Over the past 6 years, the restoration of the garage has become the largest growth market in home remodeling. Franchises were built for the sale of garage cabinets, organizing systems and decorative epoxy flooring.
One area that stifled the growth of this market is the concrete floor. Most of the floor concrete tiles of the garage are built according to the class. The problem is that the earth has a lot of moisture. When the earth is saturated with moisture, it pushes up from the pressure. The pressure can be so strong that vapors of moisture will push the concrete. This is called hydrostatic pressure.
If you ever put a rubber mat on a concrete floor and find moisture under it, hydrostatic pressure is the cause. The moisture pressure under the concrete slab of the garage floor will increase through the air holes, capillaries and cracks. Moisture comes to the surface and pushes the salt up into the concrete. When moisture and salts reach the epoxy coating, it begins to destroy the chemical crosslinking of the coating. This causes the grinding and delamination of coatings. In some cases, the coating will peel off from the floor in sheets.
The theory of problem solving is to etch the floor, providing a large surface area of the coating. Some products contribute to acid etching the floor. The problem is twofold. First, acid particles can get into small holes in concrete. Even when washing the surface, it does not remove all the small acidic particles. Secondly, washing the acid from saturating the concrete with water. It may take several weeks for the floor to dry completely, although it looks and feels dry. Later, when you add a coating, the coating re-activates the acid that causes the formation of chips. Dirt, sand and tires will destroy the surface and you have an unsightly floor.
Some professionals will be blasting the floor to provide a higher surface area for epoxy. This is the process of using the push behind the machine, which removes small ball bearings on the floor. This is a great solution, but few contractors will use this system on a small floor, as in a garage. Even with this, blasting does not eliminate moisture. The problem again is that most epoxy coatings cannot process moisture and salt.
Finally, polyasparatic coatings appeared. They are used as epoxy, but with additional results. Before I explain how they work and what benefits, I would like to point out that not all polyasparatic coatings are the same. Many manufacturers have diluted their polyaspartaks to reduce costs. Unfortunately, a high percentage of contractors prefer to buy cheap materials to ensure cheap cost to the client. On the day the floor is finished, the floor looks great, but the last time it looks good. From there it goes down. I can not fully blame the contractors. Most customers buy at a price, and when something is cheap, there is a quality sacrifice.
There is a small but growing network of professionals who have found that high-quality polyasparats perform and can be applied quickly. There is an application system that allows them to coat the floor in a garage a day, with almost no callbacks.
The process is to grind the concrete (sometimes removing the failed coating), removing the thin top layer of concrete. They use a dustless system with diamond blades that grind the floor to a smooth, even surface. With proper equipment, surface preparation takes about an hour per 100 square feet, sometimes faster. This means that a qualified contractor can grind a 3-car, 700-square-foot garage for 5-7 hours. So suppose they start at 8:00, they must be done with the cooking surface by 1:00 pm, about 6 hours. Then they fill all cracks and holes in the floor. Top contractors use a polyurea filler and fill the crack down to the bottom, usually about 4 inches. Then, using a manual sander, they will grind smooth. Proper polyurea is thin enough to flow to the bottom, is activated by moisture, is absorbed into the walls of the crack and dries below the level. If the wrong crack filler is used or labor is compromised, the crack of the filler will never dry. Moisture will repel it, causing your coating to fail.
Preparation is the hard part, requiring skill, experience and the right equipment. Ideal preparation will prevent stains through the decorative layer. The most important factor is that when the concrete is smooth, it opens the pores and allows the polyasparts to urinate or soak into the floor like water in a sponge. When the first polyasparate layer has dried, usually within 30-60 minutes, it does not just stick to the floor, it is part of the floor. It will not delaminate with chemical properties that withstand salts, exert strong wet pressure and become a barrier to moisture. Quite right, the concrete will break down before polyasparateism will.
If your contractor knows the correct system, they will add a non-slip unit for each level. First, it is important to add a slippery aggregate of the correct size to several coats. Cumulative size is crucial. Too big, and it will float to the bottom of the bucket when mixed and can never get to the floor. Too little, and it becomes ineffective. The purpose of creating a non-skid unit for each layer is to avoid what is called the "friction coefficient" from wear. Most contractors, even if they use non-skid material, will be broadcast to the top layer. This system does not last. The unit is knocked out of wear, and the floor quickly becomes slippery. Properly embedded coatings will allow slip resistance (friction coefficient), which have exceeded OSHA and ADA levels for years, protecting you from lawsuits.
It takes about 3 hours to apply 3 layers, allowing the project to be completed in 9-11 hours from start to finish. The ability to cure quickly allows the floor to be used the next day. With the right search engine optimization strategy, a professional contractor can count on a steady flow of business in the local market and comfortably fill 3 garage floors per week. Conversely, epoxy coating will take 3-4 days or 1 job per week. With a price of $ 4.00 - $ 6.00 per square foot, which can be $ 10,000.00 per week in gross sales for a professional with a team of 2 people.
This system has opened up an opportunity for a business that did not exist until last year or so. For business-minded contractors, this is a profitable business that leads to higher commercial places on tickets. For customers who find one of these professionals, they get a high-performance floor that will be backed up in recent years with a long-term guarantee.
