Keep your Garage Floor its best!

The garage floor is very durable, and yet overtime will require maintenance. Cement is not a ductile

material. So the bending and breaking that you will come across throughout your house will not be a problem in the garage. What you will experience is shrinking and expanding, which will lead to scratches and cracks. Most garage floors are designed to allow room for minor yet inevitable changes. However, there are always other variables that may, in time, lead to cracking and shifting. The good news is that most of this is cosmetic, and easily repaired. Let’s look at a few common repairs that you can expect to make in your garage!

Shifting

If you find yourself walking across the garage and step into a low spot, walk up a slope, or feel a change in leveling, it’s likely you have some depression occurring. This can be a simple fix, depending on the scale of the depression. For small slopes, you can use a self leveling compound, which can be purchased at your local hardware store. Be sure to choose one that is suitable for outdoor use, and follow the instructions carefully. If your floor has a larger slope to it, or you find it to be largely uneven, you may need to talk to a local contractor. Sunken slabs can take time and money to repair. Should you choose to talk to someone about repairing these, it is essential to choose a contractor you trust. Poorly reinforced slabs, as well as underground issues are often the cause of this, making it important to have the job done well. 

Cracking

Most cracking that you’ll find in your garage will be minor, as garage floors usually have contraction joints built in the slab that make room to prevent major cracks. You may choose in this case to fill in the small cracks as you see them. You can use an epoxy based filler, which is applied with a caulking gun, and will expand and contract with the concrete to help prevent further cracking. Before applying the filler, you’ll want to scrape out the crack with either a wire brush or small chisel, depending on the size of the crack. This will clean out dirt and debris that may sit in the way.

Before you start any repair, clean your garage. Sweep up the floor, use a blower if you have large amounts of dirt. Focus on the specific areas that you’ll be repairing. Loose dust can prevent materials from bonding to the concrete, interfering with your repair project. To really polish your floor, after your repairs, you may consider applying a finish over the entire floor. Epoxy is one of our top choices! And as always, talk to a contractor you can trust for anything that is over your head. Getting it done right will be much more efficient in the long run than redoing a poor job! Your home is worth it.