If you’re among the 80% of homeowners whose property comes with a garage, keeping it in top shape is likely a priority. After all, you need a smooth surface to park on so you can protect your tires.
Here, we’re going to discuss 6 signs that you may want to invest in new flooring for your garage. Read on to learn how you can keep your vehicle safe while boosting your property value.
1. Chipping and Cracking
Any garage floor will crack slightly over time. This makes sense because various weather conditions will make it shrink and expand. Your vehicle is also heavy and will apply a lot of pressure to the floor which can sometimes leave cracks.
Unfortunately, when there are a lot of chips and cracks across the surface, your vehicle(s) and belongings are at risk. There will be more opportunities for wear and tear in your tires. You won’t have a way to store power tools, bins, and other objects on a flat and undisturbed surface.
Cracks and chips will only worsen over time. They’ll gain more depth and get longer to span more of the floor’s surface. Replacing it when you see an abundance of cracking will save you time, money, and stress in the long run. As you can imagine, taking up the old floor will not be a clean job, you’ll need to get rid of a large amount of cracked, chipped concrete and a lot of dust. Thankfully using the right refuse contains makes this much easier, companies like Waste Removal USA offer concrete disposal containers so that you can make the job a stress free one.
2. Warping
Water damage can be a major issue in all areas of your home, and your garage is no exception. In fact, poorly-insulated garages will have high moisture levels that cause long-term damage. It’s important that you use appropriate weather stripping to proactively fight against this problem.
But once moisture gets into your garage, it can cause warping and sinking. This uneven floor is a structural issue that could cause further problems for your home. You might end up with more sinking and caving if you let the problem stand.
Dips also magnify the water problem and cause water to pool on the floor if it gets into the garage. This exacerbates moisture damage and ruins your floor even faster.
3. Staining
Staining can also indicate water damage, which might cause health issues related to mold. Oil and mud are also common culprits for floor stains and discoloration.
Excessive discoloration is extremely ugly. It looks sloppy and poorly maintained both to you and to any visitors that you have over. Sometimes you may be able to wipe off stains with floor cleaners, but when they’re persistent, you’ll need to replace your floor.
Stains are also an indicator that your concrete’s protective coating is either low-quality or coming off. Check our Garage Force professional’s website to learn more about concrete preparation. Experts will clean your floor, repair cracks, and apply both a polyurea base coat and a polyaspartic top coat.
4. The Floor Is Old
The average garage floor will last about 20-25 years. 20 is a safer bet because you will eventually begin to suffer from unseen foundational damage. It’s important to remember that you’ll likely need repairs or replacements more frequently than that, but if you don’t, old age is a good reason to renovate.
As your floor gets old, it will naturally suffer regular wear and tear. Replacing it once it reaches this age will prevent the damage from becoming extreme. You’ll get a new flooring with top-notch polyurea coating before your garage suffers damage as a result of normal use.
5. You’re Using It for Other Purposes
Many people use their garages for more than simply parking a car. You will probably have some storage down there, including power tools on easy-to-damage wheels and breakable cardboard or wooden crates. Well-maintained flooring can prevent damage to objects in storage just as it can prevent tire damage.
However, many people also use their garages as places for crafting and woodworking, band rehearsal spaces, video game ‘man caves,’ or art studios. In these instances, you’ll probably invite guests in from time to time. You want the floor to look nice so you aren’t embarrassed by its ugly appearance.
If you have a nice floor, you can also use the garage for guest-related purposes. If you have a long-term houseguest, you can temporarily convert it into a guest room (assuming that you have good insulation and comfortable heating). It can also be a living area where you watch TV or eat.
6. You’re Performing Other Renovations
If you’re renovating other areas of your home, you may consider restoring your garage floor at the same time. This knocks everything off your list right away. Your property will look great and you won’t need to worry about performing basic renovations in the future.
It also may cost you less money to do multiple renovations at once. Many companies offer coupons and promotions if you invest in many services at the same time. They may also partner with other renovation companies to give discounts to those that use both services.
Replacing your garage floor will also let you see what’s going on underneath the surface. Older garages that you got with your home are unfamiliar to you even if you’ve lived with them for a long time. You don’t know what’s underneath the top of your flooring, and it might be something you need to renovate.
More on Installing New Flooring in Your Garage
Now that you know when to get new flooring in your garage, it’s time to begin revamping your home. Check out the ‘lifestyle’ tab on our website to learn more home renovation tips for 2023. You may also be interested in using our search function to find information about niche topics regarding homeownership and garage remodeling.
