Most people don’t realize this but concrete is not an indestructible material. They see how hard it is and how long it seems to last when bridges, roads, and buildings are constructed out of this material and the normal thought process is that nothing can hurt it. This is, unfortunately, far from the truth. In reality, a garage floor sealant must be applied to protect the surface from damage and staining.
Concrete is actually porous which means liquids can penetrate it. In fact, this property is used to determine if a floor is clean enough to apply a sealer as it can show if there is any petroleum contamination which will cause the coating to not stick. After cleaning the concrete floor, spray a film of water on the surface and watch what happens. If the floor is clean the water will not stand on the surface. If the floor is still contaminated with oil or other products the water will form little beads because it can’t penetrate the surface. These beads indicate you need to clean the surface more before sealing.
You do not want the water to be able to seep into the concrete because it can cause a lot of damage if it freezes. But the question is, if a layer of oil will seal the floor from water why not just use that? The answer is, an oil layer with water on top is very, very slippery. You won’t be able to enjoy your floor because every time you walked on it you would fall on your bottom.
A good garage floor coating will protect the floor and also allow for good footing because you can apply a non-slip additive after the coating is painted on. This is done by casting a material such as sand on the top of the sealant which gives a very good friction surface for your footing. The sand acts like millions of little grabbers that stop your shoes from sliding when side pressure is applied.
Don’t neglect your garage floor. If you protect it now, you will enjoy years of use from it.
