Because garage floors are protected from outdoor elements, they don't generally need sealed as often as a concrete driveway. However, most garage floors are made from concrete, making them susceptible to cracking and moisture intrusion from oil spills, antifreeze leakage, and other household chemicals.
They carry the weight of the vehicles and all other stored items in the garage. They are exposed to spilled oil, chemicals, and grease. They take abuse from falling tools. For these reasons professional concrete contractors recommend sealing concrete garage floors.
Topcoat & Sealer Maintenance
Acrylic sealers should be resealed every one to three years depending on the solids content. Acrylic urethane sealers should be reapplied every four to seven years. Once the sealer thickness is below two dry mils, a resealing is recommended in order to protect your garage floor coating.
Garages Are Not Just for Cars
Whether you're interested in protecting the garage floor against staining, pitting, crumbling, cracking, dusting, wicking water, or searching for a solution to high humidity levels and mold growth, the most important thing you can do is to seal it with the best penetrating concrete sealer.
An unsealed concrete floor is going to be more reactive and sensitive to changes in temperature. It will freeze in cold climates and expand in warm ones. This can cause crumbling, chipping, and cracking.
Sealing your concrete floors prevents damage – no matter how regularly your floors are used. So, if you want to ensure your concrete floors look and stay great for longer, sealing them is definitely a wise choice.
An attractive and expertly finished garage floor can greatly improve the aesthetics of your home's interior and add to the overall appeal. It not only increases the functionality of your property but also maximizes the resale value when you decide to sell your home someday down the road.
Epoxy and urethane coatings tend to be more expensive than a simple concrete sealer, but they offer better protection.
So, if the soil around or under your foundation is saturated with water, there could be tens of thousands of pounds of pressure pushing against your walls or slab. Concrete is already a porous material. This means that water could find its way through your concrete by itself.
Acrylic Concrete Sealers: Acrylic sealers last 1-3 years before they need to be re-coated. Epoxy Coatings: Epoxy coatings last 5-10 years before they need to be re-coated. Urethane Coatings: Urethane coatings last 5-10 years before they need to be re-coated.
Durable, Eco-Friendly Floors
Typically, epoxy floors last between 10 and 20 years; much longer than a painted concrete floor, which will chip and wear quickly in high-traffic areas.
Concrete should be sealed to protect from mold and mildew.
Because concrete is a porous material, it has a tendency to absorb moisture. When this moisture doesn't dry and the surface is left wet for an extended period of time, mildew begins to form and mold begins to grow.
Acrylics and epoxy topical sealants are the least expensive, but do require prep work. They aren't as durable and long-lasting as penetrating sealants.
An epoxy garage floor can increase a home's value by up to $8 per square foot. That's a lot of money considering that an epoxy floor is a relatively fast and inexpensive upgrade.
Other than concrete dust, it also helps to keep the surface itself clean. Liquid spills from a vehicle that can stain concrete will be much easier to clean off from a coated surface. A coated garage floor is significantly easier to clean, helping maintenance be a much simpler process.
Polyaspartic Floor Coatings
These floor coatings come with a lifetime warranty because that's how long they're expected to last you. Polyaspartic floor coatings are very damage resistant and strong. They won't chip, there won't be any hot-tire pick up, they're resistant to abrasion.
Floor Paint for Garage Floor Coating
Floor paint is available in a variety of colors, so you can choose one that matches your garage's decor. It is also easy to apply; simply brush it on the floor and wait for it to dry. Floor paint is probably the least expensive garage floor coating.
Solvent base sealers tend to over darken concrete stain, looking as it does when saturated wet with water. Water base sealers such as Clear Shield, makes the concrete look as it does when damp with water, not saturated wet but not dry either.
Can Sealing Prevent Cracks on Concrete Surfaces? Concrete sealing can stop most types of concrete fractures. This fact is especially true if the crack is a result of poor-quality work in the concrete mix or site preparation. However, sealing can prevent future damage that may start from the top layer of the concrete.