polyaspartic floor coating Archives

One of the most valuable aspects of a garage renovation is the garage floor. It’s often overlooked and most people don’t realize what can be done with a garage floor. Some people feel that the basic cement floor is the only option for the garage. And, they put up with the grease stains from an oil drip from the vehicle or the dust that gets pulled up onto everything we store in the garage.

In fact, there are a few garage floor options. Some options are more desirable than others. Depending on your goals, you’ll find that some stand out for you more than other options.

Garage Flooring Options

The polyaspartic garage floor coatings offer the longest lasting results. It has UV protection with great overall aesthetics over the lifetime of the coating. And, there is a wide variety of colour options with colour chips adding some luster to the garage which in the past, has often been one of the less inspired rooms of the house.

Some people think of painting the garage floor which is quick and easy but it won’t last more than a few years. Some of the more industrial coatings such as epoxy or polyaspartic floor coatings have been known to last 30 years in a residential garage although they are both deemed to last a life time. When it comes to the polyaspartic floor coatings, they have some advantages over epoxy coatings.

Garage floor tiles are also an option for many people who are looking for a sporty garage floor design. They are easy to install even in the middle of winter and they will make your garage floor easier to clean and maintain.

Garage Floor Coatings: Polyaspartic vs Epoxy

While both are similar, there are some definite features of polyaspartic that we find more appealing. Firstly, the polyaspartic looks great for longer since it has UV protection built into the coating. So, unlike epoxy which will fade over time, your polyaspartic floor coating will look great without yellowing even after many years of heavy traffic through your garage. We add colour flakes to give the colours some vibrancy and improved grip to the floor coating. The multi-colour floor colours also hide small bits of dirt that may appear between floor cleanings.

In addition, the polyaspartic has low to no volatile organics or VOC’s so it is much safer for everyone while it is being applied to the cement floor base. And, the best thing is that polyaspartic coating cures quickly so you can put everything back into the garage the next day. With polyaspartic floor coating, the completion of a garage renovation can be completed quickly or the vehicles can be returned to the garage at night. With an epoxy floor coating, it will take approximately 72 hours for it to cure.

Cement Dust in the Garage

If you’re considering a garage floor coating, then you may have reviewed some of these benefits already to getting a garage floor coating applied.

One benefit is that a garage floor coating will keep cement dust from getting onto all the items stored in the garage. We all use the garage to store things. Cement dust makes everything in our garage look aged and may even impact the functioning of some tools or bikes. And, it leaves us with a lot of extra cleaning before we might be able to use anything again once we’ve decided to store it in the garage.

Keeping the Garage Floor Clean

The basic cement floor is very difficult to keep clean. Cement will absorb any liquids or oils that come in contact with it. So, when our vehicles have an oil leak, we end up with a grease stain that takes some work to remove. Cement floors cannot just be swept or mopped. It takes a few more steps than maintaining the floors in other rooms of our home.

Since cement will absorb moisture, it can cause damage to the cement floor. A higher level of moisture in the cement will also means the bonds that strengthen the cement will remain weaker and be less permanent than cement which has dried and cured properly and remains within the correct range for moisture content. This is what causes our cement floors to crack and potentially, become unsightly.

Keep the Moisture Out of the Garage Floor

Getting a professionally completed garage floor coating typically starts with assuring the cement floors of the garage are not retaining too much moisture. It is critical to a successful flooring project. So, if there is too much moisture, then reducing the moisture content of the cement floor is the first step. Without this first step, any garage floor coating applied will never last long enough to get the great return on investment that polyaspartic floor coating or other coatings offer.

Preventing Garage Floor Damage

As noted before, excessive moisture in the cement floor of the garage may cause cracks in the cement. Over several seasons, the water that gets absorbed may cause spalling of the cement. Spalling is when the water penetrates the cement floor from above and causes the top layers to lift or flake off.

The road salt that gets tracked into the garage from our vehicles or family members walking through the garage to get into the house causes water to stay on our cement floors longer. This gives any snow and water left on the floor even more time to get absorbed into the cement. Once within the pores of the cement structure, the water freezes and expands the cement.

Pitted cement floors occur mainly due to old age but it could also occur due to a poor cement mix. It leaves an unsightly pock like texture to the floor and may occur over a large area of the garage floor. These can be repaired but you might want to weigh out the benefits of the time and effort or expenses spent to repair a cement floor vs. some of the other floor coating options.

Garage Floors Allow the Family to Enjoy the Garage All Year

A garage floor coating can now elevate the garage to become more like other rooms in the house. It can add to the aesthetics of a garage making it a much more pleasant place to store all our valuable tools, golf clubs and household supplies. In addition, it makes cleaning a garage floor much easier. If you’re considering a garage renovation, remember to consider adding a garage floor coating or garage tiles.

Garages are a great way to use the space effectively for storing a wide variety of household items from garden tools to sports equipment to winter tires. The main concern, of course, is to find a place for all these items in the garage while keeping the vehicles safe as they are being driven in and out as well as parked inside the garage.

