Most garage floors take a lot of abuse. They are walked on, parked on, and sometimes spilled on. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your garage floor from stains and other damage that results from spills. This week, my post is all about how to keep your garage floor looking its best.
Types of Garage Floors
Most garage floors are made of concrete. Some homeowners cover their concrete garage floors with protective interlocking tiles made of vinyl or rubber. Others cover their concrete floor with a heavy-duty rubber mat cut to fit the dimensions of their garage. There are also garage floors made of granite. Granite is a popular choice for a garage floor because it’s attractive as well as scratch-resistant. The type of garage floor a homeowner has depends a lot on what the space is used for.
What Kinds of Substances End Up on a Garage Floor?
One of the most common substances spilled on garage floors is water. You may think it’s no big deal to spill water on your garage floor, but if you have a bare concrete floor, water can soak into its pores and freeze when the temperature drops. This can cause breaks and cracks in the floor. Oil is another common substance found on garage floors. It may leak from your car, or it can spill while you’re doing an oil change. Other car-related substances that can stain your floor include anti-freeze, brake fluid, and transmission fluid. All of these things have the power to corrode a concrete floor. In addition, the garage is a common place to store paint, which can certainly lead to some colorful spills!
How to Protect Your Garage Floor
There are some simple precautions you can take to preserve the condition of your garage floor. For example, if you have a concrete floor, you can apply an epoxy coating to it that prevents water and other spills from soaking into the concrete. You can also purchase a special oil-absorbing mat to put down beneath your parked car. Parking mats are another option: They fit under each tire of your car and are great at preventing tire marks from ruining the look of your floor.
What to Do if a Spill Occurs
If you spill oil on your concrete garage floor, you can use the inexpensive kitty litter method to soak up the oil. A detergent that removes heavy grease is another solution for an oil stain in the garage. If you spill paint on your concrete floor, you can remove all or most of it with paint stripper. Be sure to take the proper safety precautions when using paint stripper. Kitty litter is helpful for cleaning up an antifreeze spill on your garage floor. After soaking up the antifreeze with the litter, sweep it away and use dish soap and water to scrub the stain off of the floor. The epoxy on granite floors makes most spills on this type of surface easy to clean up. Rubber floors are resistant to spills and can be cleaned with a mild detergent and a mop. No matter which type of garage floor you have, I suggest you clean up oil and other car fluid spills right away, as these spills have the potential to cause a fire and they’re poisonous to dogs and cats.
Remember, if you take a few steps to protect your garage floor today, you won’t have to be so concerned when a spill does occur. Thanks for reading! – Alan
