There are several potential concrete surfaces where quality and smoothness are important in a given home or commercial building, and the garage floor is a good example. Garage floors undergo a significant amount of foot traffic and vehicle traffic alike, and if they begin to crack or show other signs of concrete damage, this can lead to safety concerns and other potential issues.
At Summit Coatings, we’re happy to provide not only custom concrete floors, but also concrete sealing, concrete repair and all other related areas here among our numerous services. What are some of the causes of cracks or other damage to your concrete garage floors, and how will our team assess and repair these issues when you call? Here’s a basic primer on this process.
Common Causes of Concrete Garage Floor Damage
There are a few potential causes of concrete garage floor damage, which can show up in the form of cracks, spalling or other related areas:
Excessive moisture: Too much moisture will seep into the crevices of concrete, eventually causing it to crack.
Bad installation: Whether through improper sealing, bad foundation or some other cause.
Distressed finish: Where the finish is intentionally manipulated to look less than perfect.
Immediate Attention and Site Prep
When cracks or other damage form on concrete floors, immediate attention to them is vital. Repairing these issues as soon as possible will stop them from spreading, which will just make the damage worse and costlier to repair. Call our pros immediately, and they’ll inform you of any specific site preparations you can get started on while you await your appointment for repair.
Basic Concrete Repair Process
Here’s the general process we’ll take when repairing your garage floor concrete surfaces:
· We’ll use a chisel, hammer and radial drill to remove all broken pieces in the area of the damage, then remove any remains with a hard brush and a spatula. Finally, we’ll sweep the surface of any dust or remaining debris.
We’ll apply a layer of primer, then leave it to dry for about 10 hours to allow it to grip the concrete surface.
During the wait, we will prepare a concrete mortar for application.
Using a trowel or a metal ruler, we’ll apply the mortar to the damaged area and press it down. For large surfaces, we may provide a more liquid-like mortar that will self-level itself.
Other details: We may apply some dry cement and plaster for additional strength. We’ll also look for any low spots on the repaired surface, plus fill major crack areas with silica sand to keep the mortar from leaking down too far. Finally, we’ll recommend an epoxy sand slurry or fixing blend, which is applied using the trowel and then plumed and smoothed as needed.
For more on the process of concrete repair for your garage floor, or to learn about any of our epoxy coatings, deck waterproofing or other services, speak to the staff at Summit Coatings today.