Many people don’t give their garage floors much thought. The garage is often relegated as storage space or the area where you pile your lawn maintenance equipment. If the floor is covered up with mowers, trimmers, grass clippings and gas cans, it’s easy to forget about it. However, if you have decided that it’s time to give your garage a makeover, you’ll need to know a few things about how to maintain garage floors.
Understand the Problem
When you think about concrete, chances are good that you picture a material that is durable, weather resistant and permanent. However, it’s much more fragile than that. In fact, concrete is incredibly porous – virtually any liquid spilled on it will penetrate several layers deep into the concrete, leaving behind unsightly stains that can be very hard to remove. The first step in how to maintain garage floors is to understand that keeping liquids from coming in contact with the floor is essential.
Steps to Cleaning an Unsealed Floor
If your garage floor is unsealed (which is highly likely), you’ll need to clean your floor on a regular basis to avoid it becoming stained. Sweep it thoroughly on a regular basis to remove dust and dirt buildup. You should also make sure to have a supply of kitty litter on hand – it does wonders to absorb oil and grease that makes its way onto the floor.
Once you’ve done a basic sweeping job, spread the kitty litter over the oil stains and let it sit and absorb as much oil as possible. Then, use a stiff broom to clean up the mess. Next, you’ll need to use a strong cleanser on the entire floor, and your stiff broom to scrub the entire floor. Once the floor has been scrubbed, rinse it off with your garden hose.
You should also make sure that you keep your garage doors closed to avoid leaves, dirt, dust and other debris being blown inside by the wind.
An Alternative Option for How to Maintain Garage Floors
If the above steps really don’t sound like much fun (and they’re not), you might consider applying an epoxy coating to your garage floor. There are several benefits gained from coating your floor, including the benefit of impermeability – you’ll never have to worry that the oil leaking from your car’s engine will stain your floor again. In the quest for better options in how to maintain garage floors, a garage epoxy coating is a wonderful thing.
You’ll find that these coatings do much more than apply a permanent layer of protection over the floor – they can help you add color and vibrancy to your floors. No longer are garages relegated to gray lifelessness. You can achieve pretty much any look and feel you want with a good quality coating.
Of course, to see the utmost in terms of benefits, you need to work with a professional concrete company that specializes in floor coatings. This helps ensure that you get the quality results you deserve.
