Everyone needs a garage. I simply can’t understand how people with apartments manage to function without one. Don’t be confused, I am talking about a garage not a parking spot because I know that apartment holders often have parking spots inside the building or around it but that is not the same. A garage is a space where you can park your car as well as storage the things you don’t need at some point or even use it for a man cave.
Garages are cool and are a necessity. Just try to remember how much good music bands came from a garage! Those were the days of a good old Rock and Roll. But what about maintenance? What does it take to maintain a garage and keep it looking awesome as the day it was made?
Well, not that much to be honest. You can customize it to your needs and simply keep it clean while the biggest concern you have to worry about is the flooring. There are so many garages and there are as many floor styles as well as tiled floors, epoxy, concrete, and others. As far as styles and flooring, a place like Garage-Ideas has many ideas and advice so check them out.
Most of us want that part of our garage to be in the best shape possible. This article will address the signs that will show you if your floor needs to be replaced.
1. Cracking in the floor
Now, this type of problem is very visible with old houses and garages. It is a result of use and time and it is imminent to happen. What is interesting enough the cracks are visible and can happen on any floor type but the worst looking is probably on concrete and tile floor. Concrete cracks a lot and it starts crumbling on the spot where it cracked and it creates a lot of dust and debris, not to mention that it looks painfully ugly. The tiled floor is a bit specific because when it cracks it breaks instantly since tiles are ceramic and they do not stand brute forces and heavy objects falling. You have to be careful with these. The best way to preserve them and prolong their life is to use mats if and where you are able. Concreate is a bit more durable. It won’t break that easily and it isn’t that sensitive to hits and falling things, but you will see wear and tear after some time.
Cracking in some floor types is easily repaired and it will save you from huge costs that will go toward hiring a company to redo the entire floor. The only downside is that reparation will never make it look like it used to.
2. Uneven floor
If you use your garage for storing your vehicle or if you dispose of some of your items not using currently, or if it is a man cave and a game room, then sometimes during normal usage your floor might show as uneven or wavy. This might be due to several reasons. One of those might be that the first floor that was done isn’t done correctly and that over time it showed its defects. Other things might come from construction workers that built the house and or garage. They might have skipped a step or two during the base placement and preparation, they might have cut a corner or two when they poured the first concrete or any other type of flooring like this polyaspartic flooring.
All of these factors can contribute to uneven or wavy floors that will make apparent over time. You might even face a foundation sinking, or the ground on which the garage has been built might become a slowly sinking place over time. Some of those factors can be attached to a human error while others are simply due to nature’s fickle character. Whatever the reason this has to be addressed as soon as possible and this is a job that professionals have to undertake, no matter how good at these things you think you are. It can turn out to be a lot trickier and more problematic than you initially believed.
3. Worn out and plain ugly
I already mentioned this above but this is another reason that should compel you to replace your garage floor. If you are the type of person that has an eye for details and hates when things aren’t in the best of order then an old and worn-out garage floor will irritate you. Some small problems can be patched up and even colored or cleaned but when time does its thing then it is very difficult to make an old lady look like a young woman again. Sorry for my comparison it probably is a bad one but this is simply the truth. You can try and repair as much as you can, you can patch it whenever you need to but eventually, it will still be an old floor with a lot of scars and a long history. If you are a perfectionist then the best thing to do here is replace the floor entirely and make your garage look a lot younger and up to date.
4. Drainage problems
If you use your garage to work on vehicles then you will understand this sign. Issues with drainage can cause some serious problems in your garage and on its floors. Depending on the type of the floor, with improper drainage, you can see anything from chips and cracking to discolouration and eventually feel the smells in your entire garden and probably the house. When replacing your garage floors, it is always a good thing to advise a specialist regarding these matters and try and replace or even update your drainage system. Old houses and garages have that constant problem and the first thing you should do is tear the old floor, update the drainage system and that way prolong your garage floor life while keeping everything neat and tight as it should be.
After everything said you should now know when it is the best time to replace your floor. Maybe you will see some of the signs that will lead to an eventual floor change. Whatever the case we hoped that this article helped you inform in the right way. As for the flooring types, there are plenty of them and, today, you can customize your garage just the way you want, the only thing you have to do is thorough research.