The New Floor Guide » Garage Flooring

Detains on Durable Stained Concrete Flooring Applications for Homeowners

guest — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 05:28:12 +0000

While concrete as we know it has been in existence for centuries, only recently modern chemistry and ingenuity have given rise to the process of staining the ancient building material with a mix of hydrochloric acid, water, and metallic salts.

Stained concrete is one of the most popular applications for creating amazing looking concrete slabs. It is sometimes referred to as colored concrete, homeowners, designers and builders are appreciating the value of stained concrete because of the unique outcome that can be achieved combining colors, application techniques, etc., on cement flooring and other substrates. The results are only limited by the creative concepts engineered and designed of those concrete staining and etching experts involved in the stained concrete process.

The hydrochloric acid acts as a chemically abrasive primer, giving the applied stain unparalleled penetration into the stained concrete by local decorative concrete Dallas experts. Once the stain is applied, concrete’s inherent porous nature ensures that the stain cannot be chipped or worn away as it the case with latex-paint based stains. Based on the condition and color of the concrete the stain is applied to, the number of options and color variations that are achievable are only limited to the designer’s and customer’s imaginations. This differs from more than a decade ago, when the general desired effect with acid stained concrete was a uniform, even finish. By diluting the acid then gradually increasing its potency, installers can overlay different brush techniques over several different applications, building up to a color and texture the homeowner can instantly approve of. Be prepared to select from a somewhat finite palate of subtle earth tones, as these are the more commonly available stains. However, in recent years vibrant, exciting colors such as reds, purples, oranges, and yellows.

The overall durability of acid stained concrete is what sets it far above other comparable finishes. Think of the concrete being stained as a piece of wood, with a unique assortment of knots, gnarls, and variations singular to that piece of concrete. This guarantees that no two projects are ever identical, ensuring your new stained concrete floors will stand out amongst others. In addition to lasting for generations, stained concrete floors provided additional health benefits by eliminating carpet-borne allergens and odors, allowing the homeowner to quickly and efficiently clean and care for the floors.

The Versatility Of Rubber Garage Floor Mats

guest — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 07:22:03 +0000

There are many used for rubber garage floor mats. They also provide many benefits over other surfaces and bare concrete. A wide array of options allows the homeowner to choose the most suitable or affordable product. There are also designs for specific purposes.

One benefit of using such a product is the relief of back or foot pain, for those who may stand for hours at a time. The thick surface absorbs quite a bit of shock, so knees and ankles may not hurt so much at the end of a long project or challenging car repair. They can help keep the space warmer, which will save on costs for heating the work area and will prevent joint stiffness that can occur when standing in one position.

Another feature of the rubber garage floor mat is the ease in which it can be cleaned. Many can be wiped off or hosed with water and mild soap for particularly dirty areas. Many designs allow for water to flow below the surface and into the drain on the concrete slab. Preventing slippery oil or fluid spills on the ground is a great safety feature.

Because there are different uses or purposes for using such products, there are various sizes and thicknesses to consider as well. For those who simply stay at a workbench most of the time, the need to protect that area is likely to be more important than the rest of the space. Thinner rubber floor matting may be sufficient for occasional work in the area, while thicker products are meant for every day use.

If covering the entire surface is too costly, you can simply start in one area and fill in the rest a little at a time. To do this, you will need to purchase the interlocking tiles that come in 2 x 2ft sections. The interlocking system is best for covering the entire surface. There are heat resistant products designed for those who may use torches or do some welding.

Choosing a Garage Floor Paint

admin — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:47:32 +0000

Garage floors can become extremely dirty. Most people use their garages for parking and to store items such as lawnmowers, barbecues, bicycles, children’s outdoor toys, etc. Garage floors can become quite dirty and only a heavy duty garage floor covering product such as latex, polyurethane or latex can handle the type of wear and tear that a busy garage faces. You can find latex, polyurethane and epoxy garage paints available in most local hardware stores. Epoxy is an excellent product for garage floors because it bonds well to the floor’s surface, providing reliable stain resistance.

Polyurethane provides even more resistance to spills than epoxy, making it another great garage floor covering. It does not turn yellow or fade as easily as epoxy. It is a highly durable product that offers a smooth, glossy finish. Before applying polyurethane to the garage floor, you will need to apply a primer first. Without the primer, the polyurethane product may not bond to the garage floor surface.

