Garage floor coatings are a low-maintenance way to protect concrete floors, but they do require routine maintenance in order to keep their polished appearance. When you know the best way to care for your garage floor, you will get your money’s worth and avoid damage.
Spartan Coatings offers durable garage floor coatings in Jacksonville. Garage floor coatings protect your garage from stains and prevent damage to the concrete floor.
Preparing Your Garage Floor for Treatment
An untreated garage floor needs a thorough cleaning before applying any coating. Any visually unappealing stains will show through after the treatment application.
Removing Paint Splatter
Even when you’re careful with painting projects, paint splatter inevitably gets everywhere. Clean up all paint spills and splatters before applying garage floor coatings.
Because concrete floors are extremely durable, diluted laundry detergent and paint stripper are safe to use. Clear the area of dirt, sawdust, or any other loose debris. Apply the detergent and scrub the stain.
Leave the detergent there for a few minutes so it has a chance to really soak in. After a few minutes, rinse the area and wait for it to totally dry before moving to the next step.
For the next part, make sure to open a door or window to avoid breathing toxic fumes. Apply a little bit of paint stripper to the paint splatters and let it soak. Once the paint stripper starts to work, you can wipe the area clean.
Eliminate Oil Spills
Garage floors tend to develop oil spots and other various stains as your car sits in the garage. Keep an eye out for drips and puddles so you can remove them before they cause a big mess.
Put sawdust on mystery automobile stains. Mix in a little paint thinner with the sawdust and let it marinate for about half an hour. Repeat this process until the stain is totally gone.
If the last of the stain just won’t disappear, diluted bleach and laundry detergent applied to the area may help you achieve the desired result.
Maintaining Your Garage Floor Coating
Garage floor coatings look clean and glossy. Without regular cleaning, they can start to look dull and drab. Maintenance starts with daily care and extends to deep cleaning methods.
Epoxy floor coating is one of the most popular choices to protect concrete surfaces. The cleaning process is the same for polyaspartic floor coating.
Basic Care
Daily or weekly surface cleaning is a simple way to keep your garage floor looking clean and slick. Clean up spills or oil spots as soon as they happen instead of letting them sit.
Loose dirt and rocks inevitably end up in your garage from car tires and foot traffic. This debris is more than just a mess. It has a sanding effect that will wear down all types of garage floor coatings over time. Regular sweeping will prevent damage from the influx of loose debris.
For small crevices that collect debris, use a handheld vacuum to clean out the area.
Thorough Mopping
The key to mopping garage floor epoxy and polyaspartic coatings is choosing the right mop and an appropriate cleaner.
Microfiber is reusable and will scrub the floor clean without causing any damage. A wide industrial mop will allow you to quickly mop large areas.
Ammonia is the best cleaner for garage floor coatings. You should never apply full-strength ammonia to your garage floor. Dilute it with water according to the bottle. The amount of ammonia you need depends on the surface area of your garage.
Rinse your mop head often to avoid spreading dirty water around your garage floor. Mopping thoroughly with microfiber and ammonia will remove salt staining during winter weather.
Serious Stain Treatment
If your garage floor has a history of poor maintenance, it may take on tough stains that simple mopping cannot remove.
Simple Green cleaning solution and a little elbow grease will remove difficult stains from weathered garage floor coatings. Simple Green tends to leave behind a filmy coating. To combat this, wash the area with clean water after removing the stains.
Rust Stains
Rust is a tough stain to remove. Many cleaners are not powerful enough to completely remove rust. Applying CLR to the area and carefully scrubbing the stain is a great way to remove tough rust stains.
Final Precautions
Always rinse the area after using chemicals to avoid accidentally poisoning small children or family pets. Soap and water will remove chemical residue, but take care to flush away all the soap. A thorough rinse at the end of the cleaning process will keep the floor from turning into a slippery obstacle course.
Once your garage floor is clean, a professional can apply a high-quality garage floor coating to protect the area.
Damaging Cleaning Agents
Garage floor coatings are durable but may get damaged if you use the wrong type of cleaner.
White vinegar works for disinfecting the kitchen but is not appropriate for garage floor coatings. It can eat away at the coating and require professional repair sooner than it should.
Citrus-based cleaners smell great, but they are not a good fit for epoxy or polyaspartic coatings.
Professional Garage Floor Coatings
Garage floor coatings protect your garage floor when you make a mess by changing your oil on a Sunday afternoon. They are stain-resistant and easy to maintain.
We provide durable, aesthetically pleasing garage floor coverings in Jacksonville, FL. Spartan Coatings at 904-671-3930 to schedule an appointment for expert garage floor coating.