surface and make it look completely different, the
paint will help you change the look and you can also add some sand to the paint to help prevent problems like
slipping or falling on the concrete because of water or cracks, the paint will make these problems disappear.
Whenever talking about changing or replacing concrete we are talking about an expensive work that will almost
surely take some time and effort that might disturb the family living in the house for some time, this is why the
concrete problems should first try to be solved by a quicker and simpler solutions, the concrete paint solution is
much shorter and easier than redoing the whole area of the concrete. The only thing you need to do is visit a shop
and decide on the color that you want, buy the other necessary things for this project, find some free time and
paint your concrete.
There is also place for creativity when painting your concrete, you can buy a few different colors, make a plan
of how you want to paint it and paint geometric shapes, different patterns, words and letters, colors that
correspond to the house colors, swirls and circle shapes and check board shapes. You can also use templates for
these shapes, you will need to make or get durable templates and use them to give your concrete a unique look.
The only important thing you should bare in mind is that before painting the concrete you will need to examine
all the concrete surface to make sure that it is clean and dry, in any case you should clean the whole surface to
make sure that no oil stains or water is not present on the surface because concrete can hold a lot water. You can
clean the surface by using a broom on the dry surface and then using a broom and some strong cleaning produce,
washing like you do at home, and then using water to wash away the soap. Once the concrete is clean and dry the
painting can start.
Once you will complete the painting you will understand how easy and simple it is to reinvent your concrete
surface look, and also understand that once you are bored with the colors you could change again and again, good
luck with your new concrete paint and new concrete surface.
Stamped concrete is concrete that is patterned and/or textured or embossed
to resemble brick, slate, flagstone, stone, tile, wood, and various other patterns and textures. It is
commonly used for patios, sidewalks, driveways, pool decks, and interior flooring. Due to it's flexibility,
there are an infinite amount of design choices. Stamped concrete is also known to be attractive and affordable
alternative to using other materials such as stone, slate or brick.
There are three major additional steps used in stamped concrete which separate it from other concrete
procedures. First step involves the introduction of a base color. Secondly, a highlight color is added as an
accent, and finally a pattern is stamped into concrete. These three procedures provide stamped concrete with a its
color, shape and texture
Base Color
The base color is the primary color used. There are an unlimited number of colors to choose from. There are two
major methods to introduce color to the concrete. One method is to broadcast what is called a color hardener. Color
hardener is a powder pigment used to dye the concrete, by literally throwing it onto the surface of the concrete.
You broadcast the hardener as soon as it is floated for the first time. After letting the bleed water soak into the
hardener you float and trowel it in. This method only covers the surface about 3/16 of an inch but it gives the
concrete surface a longer wear life. The second method is called integrally colored concrete. The entire volume of
concrete is colored by adding the color hardener to the truck. The process of integrally coloring offers the
advantage of the entire volume being colored; however, the surface strength is not increased as with the use of
color hardener.
Highlight Color
The highlight color, the secondary color, is used to, as the name implies, highlight the texture and pattern. It
has the same effect that shading does in art work. The accent color can be achieved at the time of pour or after
the concrete has set.
Stamping patterns
Concrete stamping is the procedure which uses the concrete stamps to make the pattern in the concrete. Concrete
stamps are placed on the concrete after the release has been applied. The concrete stamps are pushed into the
concrete and then removed to leave the pattern and texture in the stamped concrete.
There are different types of floor coatings, among them is the epoxy floor
coating which is widely used on industrial floors, residential garage and basement floors and even office
facilities. The epoxy basically contains two components; the resin component which is a light, odor free and
colorless and the other component is the hardener which is usually dark in color and has a strong smell. With
proper mixture and right amount, the combination will create a chemical reaction thereby producing a strong
plastic material guaranteed to last for a long time.
What is epoxy?
An epoxy is a material made of liquid polymer and is converted to solid polymer with proper mixture due to
chemical reaction. An epoxy which is polymer based is chemical resistant to decay, mechanically tough and highly
adhesive. Epoxy is also heat resistant and a very good insulator for electrical purposes.
What are the advantages of epoxy floor coating?
For one, epoxy floor coating is very reliable when it comes to durability. The mixture can also be adjusted
according to the specific need of your garage or facility. The resin can be adjusted so as to meet your desired
hardness or elasticity. And since it can be adjusted, you can also request to add color on the mixture to come up
with your desired style and color of your garage floor. By using epoxy floor coating, you get a durable and at the
same time, a decorative coating on your floor.
Is epoxy safe and easy to apply?
Epoxy is safe and there are no known harmful effects of the chemicals used in the mixture. There are epoxy
paints that come premixed for application on low traffic floors or high performance epoxy floor coatings that you
combine from bucket A with bucket B that you mix with a drill and mixing paddle. It also has a high resistance to
chemicals such as gasoline, salt, grease, oil and solvents.
Advancements in Epoxy Floor Coating Technology
Epoxy coating quality covers a wide range depending on use. There are Do It Yourself kits available for
basements and garage floors. But you get what you pay for. Epoxy paint kits found in many home improvement stores
are little more than a paint that cannot withstand the hot tires of your car or truck despite what it says on the
label. In recent years online retailers have introduced high performance Do It Yourself systems with a durable
urethane top coat.
Professional installers will use systems with sand built in to numerous layers for heavy traffic in warehouses
and high traffic areas.
Polyaspartics and Polyureas
In the last few years a new breed of floor coating has been introduced called polyureas and polyaspartics. These
new coatings have unique characteristics such as being able to withstand cold weather applications and flexibility
preventing cracking. These products were originally developed for coating steel to prevent corrosion. Their
exceptional performance and quick curing led to different applications most notably on concrete. Though there are a
few companies promoting a polyaspartic system for the do it yourself market they are an advanced coating that
should be left to the professionals.