You’ve finally noticed it—you enter the garage and look down, spotting cracks, stains, or chips in the floor that drastically impact the look and safety of your garage.
It’s time for new garage flooring, but there are a few factors you should consider before making the purchase. For example, how do you pick a floor style that fits your garage? How easy is it to keep clean?
Here are the top considerations you need to think about before you choose a new garage floor coating.
1. Color and Texture
You don’t have to go with a plain gray floor in the garage anymore. There are a variety of colors and styles designed to suit any garage type. You can get different looks from metallic to chip and stone or choose colors like green, red, or blue.
You have a lot of options when it comes to the various colors and textures, but you also want to make sure that it’s a color that complements the rest of your garage. If you have a garage organization system, for instance, you’ll want to make sure that the colors and materials match.
If you plan on getting the garage floor coating first and redoing your garage later with cabinets and storage solutions, choose a neutral color that goes with anything such as black, grey, or white.
2. Durability
Whether you use your garage to store your vehicles, as a workshop, a home gym, or as a spare living area, you’ll need a floor that can withstand pressure, impacts, and stains.
When choosing garage flooring, make sure you pick a coating type that is able to stand up to whatever you throw at it.
One of the biggest benefits of our polyurea floor coatings is that it’s resistant to stains and chemicals. Polyurea is more durable and resistant than other options on the market, meaning it’ll last you for years. No matter how you use your garage, you can’t go wrong with a durable option like polyurea.
3. Maintenance
Accidents happen in the garage, whether it’s spilling a can of paint, an oil stain, or dropping something heavy onto the floor. That’s why you need a garage floor coating that’s easy to keep clean, no matter what happens.
Our garage floors are resistant to all common chemicals, such as gasoline, grease, and oil. Although our polyurea coatings are stronger than other options like epoxy and resistant to chemicals, you still need to use the right tools. Avoid abrasive cleaners, clean up messes as soon as you spot them, and polish your floors if necessary.
Keep your floors in good shape by performing light maintenance, and they’ll look new for years to come.
4. Installation Time
Installation time should play a part in your decision-making process. After all, you want your garage ready to go as soon as possible, right?
Epoxy garage floors can take between three to four days to install. You’ll also have to wait before you can drive a vehicle on your epoxy floor—sometimes up to five days! That’s a long time to go without your garage.
Our garage floors cure quickly, and installation only takes 24 hours or less.
5. Volatile Organic Compounds
VOCs (volatile organic compounds) have high vapor pressure and low water solubility. VOCs are chemicals used in paints, building materials, and more. Exposure to VOCs can cause health effects such as allergic reactions, dizziness, and even damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver.
When choosing the best coating for your garage floor, you’ll want to choose products that are low-VOC or even VOC-free. These products are safer to install and use.
6. Safety
The last thing you need is to install a new garage floor only to suffer a slip and fall due to an unsafe surface. Slips and falls can be especially dangerous for older adults. According to the CDC, falls are the number one cause of injuries and death among seniors.
Even if you’re not an older adult, slip-resistant flooring should be one of the top factors you consider when redoing your garage. Slip resistance is often an optional add-on you can have installed for additional peace of mind.
7. Application Time
Something many people don’t consider when getting a new garage floor is the time of year they plan to have it installed. Weather can play a part in when you can get a floor coating installed. Not only do the weather conditions affect installation itself, but they can affect how long it takes the product to cure.
Epoxy floors take longer to install, and installing in winter can take even longer. Humidity can also impact the installation time, as it slows the curing process. As such, the ideal temperature for installing garage floors is around 75°F.
However, our garage floor coatings can be applied any time of year. In fact, we can install your new floor coating in conditions ranging from -30 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit!
8. Warranty Options
Warranties can provide people with that extra peace of mind when making bigger investments. When you choose a garage floor, you should consider your warranty options.
Does your garage floor come with a strong and worthwhile warranty? Do you believe that the company will stand behind its product and rectify any issues that arise?
You want to choose a company that has a satisfaction guarantee and happy customers to back this claim up.
9. Financing Options
Financing your garage floor can alleviate some of the financial pressures. You might want to consider a garage floor company that offers financing options and applying for those. Spreading out your payments makes it easier than ever to redo your garage.
Garage Flooring You Can Rely On
If you want to make an informed decision and turn your garage into a room you’ll love to use again, consider these top tips.
At Garage Force, we promise you’ll love our garage flooring. Take a look at our options online and find a location to book an appointment today!