Latex based garage floor paint is extremely popular because it provides exceptional coverage and is the least expensive product. Latex floor paint needs at least 72 hours to dry, which may be a bit inconvenient for those who use their garage on a daily basis. There are many great latex products available for those who want their garage floor to have a unique look. You can choose a product that offers the look of leather or stonework to create a special garage area. Latex paint products need to be sealed with a second product that will protect its finish; otherwise, it will not last particularly long. This means that it will take even longer to complete your painting project.

Before you apply epoxy, it is necessary to prepare the garage floor properly. If you have a build up of dust in your garage, it is likely to settle into the epoxy as it dries. To prepare your garage floor for epoxy application, remove all dirt and dust from your garage by cleaning it thoroughly. Epoxy is not a suitable choice for sunny garages because it can turn yellow over time when exposed to excessive sunlight. Sunlight can also cause the garage floor surface to lose its glossy finish. It is best to apply epoxy when it is warm outside so that it can dry quickly. Most epoxy products need 48 hours to dry completely. Some people choose to place grooves onto the surface of the paint before it dries so that it will not be too slippery, which is another time consuming process. If you have enough time and patience, using latex paint is a great option because of its cheaper price. If you want to complete your painting project quickly, then you are better off choosing the more expensive polyurethane or epoxy products.

Garage Floor Tiles

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:44:38 +0000

Garage floor tiles are an excellent way to provide strength to the garage floor and smooth out its uneven or irregular surface. From an aesthetic perspective as well tiles serve a very good purpose. There are primarily 3 kinds of tiles commonly used for garages. The most common are the hard or inflexible plastic tiles, and there are also options for flexible plastic and rubber based tiles and tiles made out of wood composites. These tiles generally come in standard sizes such as 24 inch x 24 inch or 12 inch x 12 inch. The larger sized tiles may be slightly more expensive, but they provide a uniform look to your floor.

The key advantages of a garage floor tile are that it is easy to install, easy to maintain and clean, and has a long life. If the floor is chipped cracked or permanently stained in places it may be a very cumbersome and costly exercise to rebuild the entire floor. This is where garage flooring can serve the purpose ideally to give a new look to your floor, without having to go for extensive floor renovation or repairs.

Garage floor covering may also be found in the market in mat type, which could be made of softer plastic or rubber composite. However, the garage is a place where extensive rough use may be expected and the material should be hard enough to withstand the wear and tear for a long period of time. This is where tiles score over the traditional non-commercial floor coverings that may be more suited for homes. Tiles are hard and quite scratch-resistant, and can withstand plenty of rough usage and pressure. Furthermore, a running length of floor covering may not be so easy to install, and may not stay in place as firmly as the tiles.

The best quality garage tile is generally considered the one that will be made of 100 percent high-grade PVC material. The thickness should be at least one quarter of an inch or higher for heavy-duty usage such as providing support for heavy vehicles and car jacks. Installation of PVC floor tiles is quite simple. The basic methodology is to begin at the center of your floor and then spread outwards, and continue to follow a circular path. It is important to join two pieces of tiles tightly side by side so that unsightly gaps should not be visible.

Applying Garage Floor Paint For A Better Looking Garage

guest — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:35:03 +0000

It could be said that the most ignored area of the home is the garage. Why? That’s just where the cars park, and probably where some of your stuff is stored. But if you think about it when making your place look good nothing should be left out not even the garage.

Usually the garage is just cement that’s about it. It’s not that attractive to look at, is it? Why can’t the garage floor be a pleasing sight?One way of sprucing up the garage is by applying some garage floor paint. You don’t need an expert to do it; you can do it yourself with the right paint and materials. There are now paint kits that you can purchase that include everything to accomplish the job – such as brushes, squeegees, and even an instructional DVD. And if your garage floor happens to be painted already, you can paint over it to give it a new look. Below are the instructions on how to do it.

The key to achieve a nice coat of paint on your garage floor is preparation. If you skip on the preparation, there’s a chance it won’t look as good as you’d want it. The floor will have to be cleaned – first and foremost. If there are any oil stains, be sure to use a degreaser. Whether the floor has existing paint or not, just be sure it’s clean so that the paint will adhere well. Once it has been thoroughly cleaned, you may start to mix the paint.

