We take the fuss out of epoxy sealing your garage floor!
Epoxy sealing your garage floor is a hugely popular service that can help you get extra life out of your old garage floor. It makes it look brand new again, removes cracks, holes and dents, and prolongs the lifespan of otherwise ageing concrete. If you’re cleaning up, upgrading or renovating your garage, a good epoxy seal is almost a must, as it really helps clean up the general environment while protecting the floor from damage.
Now, while this is a job that can be undertaken by a handy hubby or DIY’er, there’s a decent amount of preparation and time required in order to do the job correctly. If you’re willing to put in the time to do it yourself, we applaud you! The work is more time consuming and tedious than it is difficult, so it’s a good task for someone who’s good on the tools. However, for everyone else who doesn’t have time or wants that professional finish, Universal Tradesman would love to epoxy seal your garage floors.
The benefits of epoxy sealing your garage floor include:
Protection of the floor surface from liquid spills like oil, and also from scuffing and scratching
Clean, professional finish rather than flaked paint, or raw concrete
Wide range of colour options and flakes to suit any garage style
The process for epoxy sealing your garage floor is a multi-part process. Some people will skip steps or stages to speed the process, but this isn’t recommended as it will lessen the quality of the finish and in some cases could completely ruin the coating.
Surface Preparation
To begin epoxy sealing your garage floor, we must first prepare the surface. Without a properly prepared surface, the epoxy will not adhere correctly.
The surface must first be cleaned of all dust, particles, oils and other foreign objects. We conduct a full clean and sweep, before acid etching the floor surface. This ensures a clean finish with a properly etched surface to allow for proper adhesion of the epoxy. The floor must also be completely dry before work proceeds further. Please note that if excessive oils, grease and scum cover the garage floor, this can take significant additional hours to prep and will increase the cost of the job.
Filling of Cracks
This step is actually not mandatory to get a good finish. When going for a rustic look, cracks in the concrete can sometimes enhance the look, so it’s entirely up to you if you want the cracks left. Most people want a smooth, even finish however so we would normally fill them.
Sealing the Floor
Sealing the floor starts with priming the surface with either 1 or 2 coats of primer depending on the surface finish.
We then apply the epoxy seal to the garage floor surface. Here, we can also ‘fish flake’ the surface with flakes. These flakes give your floor a mottled, speckled look which is highly popular, changes the colour of your floor, and also increases slip resistance. Once done, we apply a clear coat to finish.
Curing
Once the epoxy seal has been applied to your garage floor, you must allow it to cure properly before walking or driving on it. This will ensure that the coating has properly hardened before any pressure or weight is placed on it. We use a premium fast-curing product that will allow you to walk and drive on your surface after 24 hours have passed, meaning you can use your garage properly again faster than ever!
So, would you like to get an epoxy seal on your garage floor, or just have a question for us? Contact us today and we can discuss your options!
Handy Tip #928635
Adding flakes not only looks great, but it can also help increase the slip resistance of your floor, which can be really helpful if you're worried about liquid spills - epoxy floors without these flakes can sometimes get a little slippery when wet!
Frequently Asked Questions
The Epoxy sealer is harder than the concrete itself. It will protect the garage floor from becoming worn. It will also protect it if fluids or oil spill on the floor because it won’t be able to penetrate through the sealant into the concrete. Also, the rock salt and other melting chemicals can be corrosive on concrete. An Epoxy sealer will protect the floor. The finish that Epoxy sealers put on concrete floors will keep chemicals and fluids from penetrating to the surface of the concrete, which can cause damage.
There are two components in Epoxy, that when mixed together, forms a high performance 100 percent solid sealer. It is better than paint and other coatings because it is much harder, denser, and more durable.
When you hear 100 percent solid, it is the total percentage and the volume of the solids that your sealer contains. Epoxy is not diluted with a solvent base or with water, which makes it 100 percent solid. If you use a product diluted with water or solvent, it can cause the sealer to shrink. This is not the case with Epoxy. Epoxy floors provide the best adhesion and the most durability.
Epoxy is a much more durable and long lasting sealer than other products on the market. It is resistant to chemicals and it is easy to maintain. It is the best way to protect your concrete floors.
When the two components in Epoxy are mixed together, it causes a chemical reaction called polymerization. This causes the liquid mixture to turn into a dense, durable, hard, chemically resistant film. After it is coated over the cement, it hardens and offers the most floor protection possible.
There are certain sealers that contain Volatile Organic Compounds (V.O.C.’s), which make them harmful if they are used indoors. Epoxy doesn’t contain any V.O.C.’s or any other harmful odors. This is the reason that Epoxy is the best option for garages, laundry rooms, wine cellars, and other areas in the home.
Epoxy is self leveling, however, if you need to fill major holes and cracks, you can use an Epoxy resin paste. This is what makes it the best and most durable patching system for concrete.
It is not recommended that you put Epoxy over an existing sealer. This is because if there is a sealer on top of the concrete, the Epoxy won’t be able to bond properly to the floor. Before the Epoxy can be used, the existing sealer would need to be stripped and cleaned using state of the art grinders.
Yes. If it is extremely hot or cold, it can effect the application. If the temperature is above 29 degrees Celsius, it can make the Epoxy cure faster, making the coating tacky. This can make the application process difficult. It the temperature is below 13 degrees Celsius, it can cause the chemical reaction in the Epoxy to slow down. This will make it take much longer to harden.
Yes. A non-slip finish can be applied to Epoxy floors. This is usually done if the floor is exposed to a great deal of rain water. While it will produce a non-slip finish, it will be very tough on mops and squeegees that are used to clean the water.
Under normal conditions, Epoxy floors are durable and they shouldn’t scratch. However, if you drag extremely heavy, metal objects across the floor, it is possible to scratch the Epoxy coating.
Tires that are heated up due to normal driving will have no effect on the Epoxy.
No. Epoxy floors are very durable and long lasting. Under normal conditions, the coating will last for many years.
The ultraviolet radiation produced by the sun can cause most paints and sealers to fade or blush. When you use an Epoxy sealer, a UV protector is used to keep the floor from being damaged or discolored in the sunlight.
