Garage Floors, Epoxy Difficulties and Alternatives

When it comes to garage floors, many of you may have heard or seen the epoxy floor coverings that are available today, possibly even on TV. You see what looks like a simple process and beautiful results. What you don't see or hear is that most epoxy floor coverings fail and the process is extremely time consuming and difficult. The biggest reason the epoxy garage floors fail is adhesion, they simply don't stick well unless the surface has been properly prepped. That doesn't sound bad, right? Wrong. Here are some of the things you need to do to "prep" for an epoxy floor:

• Be sure the concrete is dry. This does not mean to the naked eye but truly dry.
• Remove ANY and ALL chemicals, grease, oil, etc. Remember, we are talking about a garage. All of these items are abundant in the garage and VERY difficult to remove.
• If the floor was previously painted, all the paint should be removed. A labor intensive job.
• The garage surface may need to be ground down to expose the clean concrete underneath.

If you decided you still want an epoxy garage floor and you think you can handle the hours of surface preparation necessary to do the job, there are some other areas of concern you may want to consider. Even if the surface has been properly prepped and cleaned there is still a good chance the floor will fail. Here are some other possible problems associated with epoxy floor failures:

• The concrete was not completely dried. Water is a major problem with epoxy garage floors.
• Humidity can cause problems with epoxy and cause the floor to fail.
• The epoxy must cure quickly. If not, blisters in the floor may appear.
• Salts that are deposited from the concrete as it cures can effect the bonding of an epoxy garage floor.
• Surfaces generally expand and contract with heating and cooling. These expansions and contractions can cause cracks in the epoxy flooring. Once there are cracks the floor loses its protective coating and it nice appearance.

The good news is that there are other alternatives to epoxy garage floors that are simple to install, durable, easy to clean and offer anti-fatigue benefits that epoxy garage floors do not. Rolled garage flooring is available in many colors and styles that can suit anyones needs. These floors are generally inexpensive, beautiful and made to last. The best part is they are easy to install and perform well under most conditions.

Some of the advantages to using rolled garage flooring are:

• Easy to install. Surface preparation is minimal for rolled garage flooring and basically includes simply sweeping the floor and wiping up any spills or chemicals for installation
• Long lasting.
• Easy to clean. Simply wipe up spills and your done. You can even spray down the floor with a garden hose. Because the rolled garage flooring is a floating floor, you can bring it outside for a good cleaning and drying and simply set it back in the garage.
• It looks great!

It is quite clear that epoxy garage floors are not for everyone. But if you want an easy to install, long lasting, professional looking garage floor, rolled garage flooring products may be the best choice for you.