Choosing your garage floor covering is not simply about making it more aesthetically appealing but it also needs to serve a practical purpose and it has to be safe too. You’re likely to be storing your car or motorcycle, perhaps bicycles and maybe even a boat in the garage so any flooring you choose will need to be durable and both waterproof and weatherproof. You’re likely to want it to be low maintenance and easily cleanable too.
Concrete Flooring
Concrete flooring is probably the most common and least expensive of all garage flooring options. It is durable, easily installed and doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. You can also make it more appealing by applying a painted coating to it. These tend to come in three types – latex, epoxy and oil.
Latex Floor Paint
Latex is probably the most popular choice of paint for concrete garage floors. It’s applied directly to the concrete in two coats – a primer coat, followed by a finishing coat and it helps to keep mould and mildew at bay.
Epoxy Floor Paint
This is probably the most durable of the three types of garage floor paint but it takes a bit more preparation. The concrete floor will need to be power washed, etched and painted in a few steps. Because special mixing is involved to create the chemical bond which forms its protective qualities, many garage owners choose to get a specialist in to apply this type of floor paint but it’s extremely hardy and effective against damp.
Oil Based Paint
If you want your concrete garage floor to have a shiny finish, oil based paint is likely to be your best option. However, cleaning up after applying it is a bit trickier as you need to use mineral spirits to eliminate the oil. It does, however, offer you the ease of latex with the added durability of epoxy paint.
Rubber Flooring
This is often the preferred choice if you do a lot of work in your garage or if you have young children who use the garage as an additional play area as it prevents slipping. You can get rubber flooring in a wide range of colours and designs. It’s very easy to clean and maintain, requiring a simple once over with a mop now and again. As it can also be taken up and removed, it’s ideal if you ever relocate and want to take it with you. It’s also straightforward to install and comes in both rough and smooth varieties.
Marble Flooring
Although it is probably the most expensive option, marble flooring adds a touch of class to your garage which might be important to you if you keep expensive sports cars or classic cars in your garage. As well as being the most attractive, it’s also very durable, doesn’t damage easily and it’s quite straightforward to clean and maintain. There are plenty of colours and designs to choose from which might be important if you want the flooring to complement the car or cars being kept in the garage. However, it does require regular waxing if you want to keep it looking amazing.
Whatever type of garage flooring you choose, however, it’s important that you look after it and to clean up oil spills and grease straight away to avoid and nasty slips and trips.
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