The average American spends 1-2 hours per week in their garage, but this number rises when they use this space as a workshop, parking spot, gym, or home entrance. When you spend so much time in this space, it is essential that you ensure it always looks its best. While sweeping and mopping can help keep dirt and grime at bay, your garage may still look dingy.
That’s where flooring options, like garage floor paint and professional coatings, come into play. You may consider investing in one of these options to boost the aesthetics of your space while making it easier to clean your floors. But are these two flooring options created equal, and which is the better fit for your home?
In this blog, we’ll discuss the key differences between these two options to help you make the best choice for your garage.
Garage Floor Paint – A Quick Fix
For homeowners dealing with a dingy, dull-looking concrete slab, garage floor paint may seem like a great way to boost the space’s aesthetic. With a fresh coat of paint, the space is instantly brightened, making it far more visually appealing for anyone who walks through. Sometimes, your garage floor paint may even make it easier to clean your garage.
Untreated concrete floors are dirt and debris magnets. Over time, this debris build-up can slowly degrade your concrete slab, leading to costly replacements. If you want to avoid these replacements, garage floor paint is a great way to help you prevent concrete degradation. But even with these benefits, there are some drawbacks to installing garage floor paint in your home.
The Downside of Garage Floor Paint
- Wears Down Quickly: If you’re looking for a long-term solution to improve the appearance of your home, garage floor paint may not be your best option. Whether you use this space as a parking spot or storage, paint can quickly wear down. Regular friction may lead to chipping or flaking, leaving you with bare spots. If you want to avoid the look of chipped paint, it is best to avoid paint.
- Expensive Upkeep: While garage floor paint can be an inexpensive way to upgrade the appearance of your home, the cost of maintaining your paint can grow exponentially. If it has been over a year since you’ve painted your garage floors, your existing can of paint may need to be replaced before you can patch chips. As you continue to repaint the floors, you may spend more money than you ever intended.
- Difficult Application: If you’ve ever painted before, you may think using garage floor paint isn’t too different or difficult. However, this project is often far more complicated than people expect. If your floors require patching, this can be difficult to do properly before painting. If it isn’t done properly, you may end up with bumpy floors that look worse than before you started the project.
Professional Coatings – A More Permanent Solution
While garage floor paint is a great way to adjust the appearance of your garage quickly, there are far more permanent solutions on the market, like Polyaspartic and epoxy floor coatings. These coatings are an increasingly popular choice among homeowners, especially if they’ve dealt with damage to their concrete slab in the past.
Floor coatings are drop and chemical-resistant, making them a great choice for homeowners who use this space as a workshop. These coatings also protect your concrete floor against damage caused by dripping oil and grease. However, as reliable as professional floor coatings are, they do come with a few drawbacks.
The Downside of Professional Coatings
- More Costly Investment: For homeowners who want to improve the appearance of their garage on a budget, professional floor coatings may not be your best option. While this flooring isn’t as expensive as some more costly options, it is more expensive than standard garage floor paint. On average, floor coatings cost about $6 per square foot, or about $2,400 for a 400-square-foot garage.
- Time-Consuming Project: When you choose a floor coating for your home, you may have to deal with longer timelines than if you opted for paint. Some floor coating options, like epoxy, require several days to cure between coats. This may render your garage unusable for up to two weeks, which may be more time than you can commit to your renovation project.
Which is Best for Your Home?
Ultimately, if you are looking for a long-term solution to improve the appearance of your garage and protect your concrete floors, professional floor coatings are your best option. While they are more costly than garage floor paint, floor coatings will protect your floors from whatever may come their way.
Whether you’ve dealt with damage in the past or want to protect a newly installed concrete slab, there are plenty of coating options to help you do just that. From Polyaspartic to epoxy, every option provided by your floor coating provider is perfect for keeping your floor safe from damage, staining, and more.
If you’re unsure which floor coating is best for your home, it is essential that you reach out to a floor coating professional for support. With their expertise and training, they can help you find a coating that is the right fit for your space.
Your Greenville, SC, Floor Coating Expert
No matter what floor coating you choose for your home, it is essential that you work with a reliable floor coating professional. Attempting to install a floor coating without proper tools or training can be complex and may lead to structural problems within the coating. If you’re looking for a floor coating professional in Greenville, turn to our team at Surface Bella Garage Floors for support.
For years, we’ve provided homeowners and businesses across Greenville and beyond with the most reliable, durable floor coatings on the market. From the most durable Polyaspartic floors to beautifully designed, custom epoxy floors, our team provides them all. When you’re ready to install a floor coating in your home, we’re here and ready to help.
If you’d like to learn more about our floor coating products or are ready to schedule a no-obligation consultation, don’t hesitate to contact us for support.