Garage Flooring: Garage Floor Sealer

A garage is an extension of your house. Therefore, you should maintain the garage in the same way as you do all the other parts of your house. The garage flooring is regularly exposed to elements like dust, dirt, grime, oil and grease, mostly carried by the wheels of your vehicle. These materials often damage and discolor the flooring. Cleaning a damaged concrete floor is a tough task. When garage floor sealer is applied on the garage flooring, it protects the concrete from any damage and makes the surface smooth. As a result, cleaning the floor becomes easy and damages to the concrete can also be prevented.

A unique way of adding a personal touch to the garage floor sealant is to add some acrylic paint with an attractive color. When you apply it on the floor, it will look spectacular. Drops of oil and antifreeze often make the garage floor very slippery. If it gets wet, it can be more dangerous. Some garage floor sealers are available with non-slip additive mixed with it. Application of this type of a sealer will give you safety from any accidents caused due to a slippery floor.

How to Choose the Right Garage Floor Sealer?
There are so many varieties of garage floor sealer available in the market that it gets difficult to choose the one that is best for you. Some sealers claim to dry up faster, some are available at a very cheap rate and others are expensive. Some of these can be used for garage walls as well. You should choose the one particularly meant for the garage floors only, as it will have a better and stronger impact on the floor. Always prefer a reputed brand of garage floor sealer. If you are not aware of any such brand, then go through the key ingredients and the special features that are mentioned on the label. Those garage floor sealers that have synthetic epoxy resins are highly recommended because they last for a longer duration and prevent any kind of liquid spills from coming in contact with the concrete below.

How to Apply Garage Floor Sealer?
Garage floor sealers need to be applied on a thoroughly clean surface. Therefore, the first thing to be done, is to clean the flooring thoroughly. Firstly, sweep the floor with a stiff broom in order to get rid of all the loose dirt and debris. You will find some tough stains of oil, grease and chemicals on the garage flooring that has to be removed before you can use the sealer or else, the sealer will not adhere well with the floor. For this purpose, use commercial garage floor cleaners. Spread the cleaner generously all over the garage flooring and allow it to settle there for about an hour. Take a brush with hard bristles and scrub the floor vigorously, particularly the hard stains and the cracks. If required, pour another coat of cleaner on the stains that are very stubborn. Once the floor is free from all the marks and the dirt, wash off thoroughly using a garden hose. Allow the wet garage floor to dry up for the next 24 hours.

Put painter's tape on the walls and the door of the garage so that they do not get any stained with the sealer, accidentally. Take small sections of the floor at a time to apply the sealer. Start applying the sealer from the farthest corner of garage and finish off near the garage door. Every time lay a thick layer of the sealer and spread it evenly with a long handle roller brush. Make sure you do not end up making a pool of the floor sealer on the garage floor! When you have covered the entire floor with garage floor sealer, allow it to dry up completely. You can speed up the drying process by using a fan. To cure it completely, you have to wait for 3-4 days before you actually start using the garage.

A number of harmful chemicals are present in garage floor sealers and they often give out toxic fumes. Therefore, you should use appropriate protective gear when you choose to apply it on the garage flooring. Your clothes should cover up your entire body. Wear boots, gloves, protective glasses, facial mask before you begin the task. Keep your garage well-ventilated so that the harmful fumes can get an outlet.