Garage floors get a lot of abuse. They get dumped on, parked on, dropped on, and more. There’s no gratitude, and instead, they receive just more of the same. If a garage had a brain, it probably would be diagnosed with chronic depression. Fortunately, it doesn’t. But even a hard slab of cement can only take so much abuse before it starts to fall apart; nothing is perfect.
Concrete floors actually change shape with temperature. They also suffer from wear and tear, and they crack. These become really noticeable after about a decade (cement is a bit slower in getting older than the rest of us). However, there is a solution on how to protect it better as well as prolong the life of a garage floor. It involves epoxy flooring treatments.
First Steps
Generally, the hardest and most work-involved process of applying epoxy garage floors in Denver involves the steps before the treatment actually starts. Clearing is necessary to get access to all the floor space. There are no exceptions; the garage has to be bare. That usually involves finding temporary storage for everything or having a quick garage sale. Most people opt for the former.
Next comes the cleaning; cement on its own after years of use has a bit of grit on it. Engine drippings, accidents, dirt, grit, stains, and chemicals take a toll. All of that needs to come out for a proper adhesion to work. There are different options for how to do this. Serious problems involve grinding. Lesser issues can be stripped with cleaner chemicals. The big concern here is fumes working in a contained place. Lots of ventilation is a must, especially if there is a water heater in the garage. Once cleaned, it’s time for the actual treatment.
A final inspection looks for problems with moisture, which will be a fatal problem for an epoxy treatment. If there is seepage, then you’ll need additional help to find the source and redirect it off with drainage.
Etching Treatment and Cracks
The cement floor now has to be prepared to take the epoxy. Etching is a chemical process involving an acid that burns the top layer raw. This creates a rough surface that the epoxy can then bond with effectively. Etching chemicals are strong and can burn, so proper equipment and protection are needed. Once cleaned off after about a half hour, the etching is washed off. The final treatment then involves crack filling so they don’t show up again with the epoxy. Patch kits and grinding help fill these gaps and allow smooth surfacing across them. Another sweeping and vacuuming for debris and now the epoxy is applied.
Thinking About Professional Help
Given all the above, as well as the technical process of the epoxy flooring in Denver itself, a professional team’s help is a very good choice. If one is not used to doing garage work, there’s lots of room for mistakes and costly errors. Instead, by hiring a professional team for the work, the cleaning, stripping, etching and application is done smoothly. In the meantime, the homeowner can focus on planning and how best to use a finished garage, which has dozens of options well beyond just parking a car now.
