Throughout the past 6 years garage restoration has emerged as the largest growth market place in dwelling remodeling. Franchises have been constructed promoting garage cabinets, organizing systems and epoxy coated decorative flooring.
The 1 region that has stifled development of this industry is the concrete flooring. Most garage floor concrete slabs are built on grade. The difficulty is that earth has a lot of moisture. When the earth gets saturated with moisture it pushes upward from pressure. The pressure can be so robust that moisture vapor will push upwards by means of concrete. This is referred to as hydrostatic stress.
If you ever place a rubber mat on a concrete floor and located moisture underneath, hydrostatic stress is the trigger. Moisture stress underneath a garage floor concrete slab will push upwards by means of air holes, capillaries and cracks. Moisture will push to the surface and pushes salts in the concrete upwards as effectively. When the moisture and salts attain an epoxy coating it begins breaking down the chemical cross linking of the coating. This causes chipping and delaminates coatings. In some circumstances a coating will peel off the floor in sheets.
The theory to resolve the problem is to etch the floor offering additional surface area for the coating to stick to. Some products promote etching the floor with an acid remedy. The challenge is two-fold. Very first, acid particles can get into compact pinholes in the concrete. Even when washing the surface it does not eliminate all the little acid particles. Secondly washing the acid off saturates the concrete with water. It can take weeks for the floor to fully dry even even though it looks and feels dry. Later when you add the coating, the coating will reactivate the acid eventually causing chipping. Dirt, sand and tires will abrade the surface and you have an unsightly floor.
Some professionals will shotblast the floor to deliver additional surface area for an epoxy. This is a process of utilizing a push behind machine that shoots compact ball bearings at the floor. This is a good solution but couple of contractors will use this system on a modest floor like a garage. Even still, shotblasting does not eliminate moisture stress. The issue again is that most epoxy coatings can’t handle moisture and salts.
Lastly polyaspartic coatings came along. They are applied like an epoxy but with extraordinary results. Just before I clarify how they work and the rewards, I would like to point out that not all polyaspartic coatings are the identical. Lots of companies have diluted their polyaspartics to cheapen the cost. Regrettably a higher percentage of contractors like to purchase low cost supplies to provide a low-priced cost to the client. The day the floor is complete, the floor appears wonderful, but that’s the last time it looks superior. It goes downhill from there. I can’t entirely blame the contractors. Most clients acquire based on price and when a thing is low cost there is a high quality sacrifice.
There is a smaller but expanding network of experts who have identified that higher good quality polyaspartics perform and can be applied rapidly. There is an application method that enables them to apply a coating to a garage floor in a day with practically no get in touch with backs.
The approach is to grind the concrete (in some cases removing failed coatings) removing a thin prime layer of the concrete. They use a dustless technique with diamond blades that grinds the floor to a smooth, flat surface. With the appropriate equipment the surface prep requires about an hour per 100 square feet, sometimes faster. That indicates a skilled contractor can grind a three automobile, 700 square foot garage floor in five to 7 hours. So assume they start out at 8:00 am they need to be accomplished with surface prep by 1:00 pm, about six hours. Then they fill in all the cracks and holes in the floor. The very best contractors use polyurea crack filler and fill the crack all the way to the bottom, ordinarily about four inches. Then applying a hand grinder they will grind smooth. The appropriate polyurea is thin adequate to flow to the bottom, is activated by moisture, absorbs into the walls of the crack and dries below grade. If the wrong crack filler is applied or labor is compromised the crack filler will never ever dry. Moisture will push it out of the way causing your coating to fail.
The prep is the difficult part requiring talent, experience and the proper gear. Great prep will stop blemishes from bleeding via the decorative coat. The most essential factor is that when concrete is ground smooth, it opens the pores and permits polyaspartics to wet or absorb into the floor like water into a sponge. When the initially polyaspartic coat drys, typically within 30-60 minutes, it is not just stuck to the floor, it is part of the floor. It will not delaminate with chemical properties that withstand salts, intense moisture stress and turn into a moisture barrier. Done appropriately, concrete will break before the polyaspartic does.
If your contractor knows the ideal method they will add a non-slip aggregate to each and every layer. 1st it is important to add the suitable size non-slip aggregate to every single coating. Aggregate size is crucial. Too significant and it will float to the bottom of the bucket when mixing and will never ever make it to the floor. Too tiny and it becomes ineffective. The purpose of developing a non-slip aggregate to each and every layer is to prevent what is known as, Coefficient of Friction, from wearing down. Most contractors, if they even apply a non-slip material, will broadcast into the prime layer. polyaspartic floor coatings installer doesn’t last,. The aggregate gets dislodged from put on and the floor will grow to be slippery quickly. Properly imbedded in the coatings will permit for a slip resistance (Coefficient of Friction) that exceeds OSHA and ADA levels for years, protecting you from slip and fall lawsuits.
It requires about 3 hours to apply three coats enabling the project to be complete in 9-11 hours from commence to finish. The rapid remedy capability enables the floor to be utilised the following day. With the right Search Engine Optimization technique, a professional contractor can count on a steady flow of organization in a local industry and comfortably full 3 garage floors per week. Conversely an epoxy coating will take three-4 days or 1 job per week. With pricing in the $4.00-$6.00 per square foot that can be $10,000.00 per week in gross sales for a skilled with a two man crew.
This system has opened up a business opportunity that didn’t exist until the previous year or so. For contractors with a business enterprise acumen this is a lucrative enterprise that leads to larger ticket industrial jobs. For consumers that discover one particular of these pros, they get a high efficiency floor that will final years backed by a long term warranty.