Thinking about changing or redoing the floor in your garage? While hardwoods and ceramic tiles are best saved for other parts of the home, there are many garage flooring options to choose from. Read on and discover some of the garage flooring options available.
Which type of garage flooring is right for you?
Your garage floor takes a lot of abuse. Chemical spills, stains, moisture, road salts, among others can all damage a garage floor. As such, you may be looking to change or refinish your garage floor. But which option is right for you? Depending on your budget and needs, you may choose to paint, seal, stain, or install tiles or mats. These are the most common types of garage flooring options. However, some require a lot more prep work than others and are harder to install. Similarly, cost can vary significantly. As such, your decision should be based on careful consideration of all these factors.
Garage flooring: coatings or coverings
Generally speaking, there are two types of garage flooring. Coatings include paints, epoxy, concrete sealers, and stains. These work well on floors that are in good condition as they tend to emphasize even the smallest of blemishes. On the other hand, coverings include lock-together tiles and roll-out mats. They are fast and easy to install but can be quite a bit more expensive.
Garage floor paints
By far the least expensive coating option, garage floor paint is easy to apply and provides an instant upgrade to your garage. Basically, garage floor paint is simply a tougher version of regular wall paint. However, it does require a bit of prep work. You will need to fill in cracks with concrete filler, thoroughly clean the area and apply a primer. In addition, garage floor paints are not as durable as other garage flooring options. You will most likely have to repaint or touch up every few years.
Concrete sealer
Concrete sealer is an economical choice for concrete garage floors. Slightly more expensive than simple paint, sealers are easy to apply and give your floor a nice glossy finish. Sealers come in an acrylic/latex version or a urethane version. The acrylic/latex sealer is vulnerable to chemicals and may require yearly touch-ups. But it sticks to concrete floors better than the urethane variety.
On the other hand, urethane sealers are tougher but do not bond as well to concrete. And they require the use of a respirator when applying.
Concrete stains
Concrete stains are another inexpensive and easy-to-apply garage flooring option. Typically, you can apply a single or double coat as the idea is to let your concrete floor show through. However, if your floor is not in the best shape a concrete stain will only emphasize blemishes and spills. While stains tend to last longer than paints, they do require regular touch-ups and annual waxing depending on traffic.
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.
Interlocking tiles
These snap-together square tiles are typically made of resistant vinyl or rubber. 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.
Roll-out mats
By far the easiest to install, roll-out mats come in a variety of colours, widths and lengths. They are also easy to clean and move but can become slippery when wet. To install you simply roll out to the desired length and cut.
There is a surprisingly wide variety of garage flooring options available on the market. From tiles to paints to epoxies and stains, garage flooring can really jazz up the room and protect against moisture, spills and more. But remember, a properly installed high-quality garage door will further protect your garage flooring. For all your garage door needs, contact Les spécialistes des portes Exitech inc. today.
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