Revive your salt-ravaged floor

By Ken McEntee

Road salt may be good for melting ice, but it’s really horrible for concrete. When you see how salt exacerbates the formation of potholes on roads, think about what it can do to your garage floor.

“A deteriorating, stained concrete floor can not only ruin the look of your garage, but it also devalues your home,” laments Mike Padden, owner of Encore Garage Ohio.

Q: What can a homeowner do to replace a crumbling concrete floor?
A: There are four main options. The first is to do nothing and agonize over the way it looks. Left alone, it’s only going to get worse. At the other extreme is having your concrete floor torn out and replaced. That is a messy, expensive process that puts you back to square one with another high-maintenance, porous concrete floor.

The other two options both involve covering and protecting your floor with an epoxy coating. One is doing it yourself with an over-the-counter product from a home improvement store. You might save money at first, but it can cost you in the long run because the do-it-yourself products are not of durable, long-lasting quality. They typically will begin to delaminate and wear out after a couple of years. In fact, about 20 percent of our floor installations are repairs of DIY attempts.

The wisest option is a professionally installed epoxy-based product like Encore’s Flex-Core advanced polyaspartic floor coating that not only beautifies your garage floor, but also prevents future damage from salt and other contaminants. The initial investment may cost more than the DIY, but you will save a considerable amount of time, money and effort over replacing flooring every few years.

Q: Why is epoxy better than concrete?
A: Flex-Core is non-porous, protecting the concrete below from moisture and salt. It’s stain-resistant, even against oil and grease and couldn’t be easier to maintain. All you need is a water hose and squeegee to keep the floor looking like new for many years.

You can call Encore Garage Ohio for a no-cost estimate at 330-922-4411 (Akron area) or 440-668-8953 (Cleveland area) or learn more at EncoreGarageOhio.com.