One of the best garage floor paints to use is in epoxy form, because it will last for at least 20 years. It is important to know that the paint becomes slippery when wet or when there is oil present. Youwill want to make sure everybody is safe from any type of slipping accidents. In order to avoid this, you may purchase flake chips that you can add to the paint. Doing this will give the floor friction once the paint is dried. These flakes come in different colors; it’s up to you to choose which would go well with the color of your paint. And if you use 2 to 3 types of colors it will give you a marble finish. Follow the instructions that comes with the kit for mixing the paint and painting the garage floor.

Changing the look of your garage floor has never been this easy. You will see how much it changes the look when you’re done with your garage home improvement project. It will surely look more attractive , and doing it yourself will save you money.

Add Value To Your Garage With A Flooring Upgrade

guest — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:46:03 +0000

Your garage floor will always be dirty with all the things your car’s tires bring in. Leaking oil, dirt, antifreeze, rain water, and all the other things that your garage floor has on it can make cleaning it very difficult. One of the more popular garage ideas is to put down some sort of a protective layer that will make cleaning easier and guard the floor before any damage can be done. Here are some of the options you have:

1) An epoxy floor seal
Maintaining your garage’s concrete floor will become easier if you have a layer of epoxy over it. Epoxy is one of the most popular floor sealers as it is inexpensive and relatively easy to put on. You can get it in a variety of colors which makes it something you can install and have fun with.

2) Paint your garage floor
Another option is to paint your garage floor but while this will make it look better, it won’t go a long way in protecting it. Before you lay any paint down, make sure you give the floor a thorough cleaning. In fact, this is recommended to do before you put any kind of a surface over your existing garage floors.

3) Garage floor mats
Garage floor mats are available in most automobile accessory shops and you can buy ones that covers the whole garage or get ones that are placed under your car. Rubber floor mats are popular because they are very easy to put down and they come with raised edges to hold in any liquids that might drop from the car. Floor mats are what most people use because it is so much easier to lay down a mat than it is to install a layer of epoxy.

4) Garage floor tiles
Tiles can be used as another flooring upgrade and they, like mats, protect the floor well. Floor tiles will make your garage look very sophisticated and they are easy to clean and maintain. When you cover your garage floor with tiles, you will easily hide any imperfections or cracks in the concrete.

Granitex Coatings For Your Garage Floor

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 07:38:41 +0000

If you own a house, upgrading or remodeling is important for your enjoyment of the home, as well as future resale of the property. One area of the home often neglected when it comes to home improvements is the garage floor. Now, worn, dirty and dull looking garage floors can be rejuvenated, creating the look of natural stone, with a decorative garage floor coating called GraniTex.

Granitex is a high performance concrete coating available in four premixed colors, allowing for attractive and unique finishes on your old garage floor. Formulated to commercial standards, Granitex coatings are superior in wear resistance, UV stability and chemical resistance, outperforming many other concrete paints or coatings. It provides a nonslip finish that resists damage from casual exposure to gas, oil and deicing salts, and is easy to maintain. Environmentally safe, application is a simple three-step process and can be easily accomplished by a home owner at a fraction of the cost, when installed by a contractor.

The first and most important step is surface preparation. Utilizing a biodegradable cleaning and etching agent supplied by the manufacturer, scrub the concrete with a stiff brush and then thoroughly flush the area twice with clean water. This removes dirt, stains and cleaning solution residues. It also opens and roughens the concrete’s surface, improving the adhesion of the GraniTex coating. Protect adjacent surfaces with plastic sheeting and painters tape before starting step two, application of the textured base or prime coat.

Thoroughly mix the textured base coat. A container will cover approximately 100 square feet. Use a standard roller tray and a nine inch base coat roller sleeve. Vertical surfaces and trim can be done with a standard 4-inch masonry brush. Lightly moisten the concrete, but do not allow water to puddle. The dampened substrate allows for a more uniform application and penetration of the coating. Wet the roller with base coat material and then thoroughly apply the material onto the concrete, working small 4 x 4 foot areas. Allow the base coat to dry 4-6 hours before applying the textured top coat, step three. Ensure that the treated surfaces remain dry from rain or sprinklers 24 hours after the process has started.

Mix the textured top coat. Using the special top coat roller and standard roller pan, apply the top coat in 4 x 4 foot sections with firm pressure for an even coat. Coverage is approximately 100 square feet. As the material dries, the stone like appearance becomes more pronounced. A second application of top coat, applied perpendicular to the first coat significantly enhances the stone effect. To enrich the surface coloration and improve clean-ability, a top coat protective sealer may be applied. Allow the surface to dry for 24 hours before opening to foot traffic and 5 days before car traffic.