The walls of a garage may be made of cement blocks, brick and for some newer homes, drywall. It’s not easy to work with some of these types of walls. Not only are some garage walls difficult to work with but mounting shelves so it can carry the weight of heavy items. We want to prevent things from falling off and damaging the vehicles or worse, injuring family members.

Am I ready for a Do It Yourself Garage Renovation?

The garage is one of the more complex rooms in the entire house. If you’ve just purchased your first set of tools, this is likely not the project for you to tackle. Some of the building materials and dimensions of the space can be more challenging than the typical room found inside the house.

Some of us have very talented hands-on people in our family. They may even be professionals with related skills. However, not all professionals may have the time to spare to work their own homes in a timely manner. Some professionals are over worked because they are so talented in their field of expertise. If this is your family, consider if the best way for this person to gain a mental reprieve from work is to spend their time off doing something else or whether a garage renovation would be a relaxing past time activity.

Many of our garage renovations can be completed in approximately one week, once we start because we have a well-established plan, process and timeline. There are exceptions to this timeline, but a big consideration is keeping the garage renovation time to a minimum so the family may be able to enjoy as much of the summer as possible.

While a garage renovation is a great home project, don’t let it take away from your time with your kids during those precious years. Also, don’t let a home project affect your children’s summer experience and enjoyment of the garage as home base to their bikes, scooters, skateboards and other modes of play and transportation.

Knowledge and Expertise Gets It Done Right the First Time

There are no other rooms in the house with the same challenges as the garage. While learning to paint one bedroom gives experience to painting a second bedroom, it’s not the same when it comes to the garage. Renovating the garage has its unique challenges because it is a room directly exposed to the outside and the elements.

Knowledge and the experience to complete the task properly the first time means as homeowners, you can enjoy a low maintenance garage for many, many years ahead. The whole family can appreciate the garage instead of having regular garage projects every couple of years which take people away from family time together.

Many of our garage storage solutions last the lifetime of the home when they are applied correctly. We often see other solutions which don’t last or which need regular attention every couple of years. High maintenance items take away from family time because of time and attention needed for regular maintenance.

Specialty Tools and Skills for Garage Renovation

Whether you are ready to renovate your own garage or not, there are some specialty solutions in the garage. For instance, the preparation and application of garage floor coating takes specialty tools and skills to apply. However, a high quality garage floor such as polyaspartic coating is an item which adds a lot of comfort to the garage while making the floor surface easy to clean up and low maintenance.

Garage floor coatings require special skills, tools and processes to prepare the cement foundation adequately. Preparing the cement foundation is the key to a successful polyaspartic garage floor coating. The polyaspartic floor coating will not adhere and remain maintenance free for the lifetime of the coating unless the preparation of the cement floor is completed properly.

In addition, there are a wide variety of engineering skills used throughout a garage renovation to assure that the mounting of overhead platforms and wall shelving can carry typical loads of 600lb to 800lb per square foot. Safe and secure installations of overhead platforms, racks or shelving are key to assuring that belongings, vehicles as well as family members are protected from any damage or injury.

Made to Measure Garage Storage

There are no standard dimensions or shapes for garages. Made to measure solutions give a finished and professional look to the garage. People often want to see end-to-end wall organization systems or garage cabinets. The typical big box store garage storage items or cabinets come in standard sizes and dimensions that are rarely able to accommodate unique dimensions or other challenges which add to the unique space of a garage.

There are a variety of challenges that shape a garage including:

odd outcropping or corners of the walls,
the location of the door to the house
the central vacuum situated in the middle of a wall
the plumbing for an outdoor faucet placed at an awkward location along a garage wall
the standard slope of a garage floor built to code

These hurdles add challenges which are overcome with Made to Measure solutions that need a little additional preparation. This includes unique sizing of platforms, cabinets and wall systems as well as some special adaptations to the garage space, at times.

Many Paths to a Garage Renovation

After overviewing some of the larger challenges that might be found during a renovation, it’s easier to see what would be appropriate for your situation. There are few paths that we find people will take to accomplishing their goal of a functional garage design.

The Do It Yourself project is self-explanatory. However, many people with DIY projects get us to complete a garage floor coating, made to measure product installation or a variety of other specialty services. The Do It For Me project is what we find the large majority of people are seeking whether it is a fully finished or a partially finished look as the final goal.

To start your project, use our online garage survey tool to assist with a definition of your garage renovation project that best reflects your needs and preferences. The garage survey tool helps people define what they need or don’t need and to start to consider and communicate preferences as well as a plan to fit their garage storage requirements. We provide a complimentary in-home consultation to discuss how you envision your project. After seeing your garage, we introduce additional ideas that you may want to consider.

Give yourself a healthy lead time for planning, ordering and installation dates so your family can make the most out of the summer days ahead.

FREE IN-HOME CONSULTATION

Garage Floors to Weather All Seasons