Love it or hate it, winter is here to stay... at least for the next few months. If you live in a northern climate like Canada, you know that with it comes rock salt and road de-icers. These products, which lodge themselves under your car and in your tires, then find themselves on your garage floor. So, what can you do toprotect your garage during the winter? Here are a few garage flooring options that can help protect your floor from everything winter throws at it.
Garage flooring: pre-installation or pre-application
The good news, you can still install a protective garage flooring even though winter has begun. However, before installing or applying a product, you should give your floor a thorough cleaning. Additionally, if there are any repairs that cannot wait until the spring, you should fix them.
Containment mats: the quickest and easiest garage flooring solution
The easiest solution to protect your garage floor against the harsh winter is to install containment mats. Basically, these mats collect snow, salt deposits, slush and other nasty stuff that sticks to vehicles and can damage your floor. The best part is how easy they are to clean. And, once winter is over, you can simply remove and store them until next winter.
Pros:
- Easy and quick to install;
- Easy to clean.
Cons:
- Cost depending on the area to cover;
- Storage space needed if you remove them after winter is over.
Rolls-out mats: another easy-to-install garage flooring solution
If you want to cover a larger space, roll-out mats may be a better solution. These mats come in a variety of colours, widths, and lengths. Additionally, they are super simple to install. You just roll out the desired length and cut. However, they can become slippery when wet.
Pros:
- Cost;
- Easy and quick to install;
- Variety of colours, widths and lengths;
- Easy to clean.
Cons:
- Slippery when wet.
Garage floor tiles
These snap-together square tiles are typically made of resistant vinyl, rubber or plastic. They are ideal for hiding cracks and imperfections. On top of that, they come in different colours, so you can create your own unique design. And they are slip resistant and soft underfoot.
Pros:
- Durability;
- Versatility;
- Easy to clean;
- Variety of colours and unique design possibilities.
Cons:
- Cost: depending on the tile you choose;
- Sound: the hard-plastic tiles tend to offer less sound resistance.
Urethane or acrylic sealers
Another solution to protect your garage floor is to apply a urethane or acrylic sealer. Both of these sealers provide a barrier between harmful products and the pores of your concrete floor.
Pros:
- Easy to apply;
- Nice glossy finish;
- Urethane sealers are tougher than acrylic ones;
- Cost.
Cons:
- Urethane sealers do not bond to concrete as well as the acrylic ones;
- Acrylic sealers are vulnerable to chemicals and may require yearly touch-ups.
Epoxy
Epoxy is the toughest coating you can get and provides a beautiful finish . However, it requires quite a bit of prep work and needs to be applied fast as it hardens quickly. Furthermore, you may need to wait a week for it to cure before you can drive on it. And, epoxy cannot be installed in cold temperatures as it will not cure properly. In this case, you can use a polyurea coating instead as it can be applied in below-freezing temperatures.
Pros:
- Easy to clean;
- Tough against salt and de-icers;
- Beautiful finish.
Cons:
- Installation requires a bit more prep work;
- Cannot be installed in cold temperatures;
- Cost, depending on the type of epoxy you use.
There are several garage flooring options available on the market to help protect your floor against the harsh Canadian winters. Remember to also ensure your garage door is properly winterized. This includes fixing weather stripping, insulation, the opening mechanism to name a few.
For all your garage door needs, contact Les spécialistes des portes Exitech inc. today.
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