Most people put little very thought into their garage floor. Whether it’s for storage or somewhere to park your car, it’s a basic space that doesn’t go beyond basic style or maintenance. However, some homeowners see the value in reclaiming that space to make their garage a showstopper.
Epoxy floors are becoming more popular, and many folks are choosing to add a textured floor to their garage for improved traction and ease of cleanup. But if you’re reaching for an off-the-shelf garage floor product at your local hardware store, you’re going about it the wrong way.
Encore Poly-Floor Garage Coatings offers a premium product that will stand the test of time. Matthew Kwantes is the owner of Encore Poly-Floor, and he’s confident his garage coating and application process are unlike any consumer grade product on the market.
“We offer a five-year warranty on our product, but I’m sure you’d get 20 years out of it because of the way we do it,” Kwantes said. “We have full confidence in our strategy.”
Most of Kwantes’ customers have had a textured floor in their garage in the past, but are looking for a higher quality coating that will last longer than a few years. Even when applied properly, those kits you get at the hardware store might only last a year or two at most.
At the very least, Encore Poly-Floor’s product will last a minimum of five years, and because of the time and care they take with the process, you’ll likely see three to five times that guaranteed lifespan in your garage.
It’s a three-day process to prepare the concrete and apply the epoxy and topcoat the entire garage floor. It starts with grinding down the concrete to provide a surface for the primer coat to bond to. Then Kwantes applies a prime coat of epoxy, then an intermediate coat of epoxy, then the vinyl flakes for the layer of traction, which is top coated by a layer of clear polyaspartic.
The issue with consumer grade garage floor applications isn’t the product Kwantes explained, it’s the application process. Some recommend a chemical agitation process involving muriatic acid, but the ideal preparation requires a professional grinder to prepare the surface.
“There’s only one way to prepare concrete, and that’s by grinding it or shot-blasting it,” Kwantes said. “Even washing with muriatic acid, it prepares it to a degree, but you really need to create a profile for a material to sit into to and anchor to. That’s the primary reason off-the-shelf products don’t work.”
Once the Encore Poly-Floor coating is complete, homeowners enjoy a highly durable and easily cleaned surface that lasts for years to come. It’s resistant to salt, chemicals and stains, and it’s also resistant to hot rubber from tires, which is a big problem with consumer grade garage coatings.
Besides preparing the surface to soak in the primer epoxy, another reason the Encore Poly-Floor product lasts so long is they add a coat of primer before the intermediate coat of epoxy. This step is key to stopping moisture from seeping up into the concrete.
The primary cause of epoxies breaking down is actually moisture wicking up through the concrete and causing delamination, not moisture leaking down through the garage floor. Encore Poly-Floor’s coating acts as a vapour barrier to stop moisture from penetrating the epoxy coat.
Once you’ve seen a textured garage floor in person, you’ll truly understand the difference it makes in your garage. It gives that true showroom quality to the space and makes your garage somewhere you can be proud to show your family and friends.
Speak to Encore Poly-Floor about their unique epoxy floor treatment that can transform your garage forever in just three days, and the coating comes with a five-year warranty.
Visit EncorePolyFloor.ca to find out more.