Winterizing Your Garage Floor

 

Preparing and Protecting your Home & Garage from Winter Conditions

 

Winter is here to stay and so is your damaged garage floor, if action is not taken against the elements. Each year we prepare ourselves as winter approaches – our cars get outfitted with winter tires, flannel shirts get replaced with heavy coats and earmuffs, and many of us head to the pharmacy for flu shots. Often overlooked, however, are our garage floors. Concrete can’t adjust to cold weather as we can, which is why it’s crucial to take necessary steps to prepare and protect your floor for winter.

Why deicing products ruin your garage floors?

Deicing fluids, typically used by road crews, contain various forms of liquid magnesium and calcium chloride for the purpose of melting ice and snow. While it does increase safety on the road, the chemicals will stick to the underside of a vehicle, and drip onto the garage floor. 

These deicing products are liquid brine that can ooze into the concrete pores instead of unfreezing the surface. Eventually the brine is toned down to become ineffective and refreezes in the concrete pores, thus slowly cracking your garage floor. The issue may not be deicing fluids since many towns prohibit its use but rather the basic element of water. Moisture will gather in the garage and work its way into spalling garage floors, causing similar damage over time.

Another side effect is sub-florescence – the crystallization of salt in concrete – when moisture evaporates and the micro salt crystals fall into the concrete pores. Winterizing your garage floor is a vital step to eliminate the expensive cycle and to maintain the integrity of your concrete.

 

Garage Floor Protection

The simplest solution to protecting your garage floor is a protective mat. However, this only serves to cover up your floor. If you’ve invested in a gorgeous concrete floor, you won’t want it covered up for half of the year. The best option for winterizing your garage floor is a protective topical coating.

While there are products on the market for DIY garage floor coatings, these coatings are prone to cracking from heavy or falling items and need to be redone after a few years. To save time and money over the lifetime of your garage floor, professional installation is your best choice for a beautiful finish with the longest lifespan.

A garage floor coating from Zenith is by far the most reliable and long-lasting option for winter protection. Our 7-step floor coating process ensures that your concrete floor will be repaired and protected from anything winter can throw at it. And because our professional floor coatings help to improve the look of your property, they also help to protect its value. Upgrading your garage floor with our industrial floor coatings can be an excellent way to improve the value of your home.

 

 Take the first step in protecting your floor and contact us for a free quote today!

 

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