The Benefits of Painting Your Garage Floor
Garage Floor Painting
When was the last time that you took a good look at your garage floor? If it is like most, it is made of concrete that has either been painted, coated, or left unfinished. It is easy to take the garage floor for granted, assuming that a substance that is as hard and strong as concrete will withstand anything you throw at it.
What many people fail to realize is that concrete is a porous material that can easily become damaged if not correctly treated. The very fact that the floor in your garage is more likely to be exposed to abuse makes it even more vulnerable than other types of floors throughout your home. Below are some of the reasons that it is worth the time and money it takes to add the garage floor to your list of areas to add to your interior painting plans.
How To Paint Your Garage Floor
- Protect Your Improvements – The first step in painting your garage floor is to make any necessary repairs, fill in chips, and seal the areas where the walls meet the floor to prevent moisture from getting into the concrete. Adding a layer of the right paint will add a finishing seal that will keep repairs intact and extend the life of the floor for years to come. For a truly professional job, hire interior painting contractors with the expertise to not just improve the appearance of your garage floor, but also to make it stronger and more durable.
- Increase Safety – In some climates, wet, snowy weather is common. Every time you enter your garage, you bring in some of the outdoors with you. Nothing is more slippery or dangerous than a wet, smooth floor. Anti-skid materials can be added to the paint you apply to your garage floor to prevent dangerous slips and falls.
Boost Value & Curb Appeal
- Improve the Appearance – There is no simpler, more affordable way to improve the appearance of the entire garage than adding a coat of paint. If you have a lot of “stuff” in your garage that covers a lot of the floor, you might be tempted to dismiss the need for a better looking garage floor. For most homeowners, the garage serves as an entry way into their home that they see every day, and which could be open to visitors. You might be surprised how easy it is to create a showroom-quality garage floor that you enjoy looking at and which you are proud for others to see.
- Prevent Dust – Unfinished concrete produces dust that sticks to your feet and which can be tracked into your home. Painting seals the concrete and prevents dust from being tracked inside.
- Increase Value – If you are thinking of selling your home, repairing and painting the garage floor is one of those affordable things you can do to improve the appearance of your house without spending a lot of time and money on it.
Choosing the Paint
Always start with a clean, smooth floor. Make any repairs needed to the concrete, and apply a primer to seal it. Sprinkle some water on the surface to see if it will absorb the paint or if the water beads up. If the latter occurs, the surface of the floor will need to be etched before applying the paint.
Acrylic and epoxy paint are usually the ones used to paint garage floors, and there are pros and cons for each type. Latex acrylic paint is less expensive, available in a broad range of colors, and is easy to apply. When painting with acrylic, you put your new paint job at risk of being destroyed when it is exposed to fluids from vehicles parked in the garage.
1-part epoxy paint, on the other hand, costs a little more, but adds durability to your floor. There are also 2-part epoxy kits available that are more epoxy than paint, and these may be followed with a clear application of epoxy over the paint for the most durable finish of all.
For an even more presentable floor that is showroom-worthy, acrylic paint chips can be added to the surface once the paint is applied. This is your opportunity to add more color to the finish and get an even more professional-looking paint job for your garage floor.