Factors to Consider when Choosing a Garage Floor Coating

The purpose of a garage floor coating is to effectively protect your garage floor against fluid leaks, oil stains from vehicles, and to extend the lifespan of your structure. For all of these reasons, choosing the right garage floor coating for your needs is essential. Whether you need to clean up or revamp your garage floor or are taking pre-emptive action, applying a garage floor coating can help you maintain the aesthetic appeal and functionality of your structure. 

Here are some important factors to consider when choosing epoxy, polyurethane, or polyaspartic garage floor coatings.

What Is a Garage Floor Coating?

Before you start researching specific floor maintenance products, it’s important to understand what a garage floor coating is, how it works, and why you need it. Most garage floors are made of concrete, which can break down over time if left completely exposed to various elements such as hot or cold temperatures, fluid leaks, and heavy vehicular pressure.

A garage floor coating is a protective layer that acts as a barrier between the concrete and potentially harmful elements.

How Will the Garage Floor Look and Function?

When it comes to your garage floor, aesthetics and functionality are equally important for many different reasons. A clean, well-maintained garage floor requires very few repairs. In addition to showing pride of ownership, this can also help increase your property value. It’s important to choose a garage floor coating with a nice finish that matches the aesthetic of your structure and improves its overall functionality. 

What Type of Maintenance and Warranty Are Required?

Another crucial factor to take into consideration is the amount of time, money, and effort your garage floor will require. Whether you choose epoxy, polyurethane, or polyaspartic floor coatings, make sure the coating has a long-lasting warranty and requires minimal maintenance. 

Epoxy, for instance, is considered one of the strongest and most resilient materials on the market for protecting garage floors. It can withstand exposure to a variety of elements, offering maximum protection that lasts anywhere between five and 10 years before it needs to be reapplied.

Does the Contractor Have a License and Insurance?

If you’re hiring a contractor to apply the garage floor coating for you, make sure that they’re qualified and insured. In this line of work, the right credentials make a world of difference. It reassures you that the contractor is experienced, reputable, and accountable for the quality of the work they provide.

Is Moisture Testing Necessary?

Moisture testing is absolutely necessary when applying a garage floor coating. The presence of moisture can prevent the coating from properly adhering to the concrete floor, rendering it ineffective. It can also lead to the development of mildew, mould, and curling or bubbling in the finished product.

If possible, existing moisture should be thoroughly removed prior to applying a garage floor coating to prevent these issues from occurring.

If removing the existing moisture is not possible, such as the case with hydrostatic pressure which is common with slab on grade construction of garages, our ISOMAT Duroprimer-SG is a phenomenal moisture mitigating primer. This primer forms a block between the rising water (hydrostatic pressure) and your floor coating, preventing the delamination of your coating from the concrete slab. This is a must if you are dealing with any kind of hydrostatic pressure as if a moisture mitigating primer is not used the coating will not cure or perform right.

Duroprimer-SG can also be applied to existing concrete floors where there is oil damage.  Similar to the hydrostatic pressure, it prevents any oils from rising in the concrete and causing coating delamination.

Choosing the Right Garage Floor Coating Products in Canada

As the exclusive distributor of ISOMAT products in Canada, IMC Distributors is proud to offer our extensive expertise on epoxy, polyurethane, and polyaspartic garage floor coatings. Whether you need a garage floor coating for a residential or commercial application, we can provide you with the appropriate garage floor coatings to meet your needs. We also offer training and certifications for our products and their applications. Contact us today to learn more.