Garage floor. Which floor will be the most durable?
The floor in the garage is exposed to mechanical damage, serious dirt and loads greater than in other rooms in the house. Moreover, the garage floor will also be exposed to moisture and low temperatures. So we have to do everything to make it durable and functional. Aesthetic issues are secondary here.
Garage floor – properties
When choosing the type of garage floor, we can take several options into account. All proposals considered should meet certain conditions. The materials we use should be:
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durable,
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anti-slip,
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resistant to damage, scrubbing, abrasion,
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frost-resistant.
The simplest solution is a concrete floor in the garage
A concrete floor is the easiest way to finish a garage floor. The use of a 5-15 cm thick reinforced concrete screed will also be relatively inexpensive. Of course, we cannot forget that proper preparation of the surface in advance is very important, as it affects the durability of the concrete floor. It is worth impregnating the raw concrete screed with an impregnation agent. This operation should be repeated every 3-4 years. This is to reduce the absorbency of the substrate. After impregnation, the garage floor is also easier to keep clean. The screed will be resistant to mechanical damage and will have a non-slip texture. If we so wish, we can change the color of the concrete using special, suitably resistant paints. Since water will collect on the garage floor (snow and rain will enter the garage along with the car), do not forget to make a slope and install a drainage channel. The slope and irrigation trough will also make it much easier to keep the floor clean – we can use a cleaning brush or a regular garden hose to wash it. It is best to plan the inheritance as early as possible, while building the house.
Cement floor
Cement mass is a popular solution for the garage floor. We can use cement masses or self-leveling masses. However, in the case of the latter, remember that self-leveling screeds are not suitable for rooms where we care about slopes. Our interest should include cement masses with a high abrasion class. Ready-made dry mixtures are most often used to make garage floors. The cement screed should be painted or impregnated.
A resin floor is a perfect solution for a garage floor
Using epoxy resin to make a garage floor is a great idea. Resin floors can also be made of polyurethane or vinyl ester (these are resistant to chemicals, which are abundant in the garage). The resin masses are placed on the primed substrate in a very simple way – with a brush or trowel. There are also self-leveling resin floors that you can simply pour onto the garage floor and they will spread themselves. The resin floor is from 1 to 6 cm. It creates a very durable floor resistant to mechanical damage, chemicals and abrasion. It is also important that an epoxy resin floor is flexible. Remember that an epoxy resin floor can be enriched with colored quartz sand. This will make it a non-slip floor. Its advantage is also that it comes in any color.
Stoneware tiles for the garage, aesthetic and practical
Ceramic tiles in the garage. Which ones will work best? The garage floor will look most elegant when covered with tiles. The choice of ceramic tiles suitable for the garage is huge. Stoneware is the best choice for a garage floor. Porcelain stoneware is resistant to mechanical damage, abrasion and low temperatures (it is frost-resistant). To make the stoneware floor easy to keep clean, remember to use epoxy grouts that are resistant to dirt. Stoneware impregnations will also help us keep order. To glue tiles in the garage, we use glue with greater flexibility (such as for external surfaces).
Which tiles should you choose for your garage?
– In areas “for special purposes”, such as a garage, the most important thing is the durability of the selected tiles. We should look for products that, thanks to their properties and resistance to external factors, will be perfect for all types of utility rooms and will also guarantee durability for many years. The Iowa collection by Ceramika Paradyż is the answer to such needs. This proposal for technical stoneware includes gray tiles, treads and plinths with a matte surface – functional and easy to maintain on a daily basis – suggests Magdalena Janas, coordinator for cooperation with architects at Ceramika Paradyż.
Garage floor, what to put on the wall?
It is also important to properly finish wall surfaces located low, near the floor. Since the floor in the garage is exposed to serious dirt (for example, mud from entering the garage on the tires of our car), we will certainly wash the floor often. Therefore, we cannot forget about the band or plinth, which will have similar properties to the floor: it will be waterproof, washable, and resistant to mechanical damage. Such a plinth should be high enough (the higher, the better) and made of tiles that also protect the floor.