While it may not be the most glamorous room in the house, a garage serves an important purpose. Whether you use it to park your cars, as a workshop, or just for storage, the garage sees a lot of action during its lifetime and deserves to be maintained and protected. Garage floor protection can give extra life to your surface and keep it looking its best.
Why is protecting your garage floor important?
We demand a lot out of our garage floors – more than any other surface in our house. Think about how much your garage floor goes through in its lifetime:
- Cars weigh a ton…or more specifically, two. The average car weighs around 4,000 lbs
- Garages can be insulated, but still experience more temperature changes than other rooms in the house, especially in colder climates
- Garage floors are victims of spills – oil, water, chemicals
- Garages see a lot of heavy foot traffic and movement of tools and equipment
Things like parked cars, leaking fluids, and drops and spills from tools, paint, and other items can cause a lot of damage over time. Just like any other floor, you want to make sure to do the work to keep it free of damage.
Protecting Concrete Floors
Concrete is a porous material. Liquids can be absorbed and erode at the surface, which causes pitting, spalling, and cracks. Pitting and spalling are where the concrete develops tiny holes and begins to crumble away. This happens often in garages in cold climates, where freeze-thaw cycles happen, and things like road salt begin to corrode the concrete.
This type of damage can be repaired without too much headache with concrete patch repair products. But instead of the hassle of repairing your concrete every time it is damaged, preventative garage floor protection can keep your surface clean and damage free.
4 Tips to Protecting Your Garage Floor from Damage
1. Clean the Entire Garage
Cleaning your garage floor regularly can help you avoid any long-term damage. Wipe up spills as soon as possible. You can use sawdust or cat litter to soak up oil. Clean floors with an alkaline cleaner. If you have epoxy garage floors, make sure to use a neutral pH cleaner since acidic and alkaline cleaners can damage the coating.
Cleaning your garage floor can remove stains from oil and grease, which are not only eyesores, but can cause damage in the long run.
2. Try Out Garage Floor Coverings
You might be asking, “what is the best cover for a concrete garage floor?” When you’re thinking ahead about the life of your floor, take into account how you will be using the space. If you plan on using it as a workshop, covering the surface with garage mats or interlocking slip-resistant garage floor tiles is a great way to protect the concrete from foot traffic and drops from tools.
Using garage floor protection during projects can temporarily protect your garage floor from stains and spills. Oil spill mats are absorbent and can be used under your vehicle to prevent stains while you change your oil.
Temporary floor protection like Ram Board is a good product to have on hand for both the garage and the house. Ram Board Pro Sheets are like plywood but much lighter and easier to keep on hand. Don’t let this board made out of recycled paper fool you—it has extreme liquid holdout so paint, mud, and grease can’t get through. Plus, it’s breathable, reusable, and recyclable, so it won’t hurt your floors or your wallet.
3. Seal it with Garage Floor Coatings
There are different options for sealing your garage floor. From epoxy coatings which do the most to protect your floor, to roll-on concrete sealers you’ll have to reapply every few years, these sealants protect your floor from stains, road salt, and other general wear and tear.
4. Restore it with High-Quality Garage Repair
It’s important to repair any damage to your concrete garage floor. Over time, the damage could spread and cause bigger issues. Cracks can be sealed with a crack repair product, while holes, chips, and other imperfections can be easily fixed with a concrete patch.
Get the Most Out of Your Garage Floor
Your garage floor is an important part of your home. By taking the time to protect and maintain it, you’ll keep it looking clean and new for years to come. If you’re looking for temporary floor protection that keeps your garage floors and other home surfaces free from damage during construction and other home improvement projects, explore Ram Board’s entire line of heavy-duty products.