Through the heat of summer and winter freezes, your garage floor sees the extremes of temperatures year-round. Without the right protection, seasonal temperature shifts can lead to cracks. Apart from temperature changes, rain and humidity can also wreak havoc on your concrete floors.
A protective concrete coating helps keep your concrete floors pristine throughout the year. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the unique challenges each season presents for garage floors. We’ll also explore some of the many benefits of a high-quality epoxy floor coating.
Seasonal Factors That Can Damage Concrete Floors
Garages usually aren’t connected to the HVAC system, which means they have little protection from extreme weather. Here’s how each season can damage your garage floors:
Spring Thaw
When it starts to warm up after the winter, any leftover snow, slush, and rainwater can accumulate around your home. Plus, the air tends to get more humid, especially in the Carolinas. All this moisture can have devastating effects on exposed concrete:
- Water damage: Since concrete is porous, standing water can absorb it and cause structural damage over time.
- Mold and mildew: A dark, wet environment is a breeding ground for fungi like mold and mildew. Not only are these contaminants unsightly and smelly, but they can also be a health risk for you and your family.
- Sinking: If enough water seeps into the soil under the concrete slab, it can even cause the floor to sink and crack.
Summer Heat
With no air conditioning, the garage can become a kind of oven under the hot Carolina sun. Here are some of the risks the summer sun poses to your garage floors:
- UV exposure: If your garage faces the sun, the ultraviolet rays can discolor and weaken your concrete floors.
- Expanding: When unprotected concrete gets hot, it expands. However, concrete is a brittle material, meaning it will crack if it expands and contracts too fast.
- A UV-resistant epoxy coating can help protect your garage floor against heat and sunlight.
Autumn Leaves and Rain
Fall brings beautiful color changes in the leaves, but they also begin to fall. Coupled with cold, rainy days, falling leaves and debris can create a mess in the garage:
- Staining: Tracking mud and fallen leaves into the garage can create permanent stains if the concrete is unprotected.
- Grime: Rainwater that builds up in the garage can mix with mud and organic materials like leaves to form a foul-smelling layer of grime on untreated floors.
An epoxy garage floor coating creates a smooth, water-tight surface that’s easy to clean and maintain. Never worry about the fall rains staining your floors again.
Winter Cold
Winter can often be the hardest out of all the seasons on an uncoated garage floor. From salted roads to snowy tires, the cold of winter can cause serious problems for garage floors:
- Pitting: The bits of salt and snow your car tires track into the garage can wear down a concrete surface over time.
- Cracks: Just as concrete expands in the heat, it contracts in the cold. Too much contraction can cause cracks to form.
- Freezing: If water infiltrates your concrete floor, it can freeze on especially cold nights. While concrete contracts when it gets cold, water expands as it freezes. This can be a disastrous combination that cracks your concrete floor.
Applying an epoxy coating keeps your concrete floors safe from erosion and cracking in the cold of winter.
Concrete Coating: What Is Epoxy Flooring?
Epoxy is a tough, impact-resistant coating made of resin and a hardening agent. When applied to a concrete floor, a high-quality epoxy coating bonds with the concrete rather than just sitting on the surface. This strong bond prevents hot tires from peeling the coating up. Epoxy is resistant to all sorts of harsh conditions associated with garages, such as:
- Moisture
- Chemicals
- Extreme temperatures
- UV rays
- Impacts
- Scratching
- Stains
Benefits of Year-Round Concrete Protection
A durable epoxy coating can keep your concrete floors safe from harsh weather all year long. Here are some other reasons to invest in epoxy garage flooring:
Improved longevity of flooring: Epoxy forms a strong barrier on top of your garage floor, extending the lifespan of your flooring.
Aesthetics
Epoxy flooring's high-gloss look turns a drab storage space into a high-end showroom that stays looking new no matter the time of year. Installers can also add decorative flaking in a variety of patterns and color options to suit your style preferences.
Cost Savings
Epoxy reduces the amount you have to spend on repairs and maintenance by helping to prevent cracks, stains, and pitting.
Easy Cleaning
If you spill something or have a leak, cleaning your water-proof flooring is as easy as hosing it down or mopping. No stains!
Safety
With an “orange-peel” texture, epoxy flooring improves traction even in icy or wet conditions. This helps reduce the risk of slips and falls in the garage.
Get Started on Your Garage Floor Coating Today
Whether it’s snowing, raining, or hot and sunny, epoxy flooring keeps your garage in top condition year-round. If you’re concerned about the effects of seasonal weather changes on your garage floor, look no further than Concrete Coatings of the Carolinas.
Based in Charlotte, NC, we proudly serve homeowners throughout the Carolinas. We offer the highest quality epoxy and urethane coatings for concrete floors of all kinds. Contact us today to schedule a free in-home consultation and get a pricing estimate!