Most people have a difficult time making decisions where they don’t feel they are experts on the subject matter. For example, it may be very easy for a Nashville business owner to make a decision about bringing in a new product line to the retail outlet, but it may be very difficult to try to decide the best option in garage flooring.
For garage flooring, both for residential and commercial use, there are only a few materials that are commonly used. This can help in narrowing down your options based on understanding the pros and cons of each.
Paints
There are many different brands, formulations, and options in paints that can be used on concrete. The biggest problem with paints is that heat from tires, fuel, and chemical spills and even scraping the surface with debris on the soles of shoes can result in scratches that quickly turn to flaking and peeling areas of the floor.
This is a very cheap garage flooring option and can be applied as a do-it-yourself project, but it is not durable and will not truly seal the concrete, which can create a risk for damage to the surface.
Concrete Stain
Concrete staining is also popular in Nashville as well as other areas around the country. It isn’t the same as an actual stain but rather a surface treatment that soaks into the top layer of concrete and then is coated with protective urethane.
While this gives a rich, natural stone look, it is flooring that will need sealing on an annual basis with typical traffic and possibly more often with heavier traffic. The stain itself will fade over time and may need to be repeated every three to four years.
Epoxy Flooring
With professionally applied epoxy flooring, you can have the beautiful colors of a paint combined with the natural stone look of the stain. However, you will have a garage floor that is sealed for life, which means one application and just minor sweeping and mopping to keep it looking like new for years to come. Low cost, durable and providing a high level of protection for the floor, it is the most popular option for a lot of very good reasons.