Revamping a Garage Floor

guest — Sun, 23 May 2010 05:16:01 +0000

The garage seems to be the place that no one thinks about designing, even though most of us are in our garage every day. If you use your garage for work, entertainment, or anything beyond parking a car, you may want to consider putting something over your concrete garage floor. There are a number of different covering options to choose from, and we’ll explore just a few here below.

Paint

To keep things simple, you can always paint over your garage floor. You can sprinkle in special chips to give the floor some texture, or you can just use a solid color. Epoxy will help give the floor a bit of a shiny and make it look more like a showroom and less like a garage. You can choose whatever color you want, but try to stick with something neutral that will appeal to buyers in the future.

Rubber Mats

Rubber mats are great because they can be easily installed and they put some spring into the floors. Garages always seem a bit cold and uncomfortable anyway, so this provides warmth and an almost carpet like feel. You can put rubber mats in yourself relatively inexpensively, and they should last for years.

Rugs

You can add an actual touch of carpet to the garage by putting a few rugs in. This is a great idea if you are using the garage as an actual room of the house. You can pull the rugs up if you ever need to park your car in the garage, and you can also change out the looks at any time.

Colored Concrete

You can still maintain the concrete look of the garage, but you can make it look marbled or a different color with a simple application. This is again something you can do on your own if you want, and you might be surprised by how well it turns out.

For more ideas about decorating your garage floor, check us out at floor-webs.com.

Epoxy Your Garage Floor!

guest — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:22:43 +0000

No one wants a garage floor littered with stains and spills. Taking steps to prevent this from happening can turn a plain garage floor into a showroom floor replica. There are many different types of garage floor coatings available. Each one has its own different sets of pros and cons. One of the easiest and most effective ways to protect concrete flooring, while improving the overall looks is to use an garage floor epoxy coating.. This coating helps to protect the floor and top it off with an overall professional look. Using this coating is simple and can typically be finished over a weekend.

An Epoxy garage floors coating helps to protect concrete flooring by preventing the floor from absorbing liquid spills, oil drips and other elements. This flooring also gives off a shiny, professional look that rivals any showroom. It can turn a drab concrete floor into a truly unique, top notch look. Adding this coat of protective flooring can also help to add value to the home, since it gives the room a finished look. Epoxy is one of the top choices in floor coating not only because of its ability to protect the floor, but also because of its durable and long lasting protection. This garage floor coating is easy to apply and extremely easy to clean. The actual process of applying epoxy is much like painting the walls of the room. The real time is spent preparing the floor. Floors need to be primed meticulously for the best results. It’s important to take the time to repair chips and cracks, as well as cleaning away all dirt and debris. Floors-Web.com can provide more information regarding epoxy floor coatings. One set back of using Epoxy is the 12-24 hours that it takes for the floor to dry completely.

Garage Floor Mats are an Effective Floor Protection Solution

guest — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:10:46 +0000

Protecting ones garage floor is high priority in most homes. Preventing oils stains, drips and spills makes the garage look better and much cleaner overall. A popular choice for protecting the floor is to purchase garage floor mats. These floor coverings are specifically designed to cover portions or entire areas of concrete floors. These mats can be custom sized to protect a specific area and are also movable. These mats are not permanent and can serve more than one function since they can be moved. There are many additional benefits to garage floor coverings, aside from preventing damage to the concrete floor.

These floor mats also provide cushioning to the hard concrete floor found in garages. Since many garages serve as a place of work, this cushioning can help reduce injuries, pain and back problems. Hard surfaces have been shown to cause problems to those that stand or work on them for long periods of time. This cushioning helps to fight those problems.

These mats are different from tiles, since they will absorb and soak up liquids. This helps to stop the liquid from touching the garage floor and leaving a stain. They are also very easy to clean and maintain. Since they can be moved, it is possible to take the mat outside and hose it down or sweep particles off.

One of the biggest benefits of a garage floor mat is the fact that they can come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. Using a smaller mat for a motorcycle parking area, or to designate parking spots is a great idea. Covering the entire floor is a smart choice for anyone using the floor as a workspace.

These mats are lightweight and easy to move from area to area. They are also incredibly durable and long lasting. The cost varies depending on the size of mat needed and the material that is used. A typical mat measuring 20’ X 9’, will cost around $300.

These mats are perfect for anyone wishing to keep their floors protected and clean, without having to treat the entire area with a messy paint or epoxy.