Garages are a part of most residential and commercial buildings today. They’ve become part of the modern lifestyle and an integral part of the interior of many buildings. However, it has had a little help to make it more functional from things like epoxy floor coating. Garage and epoxy floor coating has come a long way from when it first started. Their numerous advantages make us question how our garages have ever functioned without them. The epoxy flooring pros at Steel Coated Epoxy Floorstake a look at how it’s evolved and what’s it like today.
Garages – Before Epoxy Floor Coatings
Garages have become such an important part of a home that it’s hard to imagine building one without them. Very early on, barns were considered to be technically garages because they were used to store the engine of the “wagon”(horses). There were also carriage ports attached to homes where the owners would receive supplies and store their belongings there to protect them from the environment. As beneficial as they were, they were not a place you could apply an epoxy floor coating.
Karl Benz created one of the first garages built to hold a vehicle in 1910. He worked on so many cars that he had a garage built intentionally to house all of them. This eventually led to the garages we know and often use today. But we can’t be sure whether it had concrete flooring or not.
Garages & Epoxy Floor Coating
Around 63% of all homes have an attached or detached garage in the US, which increases yearly. There’s no denying that garages are an integral part of our houses. And it’s no wonder that prospective home buyers now look for a home with a garage. It is, after all, a place that can hold their vehicles, tools, cabinets, camping equipment, and just about anything else. Many people also turn it into a usable living space or an entertaining area. It’s easy to access from the inside, with extra storage and good security.
However, garages have concrete floors, which can develop cracks, and moisture can seep through them. This ruins the concrete. This has made garage and epoxy floor coatings rise in popularity faster than ever expected. With garages becoming a focal point, people slowly realized they needed a makeover to make them more functional and efficient. And a great place to start a makeover was the floor.
These days homeowners turn to epoxy floor coating for their indoor and outdoor floor coating needs. It takes minimal maintenance, has a beautiful finish, and lasts years. While epoxy coatings were commercialized in 1946, it has been around even before that. It was initially used for marine and industrial fields, but after realizing its benefits for garage floors, many businesses emerged to provide garage epoxy floor coatings. It’s proven to be an ideal choice for homeowners, with its market expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2021 to 2028. Today, garages and epoxy floor coating go hand in hand.
Types of Epoxy Floor Coating We Have Today
Epoxy flooring has transformed from when it started. There are numerous types to pick from.
1. Epoxy Terrazzo Flooring
The epoxy terrazzo flooring is a colorful, decorative, and durable finish that is perfect for commercial venues, thanks to its aesthetics. This type of flooring is mixed with colored epoxy and other materials such as marble, glass, granite, etc. Mixing epoxy with selected aggregates gives this flooring a unique look and makes it look polished. Not only are they decorative and durable, but they also require little maintenance and have a life expectancy of around 40 years.
2. Epoxy Flake Coating
Epoxy flake coating is perhaps the most common type of epoxy flooring you will see in residential and commercial buildings. A colored epoxy base coat is mixed with various sizes of flakes and a resistant clear sealer for a decorative yet durable finish. The flakes come in multiple sizes and color options and are ideal for restaurants, schools, showrooms, and even homes. Even with a clear base coat, epoxy flakes are a great way to hide any imperfections on the floor underneath, depending on how close or dispersed they are.
3. Epoxy Floor Paint
Epoxy floor paint comes in a uniform and single-color finish that can be matte, glossy, or satin. Epoxy floor paint is mostly preferred for areas with light to medium activity. It can also be used in industrial or residential areas.
4. Epoxy Self-Levellers
A self-leveling epoxy has smoothing properties and, as clear from its name, will level out once poured onto the substrate. Typically they are applied 1 to 3 millimeters thick and in liquid form for a faster and more seamless finish. It’s perfect for heavy-duty demanding environments because of its resin-rich formulation.
5. Antistatic Epoxy Flooring
Antistatic epoxy flooring is great for industrial environments because not only does it provide a seamless and hard coating, but it also prevents the electrostatic charge. It must be compliant with antistatic standards requirements to transfer the charge that a person generates to defined earthing points. It’s commonly used in food processing facilities, laboratories, and clean rooms
6. Epoxy Screeds
Epoxy screeds are a heavy-duty type of epoxy flooring system that is usually used as an underlayment for self-leveling epoxy or other anti-slip floor coatings. They have fantastic impact resistance and anti-osmosis properties to create a damp-proof layer. Due to its high moisture resistance and durability, it’s used in manufacturing and food processing industries.
Epoxy Garage Floor Coating – Built To Last!
Garages need a little extra help to become durable and last longer. And what better to help them than an epoxy floor coating? Since its commercialized use in garages to now, Epoxy floor coating is one of the best ways to coat your garage. If you’re looking for epoxy floor contractors, check out Steel Coated Epoxy Floors. We offer commercial and residential coatings, both with a lifetime warranty. You can get our steel-coated epoxy floors and concrete floor coatings in areas such as Draper, Layton, Las Vegas, and Prescott.
Contact us for more information on our services.
