Epoxy Floor Coatings For Garage Floors

Epoxy floor coatings on garage floors are easy, cost effective and aesthetically pleasing way to enhance the dull gray concrete of a garage floor. This paint resin does not only improve the look of the floor, but also, seals the cracks and holes in cemented garage floors and provides an added layer of strength and protection to the concrete itself from any natural and common hazard. It increases resiliency to stain and tire marks and hide minor imperfections. Once applied, it gives the floor a glossy finish in different shades which can be enhanced with decorative quartz, paint chips and other design options.

Epoxy floor coatings for garage floors are not all equal in terms of cost, appearance and durability. For example, one may be tempted to go to a hardware store to buy an epoxy garage floor coating kit for about ninety nine dollars and do the whole thing by yourself. However, consider the following:

1. There is no warranty with these products except to return unused/unopened product and ask for a refund.

2. Chemical preparation is diluted to make it more marketable but does not guarantee a lasting effective coating for more than 1 year.

3. It does not come with a sealer and it might happen that the sealer one separately bought will not be compatible with the kit.

4. Colors available are only tan and gray.

5. It takes 5 – 7 days before the garage can be use again after application to avoid “hot tire pickup”.

The hardware can, also, refer one to contractors who would be using the same materials purchased from the hardware plus some decorative chips and sealer. They would be charging separately for additional work like surface preparation, crack repair, etc. which could up the price per square foot. Given the quality of their work, their warranty is usually no more than 1 to 3 years.

Getting it right the first time by hiring professional installers can save one on future maintenance costs. The scope of work includes:

1. Testing and evaluating the surface of garage floor.

2. For smoother surface:

a. Removing stains, old paint, etc.

b. Filling-in cracks, holes and eroded areas with 2-part epoxy “crack welding” or an acrylic-modified cement patching system.

c. Grinding the surface with diamond grinding wheel to increase porosity so the epoxy will sink and adhere more.

3. Application of:

a. 2-part epoxy binder (base coat for decorative chips) which contains 95 – 100 percent solids. Because of this (higher solid content) the effect is a much thicker and more durable coating than the diluted form sold in hardware or department store kits.

b. 25 – 50 pounds of ¼ to 1 inch decorative chips for a 400 square feet 2-car garage. With the chips covering almost 100% of the garage floor, it will be much easier for future repairs.

c. Any one of several tough, easy-to-clean, UV resistant and glossy clear sealers selected specifically for one’s garage situation.

4. Because professional installers take such great care in doing their work, they are confident enough to offer longer warranty period of 7 – 10 years, including guarantee from color loss, yellowing and peeling or flaking of coatings versus the 1 – 3 years given by ordinary contractors.

Check-out the list in http://www.angieslist.com/companylist/louisville/epoxy-flooring.htm of epoxy flooring contractors in Louisville.

Article Source: http://www.compensationsecrets.co.uk/